Chinese couple complete 20,000 km drive from Shanghai to Birmingham
By Digital Content

LONDON, Sept 8 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese couple embarked on a sightseeing tour of Britain on Sunday after having completed an epic 20,000 km journey from Shanghai.

Yaoguo Chen and Jie Wu decided to make the journey as a pilgrimage to spiritual home in England of their Shanghai-built Maxus V80 van.

The couple, both aged 48, set off from Shanghai on July 1 and arrived in Birmingham on August 26.

It took the couple two years to plan their trip, which took them on a route through Mongolia, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Holland and France, and then to their destination in Great Britain's second biggest city, Birmingham.

Jie Wu said: "We quit our jobs to do this. I worked for an American company called Abbott and Yaoguo Chen was a press photographer for Shanghai Money Weekly.

"Our friends and family think we are crazy but we are very happy to have done it."

The Chinese-built vehicle has a direct link with Birmingham, based on the Maxus model line which at one time was produced at the LDV production plant in England's West Midlands.

In 2008, after a troubled period for the Birmingham-based van-maker's Russian owner, GAZ Group finally pulled the plug on LDV.

The LDV name and the firm's intellectual property rights were acquired in 2010 by the SAIC Motor Corporation Ltd. Since then, SAIC's Maxus V80 van, based on LDV's Maxus and the G10 seven-seat MPV, has been built in Shanghai.

Jie Wu added: "Owning a Maxus is the big reason we wanted to come to Birmingham. The vehicle is from Birmingham, it was designed by LDV and it has come home."

Sadly for the couple, the former LDV site now lies derelict, bought as part of plans to build the proposed HS2 (High Speed 2) rail link between Birmingham and London.

But both said they were delighted to have made it to the city where the Maxus model started its life.

"We really wanted to come to Birmingham but are also keen to see other parts of England," added Jie Wu.

After SAIC acquired the LDV name, the first Maxus product, the V80 van, was unveiled at the Auto Shanghai motor show in April 2011. (XINHUA)

-- TNA 2014-09-08

You drive 20,000km and end up in Birmingham.

Jesus wept, my heart goes out to you!

Birmingham!!??

totster

Would have been funny if they arrived in the UK and had a visa problem ! Were sorry but you have to go back to where you just came from !! Hahahaha

You drive 20,000km and end up in Birmingham.

Jesus wept, my heart goes out to you!

And in an LDV. Have you ever driven one of those things? I buy them to use a crew buses on large development sites. They never go on the road!

kudos to them to be able to travel so far!
I think they should now continue their journey and go south!

You drive 20,000km and end up in Birmingham.

Jesus wept, my heart goes out to you!

I can think of a lot of much worse places.

Lucky them, am I right in thinking that Brits (or any other farang) cannot drive from Thailand to China?

Lucky them, am I right in thinking that Brits (or any other farang) cannot drive from Thailand to China?

it's doable, but requires major guanxi.

When they arrived they thought that they had made a navigation error and were not in England?

When they arrived they thought that they had made a navigation error and were not in England?

LOL funny!

Who in the world would choose to drive to Birmingham?

Who in the world would choose to drive to Birmingham?

Two Chinese people in an LDV?

I know, this one's way left of field.

I admire the Chinese couple for doing the trip. Long ago in 1975 and 1978 I have done the London Colombo trip twice which took me three weeks of driving to cover 14 thousand km. Once you have your visas maps and the Carnet (Customs document) together,you just hit the road. London, Hamburg Salzburg,Zagreb, Belgrade, Sofia Istanbul, Ankara Tabriz, Teheran,Kabul, Lahore Amritsar,Delhi Agra,Poona Bangalore,and Rameswaram where the Ferry was waiting for me in South India. In 75 I drove a 1973 VW 1300 and in 78 a Ford Transit Diesel crew bus. Both vehicles got to Sri Lanka in one piece.

You drive 20,000km and end up in Birmingham.

Jesus wept, my heart goes out to you!

I can think of a lot of much worse places.

Maybe North Korea, Syria, I'm struggling now

They missed the exit ?

When they opened their boot (trunk), out popped 4 Afghans, 3 Iraqis, and 4 Somalians who they picked up in Calais.

They have all been given 4 bedroom houses on Hagley Rd.

they really got visa for all the countries they passed?

they really got visa for all the countries they passed?

Someone doing such a trip will inquire and get all Visas maps etc. and then leave.

I got some of my Visas on the way in major cities like Ankara and Kabul.

The most important is to get the Carnet de Passage for the vehicle. Thats what lets you bring in the vehicle to the country without having to pay customs duty. You cannot sell the car as you have it stamped in your passport as well.

Ha s the word of free housing and benefits finally reach china too.

Hope they didn't get mugged by the Bullring!