Rowing team pulls together from China in search of immortality despite political headwinds

In just under 2 days, on Saturday 25 May, two friends from Denmark and China, will set out in a rowing boat from Shensi Island off China’s east coast province of Zhejiang on Stage 1 of an epic expedition. The first 800km of this the New Xu Fu Voyage East will take the rowing pair out into the open waters of the East China Sea to Japan. The whole journey is 1,300kms with their final destination at Nobeoko on Kyushu Island. This Yantu Project, brainchild of Christian Havrehed, 54 and from Denmark, involves nautical adventures that promote Sino-Western understanding & the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. This leg of the joureny is to retrace the route of Xu Fu, the ancient alchemist of China’s first Emperor, Qin Shihaung, and his quest to discover the elixir of immortality in 210BC.

Relations between China and the west have been at a low point for some years now but this expedition – involving Denmark’s first ocean rower, Christian Havrehed, and Sun Haibin 孙海滨，China’s first ocean rower – is underpinned by the Yantu voyage motto, “合作可以更多 : Together we can achieve more!” and their catch-phrase, “慢慢来 Don’t rush.” The expedition is the culmination of years of preparation and academic study and involves cross-cultural immersion at an extreme level.

Christian believes that the Chinese may well have discovered America long before the 15^th Century Voyage of Discovery by Christopher Columbus and this Stage 1 row is the first of four phases to assess  if that might have been possible via the Pacific Rim. During the voyage the pair will gain knowledge about ocean currents, coastlines and maritime travel that could support this thesis. The pair will also be investigating sustainable development goals 13 Climate Action and 14 Life Below Water.

So novel, inspiring and committed to scientific as well as historical exploration is this epic adventure, that the Explorers’ Club has given the expedition a Flag, only the 139th to be granted in the Club’s history since its founding in 1904.

Testament to the inspiration that this expedition has generated in China, Christian and Sun Haibin were invited to take part in the Opening Ceremony of the Zhejiang Province 4^th Ocean Games a few days ago. On Saturday morning the Danish Ambassador to China will wave them off in an official departure ceremony. The pair estimate that they will reach Nagasaki in 11 days. After that they will travel a further 500 kms around the coastline to their final destination on Sunday 30 June. As part of their charitable outcomes, the expedition will help to fund Xu Fu Environmental Scholarships to promote environmental awareness and sea rescue skills. 

These last few days of preparation have involved shopping for food rations, ensuring that their water-maker works, making final adjustments to the boat, launching it in the water and sorting all their cargo into categories including “repair”, “tools”, electronics”, “medicine”, “abandon ship”, and stored accordingly. This is no weekend picnic; such a journey requires serious planning, total conviction and both mental and physical endurance. 

Engage with China has believed in this New Xu Fu Voyage East for some years now when it first captured our imagination. We met up with Christian in Lowestoft in the UK during Covid in August 2020 to discuss the expedition. Our charity, which builds China literacy in UK schools, sees this sort of cross-cultural and educational engagement as pivotal to developing closer understanding and peace with China. We are proud to have the EwC logo emblazoned at the front of the boat alongside Yantu’s own and to have Christian as our very own Adventure Ambassador. We hope that this expedition will inspire young people, including athletes and particularly rowers, to believe that nothing is impossible.

Sun Haibin and Christian are no strangers to ocean rowing. In 2001 they crossed the Atlantic in a rowing competition in 56 days – a journey of 5,000 kilometres. *You can buy Christian’s book about this ocean row, “From Tenerife to Barbados in a rowboat,” online.

To find out more and to follow the expedition, click here. https://yantu.com/current-expedition/the-new-xu-fu-voyage-east/ where you can also find out ways to sponsor the expedition including inviting Christian to give an inspirational talk on his return.

We will be following the journey with keen interest and hope that the winds will blow in the right direction and bring them safely to Japan!