WHEN the 10th Olympic Games was held in Los Angeles in 1932, China didn't send a team due to national calamity and financial constraints.

However, in the original Olympic Village, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, a young man from Shanghai left his handwriting on a column close to the ruins of the ancient sports stadium to express his grief - "Chinese Pan Deming came here on foot."

Greece was only one stop on Pan's global journey. Previously, he had travelled to Viet Nam, Cambodia, Siam (now Thailand), Malaya (now Malaysia), Singapore, India and Persia (now Iran).

When Pan was six or seven years old, he used to climb the Daochang Mountain near his hometown, where he met an old monk, who kindly invited him to the top of the mountain. Once there, an endless land appeared in front of Pan's eyes.

Pan couldn't help crying out: "What a big world!" The old monk's response was filled with meaning for Pan: "Over 1,300 years ago, master Xuan Zang (the eminent monk of the Tang Dynasty) travelled for 17 years, but still couldn't reach a quarter of the world."

The old monk's words inspired Pan's strong desire to see the whole world.

Pan set out with seven young Chinese, who organized the China Youth Asia Group in Shanghai in 1930, aiming to demonstrate the glory of Chinese history by their long walk across numerous Asian countries.

After reaching the coast of Viet Nam, only three members had left. But later, the remaining two members also abandoned the journey due to their decreasing confidence and differences of opinion. Pan Deming was alone!

He took a brave decision to go ahead, changing the original intention of the China Youth Asia Group by walking round the world instead of Asia. On his way, Pan made a collection, which included inscriptions written by celebrities and groups Pan visited.

After saying goodbye to Asia, Pan continued to Iraq and Syria. While crossing over a mountain pass to Jerusalem he was robbed of all his money, as well as the bicycle he had bought in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City). Fortunately, his collection of inscriptions was not taken, since it was merely worthless paper to the robbers, although an invaluable travelling record for Pan.

Pan's courage was not destroyed. He continued his travels through Africa, Europe, North American countries and Australia. In Sydney, an overseas Chinese sent Pan a new bicycle after hearing about his arduous travelling experiences.

At first, Pan planned to return to China from Japan after visiting Indonesia, but then Japan invaded China's Northeastern provinces. As a protest, Pan sailed to Singapore. Crossing the dense jungle, he arrived in Siam. An 80-year-old overseas Chinese drew a map to Burma (now Myanmar) for him. Following this map, in 1936, Pan entered Burma and then returned to China after a long separation from his motherland.

Pan's seven-year journey can be tracked by his 5cm thick collection of inscriptions, in which French President Lebrun wrote to him emotionally: "I want to send you some words by French hero Napoleon for your magnificent behaviour: 'China is a sleeping giant. And when she awakens, she shall astonish the world'."

(The author is from the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences)