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STAGE 1 – China to Japan
A quest by rowboat from China to Japan in search of Xu Fu and the Elixir of Immortality
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On Saturday 25 May 2024 Asia’s first ocean rower, Chinese national 孙海滨 (Sun Haibin) and Denmark’s first ocean rower, Christian Havrehed ( 黄思远 ), will embark on a 2,234km row from China to retrace the route of China’s first maritime explorer, Xu Fu (徐福), who in 210BC was sent by the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, to search for the Elixir of Immortality in the Eastern Seas.
The first leg of the row is an off-shore non-stop 800km crossing of the East China Sea to Nagasaki. Here the pair will clear into Japan early June before continuing on a 1,400km coastal row round the Southern tip of Kyushu island, into the Pacific Ocean, and up to Shingu in Wakayama Prefecture, where they expect to complete their row Saturday 27 July 2024.
The row is expected to take 63 days. The 2,234km distance signifies it is 2,234 years since Xu Fu emparked on this voyage.
Along the way they will visit locations and temples in Japan dedicated to Xu Fu (known in Japan as “Jofuku”) and make cultural exchange activities with the local Xu Fu Associations to celetrate and promote the story of Xu Fu. Shingu has been chosen as the terminal point because it holds some of the most important Xu Fu sites in Japan, including Xu Fu’s grave.
Xu Fu’s Voyage East ( 徐福东渡 ) is one of the earliest documented voyages in official Chinese history (Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian). The late Joseph Needham ( 李约瑟 ), who initiated the book series Science and Civilisation in China, published by Cambridge University Press, and after whom the Cambridge Needham Research Institute is named, believed Xu Fu may have travelled all the way to America.
Based on Needham’s research, two explorers have attempted to cross directly across the Pacific Ocean to America using their best guesses of the vessel Xu Fu may have used.
In 1974 Kuno Knöbl set out in a junk from Hong Kong and in 1993 Tim Severin set sail in a bamboo raft from Vietnam. Both vessels sank mid-Pacific, and the crews had to be rescued.
Knöbl and Severin’s failed attempts support the view that ship technology in 210BC may not have been advanced enough for direct Trans-Pacific passages. Instead of a direct voyage across the Pacific Ocean a mainly costal voyage along the North Pacific Rim to America seems more plausible.
This China to Japan row is Stage 1 of a four stage project where Haibin and Christian investigate whether the Chinese could have made it to America pre-Columbus along the North Pacific Rim.
Neither Knöbl nor Severin were granted permission to leave from China, but after more than 30 years of reform and opening up, China is now a different country. To be able to demonstrate this to the world, it has always been Christian’s dream to leave from China as Vietnam and Hong Kong have no connection with Xu Fu. With their 2001 Trans-Atlantic row Haibin and Christian also broke the mold of what was considered possible in China.
Obtaining this historical permission to row out of China could not have happend without a lot of goodwill and support both inside and outside of China, as these Support Letters are testemony to.
Christian and Haibin would like to thank everyone who has helped the project get to this stage and hope many more individuals and corporations from around the world will join them on this exciting journey of discovery. You can choose your level of support here and follow the expedition log here.
Supporters / 支持者 / 지지자 / サポーター
| Danish Ambassador to China, Mr. Thomas Østrup Møller | |
 | 丹麦驻华大使 중국 주재 덴마크 대사 駐中国デンマーク大使 |
| Danish Ambassador to Japan, Mr. Peter Taksøe-Jensen | |
 | 丹麦驻日本大使会 일본 주재 덴마크 대사 駐日デンマーク大使 |
| Danish Ambassador to Korea, Mr. Svend Olling | |
 | 丹麦驻韩大使 주한 덴마크 대사 駐韓デンマーク大使 |
| President of Mt. Fuji Jofuku Society, Mr. Hiroshi Hayakawa (早川氏) and Representative of Mt. Fuji Jofuku Culture Study Group, Mr. Ken Ito (伊藤氏) | |
 | 富士山徐福学会 / 富士山徐福文化研究会 후지산 서복후이 / 후지산 서복문화연구회 富士山徐福学会 / 富士山と相模の徐福文化研究会 |
| The Friendship Association Denmark – China, Chairman Julie Brink | |
 | 丹中友好协会 덴마크 중국 우호 협회 デンマーク中国友好協会 |
| The Chinese Association in Denmark, Chairman Lin Yanbiao (林燕标) | |
 | 丹麦华人总会 덴마크 중국인 협회 デンマーク中国人总会 |
| The Japanese Association in Denmark, Board of Directors c/o Atsuku Sonohato | |
 | 丹麦日本人会 덴마크 일본 협회 デンマーク日本人会 |
| Former Chairman of the Asian Rowing Federation & Founder and Chairman of Vanke (万科), Mr. Wang Shi (王石) | |
 | 亚洲赛艇联合会 아시아조정연맹노팅엄 대학교 アジアボート連盟 |
| The University of Nottingham, Professor Sarah Dauncey | |
 | 宁波诺丁汉大学 노팅엄 대학교 ノッティンガム大学 |
| Beijing Triathlon Association, Qin Yue | |
 | 北京市铁人三项运动协会 베이징 트라이애슬론 협회 北京トライアスロン協会 |
The New Xu Fu Voyage East will provide new insights into where it would practically have been possible for Xu Fu to sail to, given the ship technology at the time. Xu Fu’s navigational limitations is an area of study where very little research has been done. The row will therefore add significant new knowledge to the study of Xu Fu.
The oceans are key to climate change. Without healthy seas, life on land will increasingly struggle. We are therefore pleased to partner with the following entities to better understand how troubled the seas are and what can be done to revive them. A drop-in-the-ocean contribution towards UN SDG 14. Life below water.
In 2017 Dr. Dimitri Deheyn from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, was studying jellyfish under a microscope. Unexpectedly, he came across some long blue stringy things he had not seen before. He first thought his microscope lens was dirty and then he thought it was microplastic. But it turned out to be something else. Microfibers from fabric!
When we put our clothes in the washing machine some of the fabric rubs off and eventually ends up in the sea. Like microplastic, it is not yet fully understood to what extent microfibers are harmful to the living organisms ingesting them, but along with microplastic, microfibers are also already in the food chain, and we are ingesting them. And they seem to be everywhere. Microfibers from fabric have even been found in sea water and snow samples at the North Pole.
We are proud to contribute to Dr. Dekeyn’s research by collecting daily seawater samples throughout our 2,234km row. With a bespoke testing equipment we will press 50mL of seawater through a glass filter, which holds back the microscopic stuff in the water. We store these glass filters onboard and once we get to shore we send them to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography for analysis.
The deck of our rowing boat is about 30cm above the surface, so collecting samples will be easy and provide a welcome distraction from the arduous task of rowing. It is going to be interesting to see what the state of affairs is with microfibers in the East China Sea.
Eyesea was established in 2020 to tackle the issue of trash in the sea. Eyesea provides an app for seafarers and volunteers allowing them to take pictures of trash anywhere in the ocean, along the coast, or near waterways with a geotag location.
This data is then collected and analysed in order to understand which areas should be prioritised for clean ups and how best to do it, given the nature of the trash. This information is then passed to organisations and communities, who then do the actual clean ups.
Eyesea is a non-profit membership organisation funded by maritime and shipping companies from around the world.
We are proud to contribute to Eyesea’s mission by using their app throughout our row and talking about what we see. We will be significantly closer to the surface than seafarers on the deck of a 20,000TEU container ship. At 2-3kn, much slower, too! This may allow us to see things that the larger vessels cannot.
Oarsmen
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| Christian Havrehed 黄思远 | |
| Christian is our Danish oarsman. He is the first Dane to row across an ocean (together with Sun Haibin) and the first Dane to row around Denmark. Christian lives in Copenhagen. Christian is the project initiator, project manager, expedition leader, fundraiser, and responsible for the project’s overall success. He has studied and worked for 20 years in China. He reads and writes Chinese. He first started learning about Chinese history in 1986 at UWC in Wales and he has promoted Chinese-foreign understanding through maritime adventures since 2001. | |
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| Sun Haibin 孙海滨 | |
| Haibin is our Chinese oarsman. He is the first Chinese, and Asian, to row across an ocean (he did this with Christian). He is Head of the Outdoor Sports Department at Beijing Sports University and an honorary member of the Beijing Triathlon Federation. Haibin lives in Beijing. Apart from being an oarsman, Haibin is our project coordinator in China, responsible for stakeholder management, relationship development, fundraising, Xu Fu Associations liaison, and permission to row out of China. | |
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| Are you our Japanese oarsman? Do you want to join us on the China – Japan leg and be part of making expedition history? If this sounds like fun to you, please contact christian@yantu.com | |
Shore Crew
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| Shuji Honma 本間 修二 | |
| Shuji Honma is the former Head of Planning and Development at TBS (“Tokyo Broadcasting Service”) Vision. Other roles include executive producer, commercial planner, director, director of program advertising department, program director and producer. Since retirement in 2016 he has been working as a planner and producer for Kyushu island’s regional development and revitalization. Shuji Honma is responsible for PR and media relationships in Japan. Given his seniority and impressive career he can open many doors. He is a member of the Japanese Xu Fu Association and is particularly interested in the Xu Fu site at Nebeoka. | |
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| Kenji Ito 伊藤 健二 | |
| Kenji Ito is the former Chairman of the Japan Xu Fu Association and the Representative Mt. Fuji Xu Fu Culture Study Group. Kenji Ito is well respected by the various local Japanese Xu Fu Associations and a key promoter and supporter of our project. | |
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| Kaori Uchiyama 内山 香織 | |
| Kaori is an award-winning photographer and a Japanese teacher. She is based in Japan. Her photography focuses on the environment, with themes encompassing natural landscapes, people, and their lives. The Xu Fu legend in today’s society is one of her research themes for her academic interest. Her experiences have helped her build better insights and perspectives. She now feels ready to expand her scope into ecology, the environment, and our livelihood. The legend of Xu Fu has much to teach us about how we may benefit from herbs and the ancient wisdom of living in harmony with nature. Kaori is our fixer in Japan. She is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with the various Japanese Xu Fu Associations and other stakeholders. Kaori Uchiyama Photography Denmark Story | |
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| Yusuke Morotomi 諸富 裕典 | |
| Yusuke is a LEGO® Serious Play® facilitator, UWC alumni, and a businessman residing in Indochina for over 20 years. His ancestors are from the region of Chikugo River where the highest concentration of Xu Fu sites in Japan is found, and his surname is related to Xu Fu. Yusuke speaks exceptional English, is fluent in Chinese, and has excellent project management skills. He has a spiritual approach to life and enjoys visiting temples. He currently lives in Cambodia. Yusuke is our Japanese-English-Chinese language and culture translator. | |
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| Albert Liang 梁基烔 | |
| Albert is a retired Koran banker, who spent 20 years working in Qingdao, China. It was during his stay in Qingdao that Albert first heard of Xu Fu. During Corona lockdown Albert wrote a Master Thesis about Xu Fu “A Study of the Written Records of the Story of Xu Fu – Focusing on the Old Records of China, Korea, and Japan”. Albert lives in Jeju where he also acts as a tourist guide. Albert manages our relationship with the Korean Xu Fu Associations. In addition to Korean and Chinese, Albert speaks and writes English fluently. | |
There are no reliable records of the type of vessel Xu Fu used, so it has not been possible to create a plausible replica. For lack of better, an ocean rowing boat is a good proxy.
An Ocean rowing boat is completely human-powered, slow, drifts significantly due to windage and lack of keel, has limited ability to travel to windward, and navigation of strong currents is precarious. An ancient vessel would have experienced similar challenges.
Trying to imitate the safety standards of 210BC would be foolish and the boat is therefore equipped with modern safety, communication, and navigation equipment.
Lack of onboard comfort, cramped quarters, language barriers, cultural differences, and fatigue will test the teamwork and resolve of the quartet, providing some insight into the hardship that Xu Fu and his crew will have experienced.
In 2001 Danish adventurer and sinologist Christian Havrehed founded the “Yantu Project” to promote Sino-Western understanding through cross-cultural nautical adventures.
In the first Yantu Project Christian and Beijing Sports University teacher Sun Haibin rowed unsupported 5,000km across the Atlantic Ocean in 56 days, raising USD91,000 to aid Chinese students studying overseas. As a result, Christian became the first Dane to row across the Atlantic, and Sun Haibin the first Chinese – and Asian. The project was highly praised in China and the West and was highly visible in the media.
Christian and Sun Haibin have now come together again to promote the Yantu Project spirit through a new epic maritime adventure not attempted before; the New Xu Fu Voyage East.
