Trending · Record
A Chinese motorbike rides 40.74 km across water for a world record
张雪机车连续水上行驶40.74公里
Motorcycle maker Zhang Xue tried and failed at the same stunt on national TV in 2009. This time his own bike made it 40 km.
In short
On 25 October 2026 Zhang Xue rode a modified motorbike built by his company, Zhang Xue Motorcycles, 40.74 km across the river at Mayang in Hunan in 32 minutes, setting a Guinness World Record. He had attempted the stunt on CCTV in 2009, aged 22, and failed four times.
Who is Zhang Xue?
Zhang Xue was born in 1987 in a poor mountain village in Hunan. He started riding at 14, left school and became an apprentice in a motorbike repair shop. In April 2024 he founded Zhang Xue Motorcycles in Chongqing, which develops its own engines.
In March 2026 a Zhang Xue 820RR-RS, ridden by Frenchman Valentin Debise, won a World Superbike Championship round in Portimão, Portugal, and won again the next day. Xinhua called it a sign of China’s manufacturing strength.[2]
How do you ride a motorbike on water?
The MX450 was waterproofed at the intake, exhaust and spark plugs, fitted with buoyancy plates and airbags, and given electronic control of throttle, braking and steering. The bike was tested on a river in Chongqing a week before the attempt, which was streamed live on Douyin.[1]
Why it trended
It is an underdog story with a long arc: the same man failed on national television 17 years earlier. When the record was confirmed, the county’s Party secretary was thrown into the river in celebration; he later said it was Zhang’s idea and that he swims well. A reporter who interviewed Zhang 20 years ago was in tears at the finish.[3]
Sources
- Shangyou News via Yangtse Evening Post, Zhang Xue Motorcycles to attempt water-riding Guinness record (19 October 2026, in Chinese) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- Xinhua, From repair apprentice to world champion: Zhang Xue Motorcycles (3 April 2026, in Chinese) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- Baidu Hot Search, story summary (25 October 2026, in Chinese) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
Picked from Baidu’s public hot-search list and checked against the reports above. Suggest a correction