"After 65 days of battling the ocean, the four of us finally landed in Dar es Salaam, Africa..." wrote a 56-year-old explorer from Southwest China's Sichuan Province in a WeChat post on Tuesday, announcing that he had completed a new feat — crossing the Indian Ocean by rowing without assistance or motorized power.
The explorer Liu Yong is from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province. He is the director of the Mountain Tourism Research Institute at Sichuan Tourism University and is a renowned figure in China’s exploration field, Sichuan Daily reported.

Liu’s team began their expedition on May 17, departing from Caravan on the western coast of Australia. He was joined by three elite explorers from Europe. 

The four-member crew embarked on a planned, unsupported, human-powered rowing voyage across the Indian Ocean in a single vessel, with no form of motorized propulsion or external support, according to the report.

During the expedition, they faced many challenges, including the sudden loss of the rudder, the shattering of the hydroplane by massive waves, the loss of the stern fin, and inadequate power supply, Sichuan Daily reported.

At one point during the journey, Liu was swept overboard by towering waves, the report said. He also marked his 56th birthday while at sea.

They arrived in Dar es Salaam, Africa, at 6:45 pm local time on Wednesday, covering a total distance of 4,401 nautical miles (8,150 kilometers) in 65 days, plus an additional six hours and 45 minutes, the report said.

This achievement marks Liu’s team as having "successfully accomplished the extraordinary feat of rowing across the Indian Ocean solely by human power, without engine propulsion or wind assistance, setting a new milestone in the history of human exploration," Sichuan Daily reported, citing a release from Liu’s university.

As the team neared the African coast, Liu raised the Chinese national flag for a photo. "I am proud of my homeland. Through this expedition, I want to demonstrate that 'The world is an equal place; one who dares to dream, and act can achieve the same,'" Liu said.

During the journey, Liu also conducted ethnographic research on extreme expeditions, compiling 300,000 words of anthropological field notes.

Two years ago, Liu and five French teammates completed a transatlantic canoe expedition, rowing 5,239 kilometers without engine power over 54 days and 23 hours, the report said.