A 12-year-old Chinese boy traveled 1,167 kilometers on top of a train after running away from home.

The boy was discovered at Jinan railway station in the eastern Shandong Province after an 18-hour journey, Qilu Evening News reported.

The boy was shivering with cold when found. Police immediately took him to their office to warm up.

The boy, identified as Wang, left home in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, in a fit of pique after a quarrel with his family. With no money, he sneaked into the railway station and climbed on to the top of a train heading to the northeastern city Qiqihar.

Staff at the Jinan railway station said the train stopped at the station at 9:23 AM. One staff member noticed the boy just as the train was about to depart at 9:30 AM.

The police had already returned the boy to his home, the newspaper said.

Temperatures in Jinan have remained below zero in recent days. The distance from Hangzhou to Qiqihar is 2,896 kilometers, a 41-hour train journey.

(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2007)