Zhai Mo arrives in Sanya, South China in his sailboat, February 13, 2009. [Xinhua]

Zhai Mo is an artist first. But now he will be better known as a sailor and adventurer.

After two years and 25 days, the 40-year-old Zhai on Friday arrived in Sanya in his sailboat, the Rizhao, becoming the first Chinese to sail alone around the world.

The time might be nothing for professional sailors or people from those traditional sailing powerhouses. American Joshua Slocum became the first person to finish a single-handed global circumnavigation in 1898 and Poland's Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskievicz achieved the feat in 1978. Britain's Ellen MacArthur even set women's around-the-world record of just 71 days in 2005.

But in a country without sailing tradition, amateur Zhai's feat is amazing. It shows that with the rise of the country, Chinese people can do well in the field that used to be a strange world in the past.

Zhai was welcomed by hundreds of people at the harbor of the southmost city of Hainan Island. Some people came here from his hometown of Shandong Province, some 2000 kilometers away.

He was hugged by people and looked very excited. "It feels great. So great," he said.

"I am so excited to see so many people and friends. The first thing I want to do now is to have a drink with you."

Zhai's 12m-long and 3.85m-wide sailboat was named after east China's port city of Rizhao, where he started the journey and the Water Sports Governing Center of the State General Sports Administration is situated. He was co-sponsored by the Rizhao City government and the water sports center.

During the 66,000-kilometer journey, Zhai endured stormy seas, hydraulic fluid leaking, fever, bruises and exhaustion. He was even mistakenly detained on the Indian Ocean for entering a U.S. military base.

"The U.S. soldiers finally knew my identity and provided me food and water and let me go," said a beeming Zhai.

As the youngest son of six in an artist's family, Zhai remains single. In his hometown, it is a rare thing.

"My mother always complained that I should settle down and have a family. But I think sailing around the world is my dream," he said.

"For many years, I always dreamed of doing this round-the-world trip by myself. Of all the methods of transport, like plane or train, the most free way to travel is by sea," he said. Every stop he made, such as in Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia, he never had a visitor's visa, but was always granted a waiver, he said.

Traveling on a sailboat gave him the freedom to arrive and depart any time he wanted. "Don't need any tickets," he laughed. "I also think it's a romantic journey," he said.

Zhai didn't tell his mother about the around-the-world challenge. "She would have been scared and not be able to sleep. But now I can tell her I am back, safely."

Zhai grew up as a painter and held his own painting exhibition in France. He used to live in France and New Zealand, where he fell in love with sailing. He sailed around New Zealand from February 2000 to August 2001. One month later, he took his vessel out again into the Pacific Ocean. After that, he made up his mind to sail around the world.

His next goal is to compete in Vendee Globe, the only single-handed non-stop round-the-world race.

"No one from Asia has ever competed in Vendee Globe," Zhai said. "The race is a serious test of individual endurance, and is regarded by many as the ultimate in ocean racing. I want to have a try."

(Xinhua News Agency Feburary 14, 2009)