He had cycled more than 300 miles over 30 days in a bid to get home for Chinese New Year - only to realise that he had gone the wrong way.

The young migrant worker was too poor to buy a train ticket, so he set off from the city of Rizhao on China's eastern coast in the hope of making it to his family home in Qiqihar, around 1,000 miles away.

Traffic police found him heading south on a motorway in the central province of Anhui, the People’s Daily newspaper reported.

The man told officers he could not read maps or road signs, and had relied on people giving him directions - most of which turned out to be wrong.

Running low on funds, the man had been living in internet cafes during his trip, which was made in the middle of one of China's coldest winters in years.

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On hearing his story, police and workers at a local toll station reportedly paid for his train ticket home.

The Chinese Lunar New Year starts on 28 January, and is the country’s most important national holiday.

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