As a young psychiatrist, Bertrand Piccard travelled around China for three weeks in 1992, learning about qigong, a traditional Chinese health and exercise system, and the Chinese philosophy of Taoism.
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He learned from Taoism that one can find unity in opposites. For example, clean technology can protect the environment as well as stimulate the economy.
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Now the 57-year-old doctor and his co-pilot, Andre Borschberg, are flying a solar-powered aircraft, Solar Impulse 2, around the globe to demonstrate the possibilities of clean technology and promote public awareness of sustainable development.
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"Probably the study of Taoism helps me a lot going to that dimension," he said at a hotel close to Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, where the Solar Impulse team was waiting to take off for Nanjing. "I would not have done this without my study of Taoism."
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The constant worry about lack of gas during the journey made him think about how to travel without having to depend on fuel. In 2002, after discussions with US experts, Piccard started working on a solar-powered aircraft with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.
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In 2003, Piccard and co-pilot Borschberg officially launched the Solar Impulse project and started to build an aircraft powered only by the sun.
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 As a young psychiatrist, Bertrand Piccard travelled around China for three weeks in 1992, learning about qigong, a traditional Chinese health and exercise system, and the Chinese philosophy of Taoism.
