I hitchhiked Mainland China in 2019, and it's true that you are constantly relying on the kindness of other people.
But I would argue that the type of person that does this kind of thing is very independent and thrives in an individualist environment.
After all- it's you that's inserting yourself into an environment of strangers.
When I was in China, people were bewildered as to why anyone would ever hitchhike. Whereas in America, a 5 year old knows what hitchhiking is.
Err yeah, mostly based in China ~2001-2022 here. Basically in China hitchhiking makes you look like a criminal because there's perfectly good long distance transport for not much and the government bans people it doesn't like from using it. Therefore, if you're thumbing you're looking suss. Sounds like a cool trip! Where'd you go to/from? Got a write-up somewhere? Highlights? I really enjoyed cycle touring in the west of China, there's some really beautiful areas.
>Therefore, if you're thumbing you're looking suss
Not if you're a westerner and look like an obvious tourist/trekker, etc