Bike history in China

While China is known as the world's bicycle capital nowadays, this western invention was not easily integrated into the Chinese way of life. At the end of the 19th century, when bicycles were coming into fashion, China, which has suffered humiliation in one way or the other from Western powers, was not quite ready to open its arms to yet another foreign invention.

The first mention of bicycles in China was in 1860, when a European official named Binchun wrote of seeing a fantastic sight --- a velocipede, an early version of the bicycle, newly-arrived from Paris. In truth,Binchun and his delegation were on a trip to China to evaluate the latest technological innovations and to consider whether they can be used for military purposes. At that time, it appears that the bicycle was not considered suitable for warfare.

A gentleman doesn't sweat

At the end of the 19th century, the only people who used bicycles in China were foreigners who lived in Shanghai. The Chinese were mostly amazed at the passion the "big-nosed" foreigners displayed at this physical activity. During those times, no self-respecting Chinese who had even the tiniest of wealth would consider moving around on his own. He would instead take the sedan chair, or if he were inclined to use the latest mode of transport, use a rickshaw which was invented in 1870.

It was only during the 20th century that imported, and therefore expensive, bicycles were sold to the Chinese. But sweating and exercise did not fit into the Chinese way of life, so in the beginning only thenouveau riche, especially those who have gone abroad to study and have lived among bicycle-riding people. The prostitutes ("sing-song girls") who worked in the ports open to foreign trade were also avid users of the bicycle. They had relatively good income and were already living on the margins of polite society anyway.

In China, bicycles are a convenient way of transporting goods from one place to another. (Image: China News Service)

During the 1920s, when the 6-day work week became common in the cities and people had free time for themselves that enthusiasm for the bicycle rose. In the coastal areas and cities, that is. In the inner regions of China, the bicycle came into wide use only during the 1930s and 1940s.

The people's vehicle

The bicycle industry in China began in the 1930's, when assembly plants for foreign-made bicycles were first established. China-made bicycles came in the 1940s. The founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 was a turning point for the bicycle industry. The Party decided to promote the bicycle as the people's vehicle and started a massive production drive. Bicycles were taken into account in city planning and those who used bicycles to travel to and from work were given benefits. The lack of a public transport system was solved! China's first Five-Year Plan included the growth of the bicycle industry by 60 percent, and by 1958, China was producing more than a million bicycles annually.

By the way, the bicycle is called zi xing che (自行车) in Chinese, meaning, self-driven transport.