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Bicycles in China

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In  June 2002 I traveled to China to bring home our adopted daughter, Mona. Along the way I saw many, many people bicycling, and not a one of them wore lycra. Most of my time in China was spent in the cities of Beijing and Yinchuan (Ningxia Province, inner Mongolia), so most of my images of cycling there involve urban cycling. I also saw many cyclists in more rural areas. Here are some images and notes of bicycles in China.

	This is a classic, steel-framed bicycle that is very common in China (and much of the world). No suspension, single-geared, heavy, but apparently lasts forever. Photo taken in Yinchuan.
	In Beijing I saw a relatively large number of electric power-assist bicycles, like this one. I observed the riders of these bikes generally traveling faster than the other cycle traffic. Most were ridden by older women, who didn't seem to pedal much! Photo taken in Beijing.
	Utility bikes like this three-wheeler (foreground) are a very common sight in China. Also common is to see a child or even an adult passenger balanced on a carrier rack (background). I was impressed with the balancing abilities of the passengers. Usually they'd ride side-saddle. I never saw anyone get spilled from a bike (or any other bike mishaps) anywhere in my travels in China. Photo taken in Beijing.
	The role of utility bikes for cargo transport cannot be overstated. This shows a common scene. This is a very low-geared, single-speed and did not travel very fast (probably under 10 MPH), but look at the load this guy is transporting! Photo taken in Beijing.
	This is another shot of a massively laden utility bike--this one hauled fruit, and served as the sidewalk fruit stand. I imagine the cargo weighed over three hundred pounds! Photo taken in Yinchuan.
	This is an uncommonly quiet street scene. I never saw anyone in China wearing a bike helmet, or use clipless pedals. I would sometimes see women ride with one hand on the handlebar and the other holding a parasol. Photo taken in Yinchuan.
	A little busier street scene. Photo taken in Yinchuan.
	This is a more common street scene showing three types of vehicles--car, motor scooter, and bicycle--intermingling. Photo taken in Yinchuan.
	I took this and the next photo from my hotel room in Yinchuan, which overlooked this busy intersection. It was fascinating to watch the traffic flow from this height. This is a controlled intersection (look closely and you can see the stoplights) but the traffic flow (motor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians) was incredibly fluid. Photo taken in Yinchuan.
	I frequently witnessed the "critical mass" event where a growing number of cyclists would accumulate at one edge of the intersection, and then, when they had enough mass, move through the intersection (regardless of the traffic light's status) as other traffic yielded. Lore has it that someone observing this in China brought the term "Critical Mass" back to the USA and applied it to the urban cycling events that occur in many US cities. Photo taken in Yinchuan.
	I would occasionally see these portable bike repair stations, which were themselves contained in trailers pulled by utility bikes. Photo taken in Yinchuan.
	Another bike repair station set up on a street corner. Not much business today, apparently. Photo taken in Yinchuan.
	Here is a better shot of a bike repair station. No appointment needed (or possible). Photo taken in Beijing.
	Bike storage is heroically addressed throughout China with self-serve and attended bike parking stations like this one. Most of the bikes are secured with simple wheel locks, and I guess they're heavy enough that nobody is likely to just pick one up and carry it off. Photo taken in Yinchuan.
	Bike parking at the mall, China-style. This was a pay lot, as I recall. An attendant was onsite, and people would deposit their coins into a box on a chair. (Yes that is me on the right side of the picture--Tom Linneman apparently took this one.) Photo taken in Yinchuan.
	Sections of the sidewalk were dedicated to bike parking. This lot is conveniently close to a bike repair station. Photo taken in Yinchuan.
	Let's see, about 100 parked bikes, and not a car in sight. Sounds great! Photo taken in Yinchuan.
	No bikes were allowed in the Forbidden City though (except for that one the last emperor rode)! Photo taken in Beijing.

 Updated 05/22/03