'Bike Nation' reengineers the bicycle

The bicycle first entered China as an import item in November 1868. Back then, bicycles were used exclusively to entertain the royalty. And 147 years on, the two-wheelers are riding a wave of innovation in China to glory.

Now, bikes are smart, speedy, snazzy. They are capable of recording and analyzing data and making route suggestions to the rider.

Over the decades, the purpose of riding bicycles has changed from entertainment to transportation to exercise to a statement on a pro-environment lifestyle.

Also, bicycles came to be made in large numbers in China, to meet the needs of a fast-growing population. As millions relied on bicycles for day-to-day mobility, China came to be known as the 'Bike Nation'.

Yesteryear photographs of thousands of pedalists on busy China roads are a testimony to the Chinese's love for the simple, affordable personal vehicle. Even till the 1990s, every household owned two bicycles on average.

Since imports could never hope to meet such massive demand, domestic manufacture became necessary. Flying Pigeon, one of the largest Chinese bicycle manufacturers, launched its first batch of China-made bicycles on July 5, 1950.

In the following decades, it emerged into such a reliable, popular brand that it became synonymous with bicycles.

During his 1974-75 tenure as chief of the US Liaison Office in Beijing, former US president George H W Bush and his wife Barbara Bush used to ride Flying Pigeon bicycles.

However, the growing popularity of motor vehicles and electric bikes in later decades slowly led to the decline in the number of bicycles on Chinese roads.

Today, China has over 279 million vehicles. According to the Ministry of Public Security, over 300 million driving licenses have been issued so far.

According to the China Bicycle Association, bicycle output dropped 3.36 percent last year to 80.26 million units. All seemed lost for bicycles in China until the stress on innovation led to improvements in technology, new designs and new purposes for bikes.

Using advanced materials and digital technologies, bike-makers are creating revolutionary products. Companies such as LeSports and Xiaomi are actively diversifying their businesses. They are penetrating traditional manufacturing industries to make the ideal bicycle for the future generations.

Ma Zhongchao, director of the China Bicycle Association, said: "China's bicycle companies must improve their technologies in order to transform and upgrade their products. The future belongs to high-tech bikes."

(China Daily USA 08/08/2016 page13)