To bike, or not to bike

Dan Zen, Flickr

9 Million Bicycles in Beijing - Katie Melua  

My first experience riding a bicycle in a city was 5 years ago in Lyon, France. My first thought, “This is not going to end well.” I was scared. In my mind there were cars everywhere, people everywhere and a 9-year gap between that moment and the last time I’d been on a bike.  Fast track to 2016, I move to Beijing and well, there truly are cars, people, electric bikes and bicycles everywhere.

I came at an interesting time. We didn’t quite have rental bicycles in every color of the rainbow yet but the bike-sharing boom had begun and the streets were orange and yellow; bike sharing in China, definitely a topic for another day. Like many others, the first thing that came to mind when I saw endless rows of bicycles lined up on campus is Katie Melua’s 9 Million bicycles. There were bicycles lined up in their numbers in every direction. This was definitely an Instagram worthy moment so I put my amateur photography skills to good use and shared my thoughts.   

I’d definitely be lying if I said my first walk through the streets of Beijing was a peaceful stroll. That walk left me thinking that taking a bicycle after so many years would only complicate an already complex situation. I needed time to adjust to the number of people in the streets of Beijing. It didn’t help that I saw tons of people texting while cycling and pedestrians walking with their eyes fixated on their screens. O I can’t forget to mention the constant honking from the cars. I never imagined that I’d ever gather enough courage to put foot on pedal. I was scared.

I did however feel very safe cycling on campus - I used the bike sharing APPs to move between lectures and the canteen a lot faster. One of the very important things that I learned cycling on campus is to always have my hands ready to hit the brakes and to honk. These two things definitely helped when I finally made my way off campus and took on the hustle and bustle of the city. I’d catch myself smiling looking at elderly men and women making their way on their bikes or mothers cycling with 3 kids on one bicycle. These were definitely images I never saw at home. I wanted to know how things came to be the way that they are in China because I could not imagine my mom, yet alone my grandma, getting anywhere near a bicycle. I was very glad to read this blog by The China Guide as it gave me a good idea of how it all began, from the introduction of bicycles to China in the late 19^th century and even provides some insights into what we can expect in ‘The Kingdom of Bicycles’ moving forward.

While everything seemed a little daunting in the beginning, some of my best memories in China started off with me unlocking my bicycle in search of an adventure. We are all on a mission, saving the environment and moving from point A to B. Of course I’ve had a few close calls with other cyclists, electronic bikes and even pedestrians but as with life in general, sometimes you just need to hit the brakes, figure out which way to go and keep pedaling.


Thanks for poppin' by, Xx