CHINA, NATIONAL, FEATURES: Turning Full Cycle
By Song Mo and Wen Chihua(China Daily)
Standing atop a stool clamped to a bicycle rack in her long white wedding gown, the giggling bride clasped her bouquet of white roses as her new husband pedalled frantically down Huayuan Road in Haidian District to the reception restaurant. "This is the way we like it. I will never regret this," Fan Xiaoping told The Beijing News.
"It's really romantic to have our wedding ceremony this way," said bridegroom Jiang Yang, a doctoral student at Peking University.
Their story appeared to mark something more significant than a wedding announcement: the beginning of a mini-backlash against the motor vehicle in the Beijing print and online media along with events, such as the "Driving One Less Day a Month for a Blue Sky in Beijing" activity held on World Environment Day on June 5.
Recognizing that alongside Mexico City, Beijing shares the distinction of being the world's most polluted capital, more than 200,000 Beijing drivers pledged to use public transport, ride a bike or walk to work on that day. "It tells us that many people still reserve a special place for the bicycle in their heart, regardless of there being so many cars on the road," said a civil servant from the Shenzhen Intellectual Property Bureau.
"I ride a bike to work almost every day, and only drive to the suburbs for the weekend," said Wang Yan.
There are about 500 million bicycles on the Chinese mainland, according to the Beijing-based China Bicycle Association.
"It's time for us to rethink or rediscover what the bicycle can bring us," said association president Wang Fenghe.
Sooner rather than later, "government and people alike, including those car owners, will realize how convenient, healthy and environmentally-friendly riding a bicycle is," said Wang Yan.
Memory lane
"It's often said that Americans were brought up on the rear seats of cars. It's no exaggeration to say we Chinese were brought up on the rear seats of bicycles," said Shen Zhong, an accountant with a TV company in Beijing.
"You used to have to obtain a coupon to buy a bike, regardless of whether or not you had the money," said the 52-year-old.
Every year, each work unit was provided with a few coupons. Normally, Shen says, "one out of 100 employees had a chance to get one coupon."
In the 1970s, a worker's monthly salary could be about 30 yuan (US$3.70). Not until 1973 did Shen get her first bike.
"It was second hand, but it still cost me 100 yuan (US$12). My father asked his friend to fix the rattling for me. For that, my mother even cooked meat for him, which we could only eat during Spring Festival," said Shen, with a big smile. "My bicycle was like a family member. Life was difficult back then, so that happiness seemed much more precious than that of today."
Thus the bicycle was once an important status symbol. Shen remembers that when couples planned to marry, one of the prerequisites was the "san zhuan yi xiang" three rounds and one sound a bicycle, a sewing machine, a wrist watch and a radio.
It was a bicycle that brought Lu Yuling and her husband together.
"We lived far apart," said the retired high school teacher from Chengdu in Southwest China. "It wasn't so easy to get together. He had a bike. Therefore, almost every evening, he rode all the way across the city to see me.
"Instead of coming into my house, he used to sit on his bike and play a Russian love song on his harmonica. That was our secret signal. On hearing his harmonica, I'd dash out and then we'd ride out to the city park."
Her engagement gift? "Striking, and sexy. All my girl friends were so envious of me. "
A fire-engine red bicycle of course. "The bicycle was a key part of my romance and my life," said 55-year-old Lu. "I really miss the days when the city was like a huge neighbourhood, where car drivers respected cyclists and cyclists respected pedestrians."
Return of the king
Every 100 Chinese urban families had 162.7 bicycles in 2000, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. That figure dropped to 120 in 2005. Urban sprawl appears to be one reason.
"People's freedom of movement expands after relocation," said Peking University student Cai Zixuan, 21, whose family bought a car three years ago after moving to the West Fifth Ring Road from downtown Beijing.
"It's so inconvenient to go downtown without a car. Both my parents and I have driving licences so we can make full use of the car. None of us ever rides a bike anymore."
It seems that for a certain kind of affluent urban elite, the car has replaced the bicycle as the key status symbol, while the bicycle has now become its poor cousin, even a symbol of poverty.
"This way of thinking hinders the development of the bicycle. One's use of a bicycle shouldn't be taken as an indicator of one's financial status," said Wang Fenghe.
Wang feels the media overemphasize the glamour of the automobile at the expense of the bicycle's obvious advantages: Keeping fit, safety, easy to use, zero pollution, energy-saving, cost-effectiveness and size.
"These are the secrets of why the bicycle has lasted ever since its invention," said Wang.
Yang Shan, 36, sells 10 bikes a day at Beijing Cuiwei Shopping Mall. The price varies from 200 to 3,000 yuan (US$25-375).
"Most people buy the cheapest ones, because bicycles are stolen very often," said Yang as he assembles the new arrivals.
Apart from the classic Chinese brands like Forever and Phoenix, electric bicycles and portable folding bicycles are becoming increasingly popular.
Although the bulk of his customers are high-school students, Yang noticed more drivers are now buying bicycles.
Wang Xiaohui came to try out an electric bicycle. "I want to buy an electric bicycle to deliver and pick up my son from school. It's less of a headache and quicker," said the 34-year-old. "It takes only 10 minutes by electric bicycle."
It's a half-hour drive in the Beijing traffic, she says.
Other drivers are sticking folding bicycles alongside the spare tire in their car trunk, Wang said.
"They say when there's a traffic jam, they just park the car and get on their bikes."
The article has been published in China Daily on September 28th
Standing atop a stool clamped to a bicycle rack in her long white wedding gown, the giggling bride clasped her bouquet of white roses as her new husband pedalled frantically down Huayuan Road in Haidian District to the reception restaurant. "This is the way we like it. I will never regret this," Fan Xiaoping told The Beijing News.
"It's really romantic to have our wedding ceremony this way," said bridegroom Jiang Yang, a doctoral student at Peking University.
Their story appeared to mark something more significant than a wedding announcement: the beginning of a mini-backlash against the motor vehicle in the Beijing print and online media along with events, such as the "Driving One Less Day a Month for a Blue Sky in Beijing" activity held on World Environment Day on June 5.
Recognizing that alongside Mexico City, Beijing shares the distinction of being the world's most polluted capital, more than 200,000 Beijing drivers pledged to use public transport, ride a bike or walk to work on that day. "It tells us that many people still reserve a special place for the bicycle in their heart, regardless of there being so many cars on the road," said a civil servant from the Shenzhen Intellectual Property Bureau.
"I ride a bike to work almost every day, and only drive to the suburbs for the weekend," said Wang Yan.
There are about 500 million bicycles on the Chinese mainland, according to the Beijing-based China Bicycle Association.
"It's time for us to rethink or rediscover what the bicycle can bring us," said association president Wang Fenghe.
Sooner rather than later, "government and people alike, including those car owners, will realize how convenient, healthy and environmentally-friendly riding a bicycle is," said Wang Yan.
Memory lane
"It's often said that Americans were brought up on the rear seats of cars. It's no exaggeration to say we Chinese were brought up on the rear seats of bicycles," said Shen Zhong, an accountant with a TV company in Beijing.
"You used to have to obtain a coupon to buy a bike, regardless of whether or not you had the money," said the 52-year-old.
Every year, each work unit was provided with a few coupons. Normally, Shen says, "one out of 100 employees had a chance to get one coupon."
In the 1970s, a worker's monthly salary could be about 30 yuan (US$3.70). Not until 1973 did Shen get her first bike.
"It was second hand, but it still cost me 100 yuan (US$12). My father asked his friend to fix the rattling for me. For that, my mother even cooked meat for him, which we could only eat during Spring Festival," said Shen, with a big smile. "My bicycle was like a family member. Life was difficult back then, so that happiness seemed much more precious than that of today."
Thus the bicycle was once an important status symbol. Shen remembers that when couples planned to marry, one of the prerequisites was the "san zhuan yi xiang" three rounds and one sound a bicycle, a sewing machine, a wrist watch and a radio.
It was a bicycle that brought Lu Yuling and her husband together.
"We lived far apart," said the retired high school teacher from Chengdu in Southwest China. "It wasn't so easy to get together. He had a bike. Therefore, almost every evening, he rode all the way across the city to see me.
"Instead of coming into my house, he used to sit on his bike and play a Russian love song on his harmonica. That was our secret signal. On hearing his harmonica, I'd dash out and then we'd ride out to the city park."
Her engagement gift? "Striking, and sexy. All my girl friends were so envious of me. "
A fire-engine red bicycle of course. "The bicycle was a key part of my romance and my life," said 55-year-old Lu. "I really miss the days when the city was like a huge neighbourhood, where car drivers respected cyclists and cyclists respected pedestrians."
Return of the king
Every 100 Chinese urban families had 162.7 bicycles in 2000, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. That figure dropped to 120 in 2005. Urban sprawl appears to be one reason.
"People's freedom of movement expands after relocation," said Peking University student Cai Zixuan, 21, whose family bought a car three years ago after moving to the West Fifth Ring Road from downtown Beijing.
"It's so inconvenient to go downtown without a car. Both my parents and I have driving licences so we can make full use of the car. None of us ever rides a bike anymore."
It seems that for a certain kind of affluent urban elite, the car has replaced the bicycle as the key status symbol, while the bicycle has now become its poor cousin, even a symbol of poverty.
"This way of thinking hinders the development of the bicycle. One's use of a bicycle shouldn't be taken as an indicator of one's financial status," said Wang Fenghe.
Wang feels the media overemphasize the glamour of the automobile at the expense of the bicycle's obvious advantages: Keeping fit, safety, easy to use, zero pollution, energy-saving, cost-effectiveness and size.
"These are the secrets of why the bicycle has lasted ever since its invention," said Wang.
Yang Shan, 36, sells 10 bikes a day at Beijing Cuiwei Shopping Mall. The price varies from 200 to 3,000 yuan (US$25-375).
"Most people buy the cheapest ones, because bicycles are stolen very often," said Yang as he assembles the new arrivals.
Apart from the classic Chinese brands like Forever and Phoenix, electric bicycles and portable folding bicycles are becoming increasingly popular.
Although the bulk of his customers are high-school students, Yang noticed more drivers are now buying bicycles.
Wang Xiaohui came to try out an electric bicycle. "I want to buy an electric bicycle to deliver and pick up my son from school. It's less of a headache and quicker," said the 34-year-old. "It takes only 10 minutes by electric bicycle."
It's a half-hour drive in the Beijing traffic, she says.
Other drivers are sticking folding bicycles alongside the spare tire in their car trunk, Wang said.
"They say when there's a traffic jam, they just park the car and get on their bikes."
The article has been published in China Daily on September 28th
9 Comments:
At 12:40 PM , Anonymous said...
Wonderful propaganda.
No wonder this site is not closed down by BFSU. Toeing the Party line by writing for or quoting newspapers devoted to that line will always be welcomed.
Congratulations. Just do not claim that there is press freedom, please.
At 1:13 PM , Anonymous said...
hello
At 10:56 AM , Natalia said...
It is definitely "wonderful propaganda".But i don't think propoganda is wrong. Thanks to the propaganda,China defeated Japan and swept the US troop out of Korean peninsula. Without the "wonderful propaganda", China cannot develop.
These editors toe the party line because the line is right.
I am disappointed that some unfriendly netizens,such as the admiral, always look down upon these excellent young editors and show hostility to China. I guess you are from developed countries.
Remember,please.When China achieved civilization in ancient time, your ancestors were picking peaches on trees, naked and speaking in their own language which human being couldn't understand.
Nowadays,China is developing.No doubt it will catch up with those developed countries. However,your countries have no more space and no high speed for developing.If learning physical, you would know how wave works---reach the wave crest and then fall to the wave trough.Countries' development follows the theory. You guys,be careful!!!!!
At 2:56 PM , Anonymous said...
You see. that is the problem with propaganda. You actually believe that Chinese troops defeated Japan--when it was the American-led invasion of islands held by the Japanese and the wholesale defeat of the Imperial Fleet (China did not even have a Navy worth speaking of).
And you actually believe that Chinese troops forced American troops out of the Korean peninsula. The Chinese offensive pushed UN-led forces down the peninsula, whereupon Beijing's troops were overextended and pushed back into a military stalemate. American troops remain in Korea, where they have been for over a century. They have never been pushed out, and certainly not by the Chinese Army, which lost nearly 1 million men in casualities. But then again, your Chinese teachers skipped that part.
Propaganda leads naive and under-educated people such as yourself to spout nonsense, including the racist views of "your ancestors picking peaches in trees". Your understanding of civilization is all messed up. When Chinese civilization was great, that greatness existed only amidst great poverty, violence, and massive death.
So you might wish to try reading a bit more from the writings of real historians, instead of what Chinese teachers want you to believe.
And you would not be by any chance studying for the TOEFL and GRE exams to leave your "rising country" to study at one of the ones that you say is falling into the trough, would you? I bet you are. Well, if what you say is true, then that path makes no sense at all. Why would you seek to leave the rising China for the West, which you say is falling? Maybe because the West is not falling, but still very, very attractive to false patriots such as yourself.
At 4:45 PM , Anonymous said...
Criticizing people's work is not the same as "showing hostility".
Criticizing a website which features articles by students who happen to be Chinese is not being "unfriendly to China."
Stop being so sensitive, especially as you probably criticize other countries and yet apply to study there.
At 6:26 PM , Anonymous said...
Great students--or followers--this Bosco guy has. "Picking peaches on trees"? What the hell is he teaching these people? This is the sort of racism that China is quickly becoming known for.
Maybe it's not a student, just a commenter. But why does he not slap that person down? Why is it that he only comes out with a condemnation when someone is questioning some of the content posted on the site? That's what I would call a double-standard.
Or is there something else going on here?
At 6:28 PM , Anonymous said...
"No doubt [China] will catch up with those developed countries".
Don't hold your breath, sweetheart. Not with all the lovely corruption you have there.
At 12:55 PM , Anonymous said...
I hope that these students realize that the person who supervises this website does not speak Chinese (even though he would like people to believe that he does), has never been to Taiwan (so what he says on the subject of independence or not is meaningless), says that he is a professor (when he does not have a PhD), sometimes says he is a professor of foreign policy, then journalism, and now drama, was not rehired at his previous job and may have even been fired, and has removed posts on his web site that tell people the truth of what has been going on.
He has also admitted that, in running this website, he has "gambled with the students' futures". In other words, he cares more for his own face than your future.
This is your teacher. You might want to be careful.
At 3:19 PM , lianne said...
Just some words to the last anonymous guy:
I don't know your intent in leaving this message, but my classmates and I have known Professor Bosco for THREE YEARS, and contributed to this site for more than TWO YEARS. He does not speak Chinese, but we've been usually communicative in English. And he IS appointed professor of this university and director of the new drama society, after he taught about American media at the College of Foreign Afairs. Ph D. is not a prerequisite for professor appointments, if you have time to browse the profiles of journalism professors in other schools. And if you believe his experiences in journalism are made-up, please confirm your opinion by checking up the books and articles under his bylines. If you have ever learned anything about journalism, you must have understood the importance of confirmation, and I beg you to do that before expressing your opinion.
I do not know where you got that quote from, since you have not noted your source. But I can tell you that from our TWO-YEAR experience with WOW, we have not encountered any censorship from the University level or professor Bosco. By this I mean to tell you that our opinions as students, albeit not without criticisms, do not stand out as politically unsafe, if you compare these to acrid Chinese posts you can find in China's internet.(Of course, you'll have to understand Chinese to do that.) And if you know anything about China's censorship system, you will understand that chief editors and university authorities, instead of reporters and students, will be held responsible for any troubles.
Thanks for your concern about WOW: you are free to leave your opinion behind every post in your own name. But please let me remind you that it is a blogzine for discussions of issues concerning China and world, not for commenting on personality of our professor. You may be interested to find other places to do that, or even speak to his face, if you know him at all. Your constructive criticisms are always welcome.
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