学进去

Exploring cities in the saddle

More than transportation, cycling is a fun way to rediscover the city

骑行不仅让你抵达目的地，更让你重新认识一座城

Wang Yiou grew up in Beijing. She had long thought cycling was just a means of transportation (交通工具). Her mother used to take her to kindergarten by bike. But a bike tour two years ago let her find that cycling is a cozy (惬意的) way to see the city. Neither too slow nor too fast, “you can touch, smell, feel and use all your senses during a bike ride,” she said.

In recent years, more and more people are cycling in cities in China. According to a report by Mafengwo, a Chinese travel service platform (平台), the number of clicks (点击量) on content (内容) related to cycling has gone up by 108 percent since 2020.

Allen Li, a cycling fan, started to cycle simply because she wanted to try a moderate (适度的) exercise that was not so boring. “The best perfume (香水) we can use to flavor (调味) our lives is the scent (气味) of nature,” Li said, explaining how she fell in love with urban (城市的) cycling.

“During the pandemic (疫情), people were looking for healthier lifestyles and that has helped reignite (重燃) the public’s passion (热情) for cycling,” Luo Yuan said. She is the CEO of RE, a company (公司) that sells bikes and cycling gear (装备). Now the company has a network (网络) of more than 20,000 cyclists in Beijing.

More infrastructure (基础设施) has been built for cycling in cities, which helps to promote (推广) urban cycling. For example, Beijing’s first route (路线) for cyclists only was built in 2019. It is about 6.5 kilometers long from Huilongguan to Shangdi. By the end of 2022, there were about 12 cycling routes near the city’s rivers. Chengdu has also set up 11 cycling routes called “Tianfu Greenway”.