Cycling in China
Bicycles (自行车 zìxíngchē) were once the most common form of transportation in China, but has declined as they were seen as a symbol of poverty, and locals upgraded to using motor vehicles instead. However, as of the 2020s, cycling has a hobby is increasing in popularity among young middle class Chinese, and many cities have built cycling infrastructure to cater to that demographic.
There are two major dangers for cyclists in China:
- Motor traffic; cars and motorcycles frequently pull out without any warning, the spicified bicycle lanes are often occupied by cars. Turning right usually does not require waiting for traffic lights, so conflicts may arise between cars turning right and bicycles going straight. See the more extensive comment at Driving in China.
- Bicycle theft is rampant throughout cities in China, though the situation has improved somewhat with the widespread installation of CCTVs. Observe how other people park their bikes. In some places you can still see local people casually parking their bikes, but in many cities, people tend to lock it inside restaurants and internet cafes. Some hotels have dedicated parking lots, and it's usually safer for parking. Some local people also intentionally buy a second-hand, old, ugly bikes so that they won't tempt a thief. If possible, try to find a bike park that is monitored by CCTVs, as that will make it easier for police to recover your bike should it get stolen.
Bicycle repair shops are frequent apparently anywhere in cities and rural areas; non-Chinese speaking tourists might find it a bit difficult, but you can just look for bikes and tires. For a quick fix to a sudden flat tire, there are also many people standing by along the road with a bowl of water and a repair kit ready. For special parts like disc brake, bring a spare if not using them in big cities.
Cycling in cities
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The fairly new phenomenon of dockless rideshare bikes has dramatically reversed this decline, with both neat rows and messy piles now ubiquitous on the streets of China's larger cities — Shanghai alone has close to two million of them. These operate on a grab'n'go basis: you use your mobile phone to unlock any free bike, pay around ¥1 per 30 minutes while using them. In some cities, you must park your bike in specified parking areas or you'll be fined; in other cities, there are no such restrictions.
As of 2024, China has three largest operators, called Didi (滴滴青桔), Meituan (美团单车, formerly Mobike) and HelloRide[dead link] (哈啰单车). These operators have advantages in different regions, For example, HelloRide is more commonly used in Shanghai. Dockless bikes are built to last, meaning they're heavy, clunky and ungeared, but for travellers, they can be a cheap, convenient means of transport that is better than trying to deal with public transport for hours on end.
These operators not only put bicycles, but also put e-bikes in some areas. Typically, larger cities only put bicycles (like Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Zhengzhou etc.), while smaller cities put e-bikes more (like Lanzhou, Guilin, Guiyang, Huai'an etc.). The charges for e-bikes are usually higher, such as ¥1 for 15 or 10 minutes, but there are also discounts for multiple rides.
The Hangzhou Public Bicycle sharing system was the largest in the world in 2013, although it has since been overtaken by a number of dockless bike share operators. Now only a few people use them.
Cities in northern China and the Yangtze River Delta region are generally more suitable for cycling. The urban areas of these cities generally have gentle lane gradients, and most roads have non-motorized lanes separated from motor lanes. Although these lanes are frequently occupied and most of the vehicles are e-bikes.
In some areas like the Bund in Shanghai, there are a few roads where cycling is explicitly prohibited and only walking on the sidewalk is allowed. Cities in Guangdong Province (such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen) have few non-motorized lanes but still have many cyclists. Chongqing, Qingdao, and Dalian have almost no people riding bicycles due to their steep terrain, and there are also no shared bicycles.
Xiamen Bicycle Skyway and Beijing's Bicycle Highway are very unique and convenient, they use viaducts so that bicycles do not need to avoid other vehicles even in urban areas.
Buying a bicycle
[edit]For something a little better, buying a bicycle is easy. Dahon, Merianda and Giant are three most popular quality brands and all cities have their distributors. Prices vary from as little as ¥150 to over ¥10,000. For a reasonably well-equipped mountain bike for riding to areas like Tibet, expect around ¥3,000-4,500 for a bike. Big cities like Shanghai and Beijing usually stock more upmarket bikes, but if you have very specific requirements, Hong Kong is still the last hope for buying them.
Long-distance cycling
[edit]China is a vast country and it provides serious cyclists with challenges to bike across mountains and desert. It is possible to cycle across Tibet, but foreigners are required to join a biking tour through a local travel agency in order to do so. Cycling into China through Tibet is possible provided you have arranged for it as part of your Tibet tour.
See Karakoram Highway for one spectacular but difficult route. Companies such as Bike China and Intrepid Travel organize such tours for small groups.
China National Highway 318 (G318, form Shanghai to the China-Nepal border) is one of the most popular long-distance cycling routes in China, especially the section from Chengdu to Lhasa, which is often called the Sichuan-Tibet Highway (川藏公路/川藏线). In addition, cycling routes around Qinghai Lake and Hainan Island are also popular choices.
Cycling into mainland China from Hong Kong is not allowed, but you can bring a bicycle across the border. See the Hong Kong article for more details.
Traveling with a bicycle on a train, bus or ferry
[edit]If you want to take your bicycle to another part of the country, you can ship (托运) it by train as checked baggage. The fee to ship a bicycle-sized item is usually much less than the cost of a passenger ticket for the same distance. This can be done at most major stations; the baggage department is usually somewhere near the main station building. Checked baggage does not travel on the same train with you (in fact, you don't even need to be traveling by train); it may take a few days to get to your destination. There is no need to disassemble the bike in any way, or to deflate the tires, to send it on as baggage. The staff at the baggage compartment may use some tarp and scotch tape to partially cover some parts of the bicycle for a bit of protection when traveling, or you may do that yourself using your own packing material. For more details on using checked luggage service, see High-speed rail in China#Checked luggage and parcel service.
A foldable bicycle can be taken with you as carry-on luggage on most trains; however, you may be asked to put it into a bag, so make sure to have a big enough bag for a folded bicycle to fit in! With a typical hard bunk or soft bunk ticket, one can easily put a folded bike into one's compartment's luggage space (which is between the car's roof and the ceiling of the car's corridor, and is accessible from the compartment itself). On a high-speed rail line, some cars have convenient luggage space near the door, where a folded bike can easily fit; others don't, so storing the bike without inconveniencing oneself and fellow passengers may be somewhat problematic.
Regional and long-distance buses have luggage space under their floor. One can sometimes see people transporting items as large as a motorcycle, so if the bus is not very full, and does not carry too much passenger luggage already, it may sometimes be possible to put even a regular (not folding) bike there; one may need to negotiate with the driver.
There is, of course, no problem taking a bicycle on a ferry that's meant to accommodate both passengers and vehicles; but even a passenger-only ferry would often allow bicycles. Inquire at the terminal, or watch what other passengers are doing.