For an article about bikes in China, I am seeking to speak with people who have been there in the last couple of years.
My subject is the bicycle manufacturing industry. The nation now exports more bikes than it consumes, and the government is said to have begun favoring car manufacturing.
I need first-hand accounts of what cycling conditions are like in China. Are people still commuting in large numbers? Based on your visits, would you say bike use is increasing or decreasing? Any other observations would be helpful.
The article, which is due tomorrow (Thursday 10/2) is for a graduate course in journalism; I will be seeking to publish it later.
Please email me with your phone number and a time to call, or I'll send you mine.
Thanks.
Calling China travellers
Wed, 10/01/2003 - 5:39am
Wed, 10/01/2003 - 8:38am
#1
I suggest that you contact Linda Wintner who has been to China about 6 times in the last 1 1/2 years.
Wed, 10/01/2003 - 10:54am
#2
Victor Chan?? Uh oh ....
Wed, 10/01/2003 - 12:51pm
#3
I'm sure you know him, but just in case-
Looked this up on Google-
http://www.bikechina.com/pscchina-2.html, his e-mail is
[email protected].
Good luck,
Lynn
Thu, 10/02/2003 - 9:11am
#4
Chinese bike exports
"My subject is the bicycle manufacturing industry. The nation now exports more bikes than it consumes, and the government is said to have begun favoring car manufacturing.
The largest consumer of Chinese exports is the USA. Much more so than any other country. Also, for China, the economic output of net-exports is greater than that of its domestic economy. (Most of what China imports is used for producing exported goods and services). Cheap labor, plus an artificially devalued currency (by as much as 50+%) make Chinese exports very attractive.
Boring economics aside, I can personally attest to providing antidotal evidence. Next time you're at the bike shop, check out all the ""Made In China"" labels affixed to the bikes, particularly those costing under $1,000.
Just a few years ago, those same bikes were made in Taiwan (including mine, costing much more than 1k). Now account for the bulk of bike purchases made in Walmarts, K-Marts, Costcos, etc. and I'm not surprised why China is a chief bike exporter.
Lots of bike parts and tidbits are inconspicuously made in Asia. Asian countries are not known for branding products. For example, the only Asian bike company that immediately comes to mind is Giant.
"
Thu, 10/02/2003 - 4:21pm
#5
china
i am happy to help. i go to china several times a year and will be there again in two weeks time.
Wed, 10/01/2003 - 5:58pm
#6
Thanks...
very much to everyone who responded. I got what I needed!
However, anyone who still wants to pipe up, please do send me an email. I'll be reworking the bike article in another month, hopefully for publication--and also writing about other modes of transport in China.
Thanks again.
Wed, 10/01/2003 - 6:50pm
#7
I suggest you speak with Rick Shaw....
NM
Wed, 10/01/2003 - 7:24pm
#8
yeah, but...
"...do you know who is the political leader of the PRC, Mr Hank ""Hooked-On-Phonics"" Schiffman?
"
Wed, 10/01/2003 - 7:49pm
#9
"If you do know, please tell me. I can't keep it all straight.
Many tidbits in this research, though. Here's a good quotation, from Peter Snow Cao's Web site, thanks to Lynn.
""For the average person, the bicycle is still the primary form of transportation in the community, in spite of growing car ownership. Only by a very small minority is the bike considered as a form of exercise, and even fewer as a means of long distance travel. I once gave a talk before a group of college students about traveling around Asia and the US by bike and they were dumbfounded. 'Why would anyone want to do that?' they asked."" Good question.
One American who has lived and traveled in China told me that he felt fully at ease cycling in Beijing. ""When you get to a light, people put their foot down, just waiting, relaxed. They don't look tense. On buses or trains, they just look blank--[the crowding] is so overwhelming. On a bike, even if it's crowded, it's their piece of property. It doesn't mean they wouldn't rather have a car or take a taxi."" (Mind you, at a light the pack of cyclists may be 50-150 strong. Where's that nice straight paceline?)
He also said, ""It's probably a similar feeling to when cyclists see each other in new York--they are more at peace. That's where Chinese get their feeling of independence. That's probably the best moment of the day, when [they feel] 'I'm doing my own thing.' Maybe not consciously, but they seem to look that way.""
"
Wed, 10/01/2003 - 8:03pm
#10
No, I don't even know what the PRC is. R U Shaw U do? (nm)
Wed, 10/01/2003 - 8:10pm
#11
Hank, what are you drinking?
I want some.
Thu, 10/02/2003 - 8:48am
#12
PRC
Puns Related to Chinese, or better known as People's Republic of China.
Incidentally, when Mr. Hu took office earlier this year, I tossed out that statement/question to 5 of my native Chinese coworkers with a big grin on my face. Only one immediately knew it was a pun.
Fri, 10/03/2003 - 11:53am
#13
Cross Cultural Puns and blank stares-
">Incidentally, when Mr. Hu took office earlier this year, I tossed out that statement/question to 5 of my native Chinese coworkers with a big grin on my face. Only one immediately knew it was a pun.
Depending on their province of origin and native dialect. Your Chinese co-workers might very well have missed what might be an obvious audio pun to you. Hu Jin Tao’s surname could sound as different as ‘Who’ and ‘What’ in different Chinese dialects. Even within the same dialect, the slight differences in intonations with the same sound can represent different words and have very different meanings. So be careful when your Chinese friends teach you how to order food in restaurants.
Parenthetically, with the current trend of professional sports in the US. ""HU’s on first!"" might not be so far off in the future. The advertiser and marketing people will have a ‘field’ day when that happens.
Chuck
"
Fri, 10/03/2003 - 12:41pm
#14
Chuck, what you write rings true for many things, but I think in this specific instance it is a matter of interpreting my words too literally. Subtle humor like a pun is difficult at times to immediately recognize when it's not spoken in your native language. It's something I'm well aware of daily on personal basis (at home among other places).
Wed, 10/01/2003 - 8:57pm
#15
Hu Jintao
So what do I win?
Thu, 10/02/2003 - 8:37am
#16
Mr. Hu
"A Flying Pigeon bicycle, deluxe model - complete with bell, an extra wide and cushy seat, chain guard and end-of-handlebar streamers. Sorry, one color only - black. You must claim your prize in person at Tianjin Flying Pigeon Bicycle Co.,Ltd, in Tianjin, China."
Thu, 10/02/2003 - 11:12am
#17
Just forward it to Recycle A Bicycle as an anonymous gift.
Fri, 10/03/2003 - 12:17pm
#18
Mr. Rick Shaw
>I suggest you speak with Rick Shaw....
I think he's friends with my financial planner Ira Roth :-)
Ride fast and and have a easy fast !
