It started as a social media trend but brought traffic gridlock between two cities.

Summary

A social media trend encouraging young people to bike 50km from Zhengzhou to Kaifeng for dumplings led to severe gridlock, with 100,000 to 200,000 cyclists overwhelming roads and bike paths.

Originally praised as a show of youthful “passion” and supported by Kaifeng officials with discounts and events, the journey turned chaotic as crowds, congestion, and limited resources strained both cities.

Police and bike rental companies intervened, warning against long-distance night rides, while some universities imposed restrictions.

This trend reflects young Chinese seeking cheap, spontaneous escapes amid economic and job pressures.

  • atro_city@fedia.io
    20·
    2 days ago

    Glorious Chinese bike infrastructure. Officials should be seeing this as a reason to invest in it.

    “As I sat in a restaurant eating my meal, I heard the owner criticising college students for having nothing else to do… I’m really sorry for affecting the people in Kaifeng,” the student wrote.

    Gets customers, complains about customers.