Wang Qingqi, located in the southwest of Wuqing, Tianjin, is known as China's "Bicycle Town" due to the concentration of over 500 companies involved in the upstream and downstream of the bicycle industry. On December 5th, a reporter from *Huaxia Times* visited Wang Qingqi to investigate the current state of the traditional bicycle production chain amid the rise of the sharing economy. What they found was a town with closed factory gates, idle production lines, and empty streets—indicating that the once-thriving bicycle hub may be on the brink of decline.
As an essential part of the wheel economy, the entire town of Wang Qingqi was swept into a whirlwind of shared bicycles last year. Local bike companies experienced the rush of orders but were also forced to bear the costs of the aggressive expansion of shared bike services. While the initial boom brought excitement, no one could predict how long the following winter would last after the rush of capital.
Now, the once-bustling town is eerily quiet. In winter, the cold is not just in the air but in the livelihoods of local cycling companies. Yang Rui, a sales manager at a local bicycle company (using a pseudonym as requested), told the *Huaxia Times* that their daily output had dropped to around 2,000 bikes, and out of five production lines, only two are currently operating.
He explained that the supply chain has been disrupted by environmental regulations, making it difficult to obtain key components. Additionally, the market for bicycles is currently weak, with fewer orders coming in. For smaller companies, the situation is even worse. Wang Chao, who runs a small bicycle factory in Wang Qingqi, said that most parts used in shared bikes differ from those for domestic sales. If all the bikes in Beijing were equipped, his factory could produce about 500 units a day—but on the day of the visit, the factory remained shut down.
Another local factory owner, Mason, mentioned that part of the factory space was rented out to shared bike companies. “But after seeing the risks, we decided to stop,†he said. Although the assembly line hasn’t completely halted, it’s now operating at a much reduced scale.
This wasn’t always the case. In the winter of 2016, Wang Qingqi was buzzing with activity. Factories were fully operational, and trucks lined up outside waiting to transport newly produced shared bikes to every corner of the city. According to the *Huaxia Times*, many factories in Wang Qingqi were busy assembling bikes after the Spring Festival this year. However, the demand caused a surge in prices, with some components like single-speed flywheels increasing by nearly 90% in 2017.
The boom continued until the first half of this year. An employee from a local company told the reporter that their shared bikes were being shipped nonstop in May, with dozens of cartons waiting outside the factory. But then, the orders suddenly stopped. The factory was left with idle machines and uncertain futures.
304 Stainless Steel Antenna,Gy05 Military Green Transmitting Antenna,Gy06 Military Green Vhf Antenna
Mianyang Ouxun Information Industry Co., Ltd , https://www.ouxunantenna.com