They are young and seem carefree, ringing the bell or shouting with joy, on their small yellow, blue or green bicycles. On Friday, November 8, around midnight, tens of thousands of students drove from Zhengzhou, capital of central China’s Henan province, to Kaifeng, a historic city, located about fifty kilometers further east. The goal? Nothing special except a night walk, soup ravioli. upon arrival – a Kaifeng specialty – and the excitement of sharing an experience with thousands of other young people.
It is estimated that more than 100,000 young people participated in the procession that night. Without a doubt for the last time: given the magnitude of the phenomenon, the authorities of the two cities intervened the next day to prohibit the movement. They closed the road to “non-motorized two-wheeled vehicles”Bike-sharing platforms created no-go zones, locking bikes remotely, while some Zhengzhou universities restricted students’ off-campus travel.
The trend seems to have emerged last summer, when four students shared on social media their bicycle trip to taste Guan Tang Bao, the famous ravioli, in Kaifeng. His spontaneity was emulated, prompting other young people to publish their travels under keywords that celebrated the freedom of youth. In China, the power of social media easily displaces hundreds of thousands of people. This is what happened on November 8: the day before, the very official town newspaper still celebrating “a symbol of youthful energy and the joy of shared experiences, bringing life to the streets of Henan.”
Abandoned bicycles and interrupted traffic
Delighted to welcome so many visitors, many of whom were spending the weekend in the city, Kaifeng authorities had also mobilized officers to secure certain roads, direct students, and open tourist sites early in the morning. Until they were overwhelmed by the phenomenon: the thousands of bicycles abandoned wholesale, the blocked traffic and the garbage left by these tourists fueled the discontent of the neighbors, according to a publication from the municipality.
Beyond the domino effect of social networks, the enthusiasm of the students for this transhumance illustrates the enthusiasm of young Chinese for collective events. Just two years after the end of confinements linked to the zero Covid strategy, young people are showing particular interest in gatherings, something relatively rare in recent years in China, where authorities fear crowds. Festivals are few and their scale is small, while censorship limits cultural offerings.
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