0043 - China's Growing Bicycle Industry. By Liu Chin-yu. Several million bi...Back

China's Growing Bicycle Industry. By Liu Chin-yu. Several million bicycles are manufactured annually in China. Located in Shanghai, Tientsin, Shenyang and other cities, China's bicycle factories turn out seven brands in lustrous black, dark-green on maroon. There are men's and women's sport models and standard roadsters. A very light one-horse power motor-bicycle is coming into popular use. An eight-speed gear racing bike is winning appreciation among sportsmen who formerly depended on imported makes. Craftsmanship in bicycle making has been rising steadily and quality has greatly improved as high grade steel has been made available by the country's metallurgical industry. Chinese bicycle factories have made great strides in mechanisation or automation in recent years, and employ modern scientific aids. Many of the factories have been retooled with new machines. Being socialist enterprises, Chinese bicycle factories do not withhold trade secrets from one another. A new invention in one plant is made known to the others, and this helps to raise technological levels quickly. The bulk of the production goes to meet domestic needs, though some bicycles are exported to Southeast Asia and Latin America. There are over half a million bicycles on the roads in Peking. Shops once selling foreign models are now stocked with ---