If you live in Shanghai, Beijing or many other cities, you may see many orange bicycles on the streets these days.
These bikes are owned by a company called Mobike. You can order a bike through an app on your phone. When you find a bike, you just scan a QR code (扫描二维码) on the bike so that you can use it. You don't need to return the bike to a station—you can park it anywhere.
China was known as "the kingdom of bicycles" about 30 years ago. But more people choose to drive cars and take the subway these days. Bike rental (租赁的) services like Mobike are bringing bikes back. "Back then, I got the feeling that Chinese people were trying to be modern and push away the past. So they did not want to be linked with bicycles." said Ines Brunn, a German woman who runs a bike store in Beijing. "I do believe changes in people's tastes will shape new thinking about bikes."
Online rental services are making biking more convenient, but it's still not easy to ride bikes in Chinese cities. Cars often take up bicycle lanes (道路). Bikers have to ride next to cars in car lanes, which can be very dangerous.
Beijing plans to build over 3,200 km of new bike lanes. Drivers who drive in bike lanes will be punished. Traffic signs will be put up to better protect bikers.
