Kingdom of Bicycles, Postmortem

Mao Zedong’s 1950s China was the world’s bicycle production capital. In the 90’s, when the economy opened up, bicycle manufacturing was commoditized and anyone could start a bicycle factory, right in their backyards. We immerse ourselves in the rural town of Wangqingtuo, one of the towns that transformed itself from a backwater agricultural village, to a bustling center of bicycle production. What did bicycles do for this town, and the people in it? Listen on for a tale of their hustle, of inspired imitation, and how bikes changed the lives of the people in this town. Featuring: Chinese: Yu Heyong, Cao Jianqin, Liu Xinnian, Zhu Shaobo Voiceover: Jay Huang, Jake Warga, Dennis Chang, Mike D’Andreas, Rachel Ren, Albert Chen, Jackson Roach, Daniel Hu, Claire Schoen Producer(s): Gloria Chua, Alice Fang Music: ● "百花魁~綠萼梅" by 史志有, 楊秀蘭 & 歐陽謙 (YouTube), Standard YouTube License, link here ● "Destiny Day" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License ● "Odyssey" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License ● "Thinking Music" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License ● “Fringe” Topher Mohr and Alex Elena (YouTube Free Music), No attribution required Image: Man riding a bicycle, Photo by Alice Fang, Link here Production date: Dec 12, 2016