Lessons about China in a simple case of swapped bikes

At 6 pm, as I leave the office to go to dinner, I look to the right and see there are no rental bicycles. I turn left — zero bikes! The feeling is almost as shocking as realizing you don't have your cellphone. Anyone who lives in China knows how complex that is.

I felt this way because I use bicycles a lot. They are so convenient and have become a daily routine.

I realize that since I started living in other countries, the bicycle has become my favorite means of transportation to nearby places, as well as for longer trips on weekends. The benefits are multiple, starting with the feeling of well-being after pedaling for a long time. Let's say that I don't play sports often or go to the gym and cycling is one of my favorite exercises.

Beyond my personal preference for bikes and the many stories I have about them, rental bicycles have allowed me to feel the pulse of the city and also discover, through a simple misunderstanding, the urban intelligence behind the service.

The situation I described at the beginning was worrying at first. How would I get around the city? I know there are the subways, buses and taxis, but I prefer the bicycle a thousand times. These days, I know the pulse of the city. Seeing a few bicycles available and many in use on the streets when I go to lunch or dinner for example, is a sign of a healthy city. It is also surprising to see how, even at dawn, there are people on bicycles, couples, groups of friends, who are not in a hurry to get somewhere but just cycling for fun.

I recently parked my bike in front of a store to buy something. When I returned, there were two bicycles, one blue and one green, the colors of the bikes I usually use. I always activate the bike using the Alipay app, but this time something happened that I didn't expect. I was getting on the bike — the blue one — to continue on my way, when a person came out of the store and told me that I was on his bike. I answered, saying "no, it's the one I was using". I don't speak Chinese yet and he didn't speak English but there was a very simple solution. He told me to show him my cellphone and look at the app interface and the bike. The situation was clear. The color of the buttons on my screen was green and that on his, blue. It was obvious, without saying a word, which bike belonged to whom. My head exploded! Everything is so well thought out!

Social engineering in this country with megacities is something to which to tip your hat. Perhaps I am describing a situation that is not at all complex but the engineering decisions, way-finding and the use of color, for example, to solve issues that are not as common as my confusion over which bike was mine, led me to imagine all the planning behind the implementation of this type of service. All this makes me admire China from the point of view of a resident.

Everything is so easy in this city, as it is in all of China, but it is here that I am beginning to get to know the country and to admire its quality of life.

Contact the writer at jorge@chinadaily.com.cn

Jorge Cortes