Shanghai Party chief embraces pedal power

Leaders of the Shanghai municipal government have joined the bike-sharing craze sweeping China.

Headed by the Party chief of Shanghai Han Zheng, the group rode shared bikes along the Huangpu River to experience the newly-opened area alongside residents on Wednesday.

Locals posted pictures online and their bike choices became a hot topic on WeChat. The leaders did not favor one bike-share brand though, forming a rainbow of colors with some on Mobikes, Ofos, and even a Phoenix bike made in Shanghai. A social media user wrote: "Don't fight, comrades! They ride all of them! People are satisfied, let's be happy!"

During the annual session of China's top legislature this year, many members of the Shanghai delegation rode shared bikes in Beijing. Han said then: "I support shared bikes! I appreciate such an innovative initiative. The government should embrace the new creation." His public riding is a powerful footnote to this statement.

Shared bikes have become very popular across China in less than half a year, becoming one of the most effective business measures to solve the "the last mile" problem of city traffic.

As shared bikes become increasingly popular in many cities, they have exposed a slew of problems like illegal parking, encroachment on public resources and poor pedestrian behavior.

Cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin have rolled out regulatory measures, giving active support and regulating the bike-sharing industry. The introduction of these policies sets standards and constraints, while also demonstrating support for the industry. The policies reflect the Party and government's wish to actively develop the sharing economy and promote innovation in entrepreneurship.

China's bike-sharing industry has become a new model leading the trend of the world.