Since the start of the semester I have been in a no-bike state: the battered old28 was finally stolen away (the lock had broken and I had ignored it all along, until at last it could not get through the year-end after all…), and if I wanted to buy a brand-new old28, I would need to make an appointment more than two weeks in advance—because that old-fashioned model is no longer produced in large numbers.
This model is old-fashioned to the extreme: seehttp://www.cnforever.com/zjyj/i_5_09.htm
In May 1962, in order to better meet the performance requirements for load-carrying, and to produce bicycles for the broad masses of peasant friends that met their needs, the company, drawing on dissection-based analyses of various types of domestic bicycles, carried out model selection and design, and decided to redesign 13 parts, including the frame, front fork, handlebars, and frame itself. Taking into account the riding safety of load-carrying bicycles and the convenience of bicycle repair, two additional parts were added: a safety fork and a tool bag. After the load-carrying bicycle was developed, it was taken to ten regions, including Shanxi, Hebei, and Inner Mongolia, and traveled a thousand miles for visits and inspections. After listening to opinions from all sides, it was further improved and adjusted. Once it appeared, it forged an indissoluble bond with farmers, and thus was affectionately called by them “the little donkey that doesn’t eat grass.” This bicycle can be called the pioneering work of Permanent’s load-carrying bicycle line; it possesses a strong Chinese character and is a representative work that has won widespread praise. In the world bicycle industry as well, it is a classic without parallel.
Among the models still being produced on the market today, where can you find this old fellow from the60s? Truly a one-of-a-kind classic
I also once thought of switching to a new lightweight bike or even a geared bike and the like, but after test-riding them I never had a good feeling, and everything about them felt wrong. That old bike is still the one that rides comfortably and suits my nostalgia for the old.
It has already been a month of walking instead of riding. When walking, the surrounding scenery does not merely change a little more slowly; one could say the whole scene changes entirely. The scenery from a bike is continuous and hazy, whereas the scenery on foot is concrete and singular: a tree, a patch of flowers and grass, a beautiful woman… all are seen clearly and vividly. Of course, riding a bicycle has an irreplaceable atmosphere of its own—especially riding atop this classic28 bike (I can sit upright, chest out, head held high, unlike riding a mountain bike, which forces one to hunch one’s back and bend at the waist).
Technology is a way of human existence. Telegraph or fax, mail orEmail, walking or bicycle, carriage or sedan chair… the difference is by no means merely one of speed; it is also a transformation of life, and for a group of people, a transformation of culture.
In the face of the gigantic modern technological system, humanity seems utterly powerless… Perhaps it is possible for a single country to do something in the face of technology? Take urban traffic planning, for example: build more bus stops or more parking lots, set up more bicycle lanes or more motor vehicle lanes, encourage public transport and bicycles more, or encourage private cars more… these are all things people can choose, and in turn, those choices will guide the cultural development of the entire city.
Planned economy is scientistic: it believes that scientific prediction and planning are possible. But on the other hand, in a certain sense planned economy can resist the logic of technology; while on the other hand, market economy makes people willingly submit to jungle law and to the control of efficiency and technology. We need to find a third road… Between the motor vehicle lane and the sidewalk, a bicycle lane. Hmm. Tomorrow I’ll go pick up the new 28~
March 25, 2007 3:59 p.m.
Translated from the Chinese original with AI assistance. The original text is authoritative.
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