China Rides Innovation Wave

When China invented toilet paper more than 1,000 years ago, while the rest of the world was still using primitive hygiene methods, nobody imagined it would remain a leader even in modern innovations.

- Eric Mthobeli Naki

There was disorder when Beijing launched the concept of shared bicycles to enhance public transportation and improve accessibility for the people, and Western media crowed about the problems.

But there is now order in the system management, with effective control, robust security, and proper oversight by the owning companies and Chinese authorities. Strict policing has significantly reduced crime throughout China.

Although there was some parking chaos, theft, and abandoned bicycles, the system began to work as it facilitated easy travel in the busy Beijing streets.

China's shared bikes are being hailed as one of the four big inventions to come out of the country in modern times, aside from the high-speed railway, online shopping, and mobile payments. Shared bicycles are a popular mode of transportation for the "last mile" of Chinese people's commutes.