As night falls, a unique scene emerges on Chang’an Street in Beijing: crowds of citizens riding along this main artery symbolizing power, becoming a new trend. From white-collar workers to students, seeking “stress relief” and “joy” through cycling. However, cyclists face document checks in sensitive areas and are even forced to detour due to road closures. The reasons behind the road closures are even more sensitive.
According to a recent report by the French newspaper Le Monde, in Beijing, as night falls and the streets gradually become devoid of cars, tens of thousands of cyclists gather on Chang’an Street, a 45-kilometer-long, 100-meter-wide road that cuts through Beijing east to west, enjoying the thrill of riding on this road symbolizing power.
Chang’an Street is not only a vital transportation artery in Beijing but also a core symbol of political power in the Chinese Communist Party, with iconic landmarks such as Tiananmen Square and the Great Hall of the People located along it.
Reportedly, participants in the nighttime cycling activities come from diverse backgrounds, including programmers, designers, and data analysts from high-tech companies like Baidu, Meituan, and ByteDance, as well as young migrant workers, students, and even many teenagers who resemble professional cyclists.
Maxwell, a 27-year-old engineer whose real name is Maxwell (a name he chose for himself during university), specializes in installing medical equipment for proton therapy. He said, “The pressure from our clients—hospitals—is too much for me, and night cycling helps me release that pressure.”
Meituan, which operates yellow shared bicycles, stated that from July 2023 to July 2024, the average evening rental duration increased by 15%, confirming the rise of this nocturnal cycling trend.
However, cycling on this special Chang’an Street is not entirely unrestricted. Police check cyclists’ documents in the Tiananmen Square section. Additionally, law enforcement occasionally uses armored vehicles to block the roads between 7:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. When encountering such situations, cyclists have to take detours.
Some believe that the road closures are to prevent spontaneous commemorations of the bloody crackdown on Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. Others think it is related to an important meeting taking place in the nearby Zhongnanhai area.
The Tiananmen Square incident, known as the “June Fourth” incident, began in mid-April 1989, initiated by mainland Chinese university students in a nearly two-month-long democracy protest movement. From the evening of June 3 to the early morning of June 4, the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party mobilized troops and armed police to forcefully suppress and clear the demonstrators in Tiananmen Square. To this day, the June Fourth incident remains a highly sensitive historical event in mainland China, with discussions severely restricted.
Many cyclists tired of taking detours choose to ride along the Olympic Forest Park loop in northern Beijing. This 8-kilometer loop is open 24 hours a day, and at 7 p.m. each evening, a large group of cyclists spontaneously forms for a ride.