Epic Overnight Dumpling Ride in China Had 100,000+ Bicyclists

A viral night-time cycling trend that began with a small group of university students cycling for soup dumplings exploded into a massive event last week drawing an estimated 100,000 participants.

According to an article on The Guardian, the dumpling ride began when four students from Zhengzhou University decided to cycle 50km to the ancient city of Kaifeng in search of the city’s famous oversized soup dumplings, guan tang bao. Their journey captured the public’s imagination, and soon, thousands of students were joining in. On Friday, the number of cyclists on the dumpling ride spiked in a dramatic way, with tens of thousands riding from Zhengzhou to Kaifeng, causing obvious traffic disruptions on the main highway between the two cities.

It started out 2 Fridays ago as a meme,
last Friday it became a movement (now with detractors). Apparently around 600,000-400,000 people from all over China on Friday and Saturday night (Oct 8 and 9) came to Zhengzhou and sharebiked from Zhengzhou to Kaifeng to… (a thread) https://t.co/yIGEV7rWvT pic.twitter.com/SwrNnHKd6F

— JR Urbane Network (@JRUrbaneNetwork) November 10, 2024

Liu Lulu, a student from Henan University, described the event to The Guardian: “People sang together and cheered for each other while climbing uphill. It was more than just a bike ride—it was a show of youthful energy.”

Apparently, the influx of cyclists overwhelmed Kaifeng, a smaller tourist destination, with public spaces, accommodations, and restaurants bursting at the seams. Video footage showed thousands of cyclists blocking Zhengkai Avenue, the expressway linking Zhengzhou to Kaifeng, as police were forced to step in, urging participants to leave either on their bikes or by free shuttle buses.

In response to the chaos, local authorities implemented emergency measures, restricting bike usage in certain areas and temporarily limiting access to roads and bike lanes. Share-bike companies also took action, remotely locking bikes taken outside designated zones. Some universities in Zhengzhou even instituted strict measures, including banning bike usage on campus and requiring students to apply for passes if they wanted to leave.

The trend began in June, and the town of Kaifeng, eager to attract visitors as an economic boon, had promoted the event. The People’s Daily even praised the surge of young travelers.

But there might be something to the saying about too much of a good thing.

Despite the backlash, the night ride trend continues to gain traction across China, though no other city has seen crowds as large as those in Henan.

This phenomenon, which began as a simple, joyful bike ride in search of dumplings, something that happens in many cities around the world, ended in both a celebration of youthful spirit and a bit of a cautionary tale about the challenges of scaling viral trends. Still the idea of 50,000 cyclists on a ride together to get some dumplings is pretty amazing.

Inspired by the dumpling ride? Organise a night ride in your city, or see what is out there. Vancouver’s event Bike the Night, for instance, is a popular annual event. In Montreal, Tour la Nuit sees tens of thousands of cyclists ride through the city’s charming neighbourhoods on streets shut down for the event.

Lead photo courtesy of: Reddit.