Intro: Xinjiang’s natural landscape, tourism and cycling as a whole:
Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region, the frontier of China, also the largest provincial region in China, has been long perceived as a not yet developed paradise for cycling. Despite many obstacles lay ahead in visible future, courage of sustainable growth of this sporting industry in the region is decidedly seen. Signaled by the government’s encouraging policies recently, such positive signs have been revealed by various insiders who belong to parts of the industry.
For a long period of time, Xinjiang is known for its abundant travel resources. Stretching 1600km from south to north, a 2400km from east to west, Xinxiang is famous for its variance in landscape. Often known as two basins separating three mountains, Tarimu and Jungeer basins, China’s first and second largest basins are enclosed in three major mountains: Altay in the north, Tianshan in the middle, Kunlun in the south. Indeed, Gobi, lakes, cliffs, oasis, snow peaks and grasslands can be enjoyed at different regions in Xinjiang, not to mention the scarce Karst, Danxia landform. Therefore, multiple routes are available across this 1.66 million sq km province. These routes are especially appealing to no matter the challengers of mountains and those who wish to take cycling as an approach of taking a closer gaze at natural beauty.
Noticeably, these routes attract a 165 million tourists over the first half of 2024. With a shocking 30% increase in profit and a 15.16% increase in tourism population compared to previous years, tourism flourishes in Xinjiang with support of government to provide more options for tourists, which therefore popular -the cycling as result of the government ‘s call of “tour to sport”. But to what extent and how sustainable to cycling individually?
Part II: Cycling Aligns with Tourism, View of a Cycling Shop Holder and Tour Guide
517 cycling post house is a famous cycling hub in China. Started in Hainan 10 years ago, it has opened in 9 hottest cycling routes in China, aiming to provide the cyclists services including bicycle renting, tour guiding and route designing.
517 is located in Dushanzi, previously known for its oil deposit, the city now is noted in its other role: the starting point of the Dushanzi-Kuche road(G217), not only the most popular cycling route but often regarded as one of the most dangerous. The road, originally built-in military use, crosses the Tianshan mountains and is nicknamed: “death road” with a dazzling height difference of 4000m.
As the most reputed cycling house operating the most famous route in the province, 517 is surely a witness of the development of cycling in Xinjiang in the view of operator and service supplier.
In the interview, the effectiveness of government influence the change in service mode and future trend are being revealed by the operator Mr. Xia, with mostly positive attitude but some worries still.
Government and Its Positive Role
“Conglomerate saying government is a key pusher of the cycling trend, “said Mr. Xia, “especially in the past one year after the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in customers renting the bike and asking for cycling guide for this road. For no doubt there’s more government encouragement behind.”
Mr. Xia attributes the popularity to the positive portraits of Xinjiang and government measures of popularizing Xinjiang “this road, as a flagship for Xinjiang travel, has often been featured in the videos operated under tourism office account on these short video platforms. Further, my Altay, the popular TV series played in previous months has also carved Xinjiang’s striking natural beauty into the mind of these who never been to Xinjiang.” Apart from encouragement of travelling, Mr. Xia also highly regards the government’s leading role in encouraging cycling tour individually. “If you see these videos, you will often see snapshots of cyclers enjoying nature. It’s always a positive signal if government is pushing the industry forward. Therefore, more potential customers are introduced to us. “
“It’s not like this before, during the pandemic, the tourism is never prioritized in front of the defense and order. Our shop, along with other operators, is severely disrupted by the frequent sanitary checks and strict anti-covid rules. Now, I’m glad that everything restores into normal and even progresses compares to pre covid era,” concludes Mr. Xia: “Indeed, we feel importance and promise after these hardships.” He is optimistic about the mutual connection between cycling industry and government remains stable, or he wishes there’s more independent support of government to cycling on its own.
“Currently, government pushes travelers to travel and bike. But if there’s more travelers to bike as purpose, government needs a long way to go.” Mr. Xia is worried about the lack of consistent effect of such kind of strategy. He believes in long term, educations of cycling as a sport are crucial: “the tourists Xinjiang can hold is fixed, while if there’s no improvement in interest of cycling, the popularity is limited. “
Current Mode of Cycling, and Why Not Idle
Mr. Xia connects his statement to the current mode of service: “Certainly there’s disproportional increase of our guests attracted from the short video platforms, either from government influence or posts on our own account,” as he investigates the pattern of his consumers： “the cyclists often come from the inner part of China, mostly from coastal regions like Shanghai metropolis and Shenzhen-Guangzhou metropolis”.
It is never a coincidence the customers are mainly from these regions with comparatively more developed cycling culture and relatively better living standard. Therefore, 517, though, previously oriented on cycling itself, now finds itself pushed toward a mode where cycling is incorporated in car trip and best accommodations to attract more customers. Moreover, the Xinjiang special, customized tour hops into best seller once it is offered.
“There are more competitions now under the circumstance that the route is becoming more popular, as a cycling club, we can combine cycling into the trip itself and thus earns specialty among these tourist companies to attract customers. To us, we clearly aim at providing luxury, lightweight and flexible trip to satisfy targeted customers general wishes. Thus, we diversify our services in current months. It’s currently successful.”
“But as I said before, the current mode isn’t idle for us. I sometimes ambiguate us with these travel agencies and see threat to be replaced between our content. Furthermore, the cycling hub aims at something more than self -sustainability and profit, we always prioritize our goal to interact with bicycle lovers, provide them with support and encourage more to love the sport through making cycling interesting. However, I feel that in Xinjiang these people are always lacking. Even if there’s somebody who loves intense cycling over traveling, they are from these places with developed cycling culture.” When talking about this, Mr. Xia has his eyes rolled with disappointments: “Indeed, we expect a troop of localized, cycle lovers and cyclists join into these from faraway, while further expanding the number of cycling fans. This is what we are more than delight to see, and surely it benefits cycling industry in the region in long term as it increases the yearns for professional cycling equipment, professional training, and professional guides of cycling tour, further benefit the physicality of participants. Government should really consider more encouragements and popularizations over cycling in an identity individually regarding these many benefits.”
“Yet, it is a hard goal to accomplish for government and for us. Probably after tourism brings profit into the budget of each household, can we develop these cultural enjoyments and sports as lifelong hobbies and loves, just like these in economically developed areas. It’s equally important for the educations and introduction of cycling to take part in the school and around the society to increase the fanbase, therefore empowers cycling to truly flourish in Xinjiang. “
The officials acknowledge the importance of cycling development as a sport, nevertheless, they also remind us of its obstacles in macro level. Under their consideration, development of cycling may be improved only if changing several factors on living standard, which potentially concords with the opinion of Mr. Xia that cycling development as a sport generally follows the improvement of living quality and economic status. Courageously noted. Although currently the progress might be slow, it is guaranteed to proceed with government effort and eventually become more people’s choice for spiritual enchantment or physical training.
The official from the city’s sports bureau during the report exemplifies obstacles under the case of Urumqi city and provides evidence for the general firm support of government under the prerequisite of thinking highly of sports development. Therefore, there are reasons to believe in a bright future for not only cycling but, broadly, sports.
1. Challenges for Cycling: Steadfast View Throughout Society
According to the official, though bicycle was already a common item back in 1980s when the “reform and open “takes place over China, for most of the family, bicycle is used for commuting but never taken as a sport.” Therefore, cycling as a sport, is not more than a trend that widely spread in recent years. For Xinjiang, it’s never surprising for most of the publics to neglect cycling as a sport. “It assumingly slows down the progress of introducing cycling sport to the adults as well as younger generations. “
“I will tell you we have made attempts. We once did try to open the cycling class in the schools in Urumqi, the largest city in Xinjiang, but it pathetically ceases due to various reasons. Undoubtfully, the most prominent one is that the parents find these classes irrelevant and might even be disturbing to their kids’ academic results. Further, there are reports from local school principals that they receive several concerns even from teachers on brief safety issues.”
To the sports bureau and government, cycling can never independently be brought into talks without considerations on the mainstream attitude. “We apparently need to make step by step move, it’s never possible for Xinjiang’s public to change their views. Only counteracting effects be generated if we enforce it down, whereas clearly it takes time and more publicity to accelerate this process.”
2. Hardships and Landlocks: Marsh for Cycling Industry, Education Is Key
Though Xinjiang is suggested to be a paradise for cycling with great geographical landscapes and spectacle, it is sometimes considered as the most challenging macro factor for cycling to develop in Xinjiang.
Xinjiang has a population density of only 15.6person per kilometer square (2023 Xinjiang government data), while the cities are often hundreds of kilometers away. Further, Xinjiang is known for its distance from the inner part of China. For instance, from the eastmost city Hami to the capital of neighboring Gansu province’s capital Lanzhou takes a 17hour drive with 1382 km distance. “Despite an increase in cyclers might happen in future, Xinjiang is not fit for being a major warm bed for cycling industry like bicycle manufacturing considering the immense distance and additional costs. In other words, the normal approach of investing on secondary industry(manufacturing) to permeate influence on tertiary sector (cycling ), which is successful regarding inner part of China, might not work here. “
Nevertheless, plausible it seems to manufacture bikes and export them to central Asia, with respect to the broad future provided by one belt one road. Development still takes a long road. In fact, even a farther path than the education previously stated. “Investment requires certain amount of education level for the labors. Let’s say, to implant a bike factory, firms must take longer time to recruit and train these labors due to considerations on ethnicity equality and the reality that the education quality here is lower compared to inner China. Thus, uneconomical it is and consequently hard it is for us to persuade firms to come without addressing problems of educational level. Hopefully, we have persisted and made progress saying about education.”
Under the local government’s policies of encouraging both professional education and increasing fundings on compulsory education, Xinjiang will be more prepared for essential industrial upgrading that push bicycle industry and other industries together. “It is a massive blueprint collaboratively set and will thus collaboratively achieved by the whole province.” addressed the official optimistically, with lofty aspiration. Indeed, education is a premise for future development, while Xinjiang is showing its on it. Last year, 940 thousand people receive professional education. Meanwhile, 32 thousand teachers all-round China have been there, aiming to improve education for compulsory education in rural areas. “We expect such efforts will be harvested in the near future and supply nutrient for Xinjiang’s economy as a whole.”
3. Efforts to Be Spent: Racing and Infrastructure
According to the official, what’s most urgent and most effective to be improved among what are potentially beneficial to increase cycling popularity is the “tangible difference”. After all, the improvements on infrastructures and government support for cycling races are in the short term, probably best ways to walk cycling into spotlight.
Infrastructures remain a big issue to block cycling lovers to enjoy cycling in cities. Obviously, there’s even no bicycle lane in Urumqi, while in other cities there are nothing but chaotic traffic. “You will never want to take a bike tour in Urumqi,” addressed by the official: “Last year I went to Chengdu, and I saw a completely different, indeed, fascinating cycling culture: cyclists flowing through the Tianfu green lane, about which later I know stretching around the whole city and isolated from cars.”
Most Urumqi cycling lovers, according to a recommendation sheet issued in 2018, would rather travel an at least 50 km to nearby Gobi or mountainous areas. Inevitably, such routes never occupy the emptiness and destitute of cycling as daily routine, due to the fact it often takes a day considering traffic.
Cycling meant to be inclusive but majorly shall be attractive for these economically active and physically active youngsters. Ironically, these are the ones who are constrained largely in their works. “We have long been sacrificing our target groups in this term.”
“It’s not surprising that we are lagging, given cities like Chengdu’s emphasis on cyclers safety and experience when constructing the city, while for a long time we are staggering. But it’s never too late as soon as we get a plan with many successful precedents to draw on the experience to.”
Recently, several supported constructions are made and progressively permeate through the province. Cities like Shihezi have already constructed cycling path covering the city. Furthermore, under the scheme that 800 million yuan will be spent on improving the rural road map, more convenient rural roads and tour around city peripheral will be largely enabled: “For us, it’s more important to provide sufficient choices for the people. Then we can observe what they really want. The redistribution and change in cities take times, while such new built road and attempts in small cities will ideally enable these current cyclists to spend more time on what they love without safety concerns and be accessible.”
Meanwhile, government’s support and courage in supporting local bike race shan’t be undermined. Xinjiang ，as previously stated, is known for its broad area with low density. Thus, gathering people tends to be a big problem, especially regarding to the case of cycling. It’s nearly impossible to gather the cycling lovers for meet and socials which are of great importance to the grown up and augmentation.
In that way, with these difficulties fully understand by government, the sports bureau firmly supports and introduces the cycling races into the province. Among them, the most prominent is the round-sailimu race. Starting from 2007, the race has been held for 16 years with a steady increase over the spectator and a broader influence. 41 teams engaged in 2024, while the number was 14 in 2016. “The game helps to combine local tourism with the theme of cyclers’ paradise. In addition to watch the fascinating game, we will be looking into the change that enables more interaction and engagements for these amateur cyclists and hobbyists. It’s as well a great chance to unveil Xinjiang’s beauty over the globe, As I know, this year, teams from our city are prepared for the ride. I’m enthusiastic about this since the race proves itself to be influencing over the province and motivate the cyclists successfully.”
Indeed, holding cycling race will bring economic profits regarding tourisms affiliated, meanwhile, hopefully there will be more interaction between cyclists around the province.
Conclusion: Obstacles and a Bright Future
In summary, Xinjiang is a province with great economic opportunity and a promising environment for cycling. However, “it will take time to implement these measures to improve the cycling environment and industry beyond just increasing publicity.” Progress will likely only follow broader economic development and improvements in education. That being said, the policies currently in place are encouraging achievements and progress. With dedication and a post-COVID revival, the development of the cycling industry is certain to benefit cyclists and create tremendous opportunities. “If we believe our paths are right and we are brave enough to persist.”