HONG KONG — They rode for soup dumplings — and a sense of youthful liberation in pressured times.
But the band of university students who cycled through the night would ultimately be met by a red light from authorities, after their viral quest grew so popular that it snarled traffic in central China and overwhelmed the ancient capital, Kaifeng.
The nocturnal rides became a trend on Chinese social media in recent weeks after four female university students from Zhengzhou, the capital of China’s northcentral Henan province, traveled to neighboring Kaifeng for a taste of its famous soup dumplings, known locally as “tangbao,” Chinese state media People’s Daily reported.
By the weekend, tens of thousands of students had joined this self-proclaimed “night riding army,” seeking not just breakfast, but also a way to travel and socialize without spending much money.
They rented shared bikes and cycled in groups through the night from Zhengzhou to Kaifeng. Waves of riders propelled by the slogan “youth is priceless” joined this 40-mile journey along a major road beside the Yellow River.
The crowd moved slowly because of its size, with some cyclists carrying the Chinese flag and some people sleeping on the ground in a park after arriving in Kaifeng, according to photos and videos shared with NBC News.
‘We wanted to join in the craziness’
Ji Pengbo, a 19-year-old freshman studying architectural engineering technology in Zhengzhou, said he and two friends joined the night ride after class Friday after seeing the trend on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.
In particular, the event slogan — “Youth is priceless” — propelled him to join, Ji said. “It all seemed so wild, and we wanted to join in the craziness too!”
Along the way, Ji said, were a legion of other university students but also police officers maintaining order and some people providing water for free.
“Riding all the way to Kaifeng in the cool evening breeze, I felt the exhilaration of speed. Around me, I could hear the cheers of fellow riders, the hum of the wheels, and the sound of our breathing,” Ji said in an interview Monday.
“Some people fell but got back up and kept riding,” he said.
But that feeling may have been short-lived.
On Saturday afternoon, police in Henan imposed traffic limits.
They closed nonmotorized lanes on the major avenue linking the two cities until noon Sunday, citing safety concerns.
The same day, the three largest bike-sharing platforms in China urged users to not ride the vehicles in Zhengzhou beyond its operating areas, including Kaifeng.
“Do not ride outside the designated areas,” Hellobike, DiDi Bike, and Mobike said in the joint statement. “If you do, the bike will play voice reminders for three minutes before being locked, and a dispatch fee will be charged.”
Officials had initially responded positively to the trend and had tried to seize on it to boost tourism.
Kaifeng’s tourism bureau praised night cycling as a demonstration of “youthful energy” and a variation of “special force tourism” among students. “Once you arrive, you’re one of us in Kaifeng,” it said in a statement last week. “We hope all of you won’t see yourselves as outsiders.”
Several popular tourist attractions in Kaifeng offered university students free admission, with one giving those cycling to Kaifeng from other cities a complimentary 366-day annual park pass.
But authorities have now adopted a more critical stance.
“Youth is priceless, but society bears a cost,” China Comment, an influential magazine of the ruling Communist Party, said in a WeChat post, adding that “every moment of youthful exuberance” relies on public resources.
“Every action has its boundaries, and true freedom comes with self-discipline. We hope this night cycling event leaves university students with beautiful memories while also inspiring some thoughtful reflection,” it said.
Hongsheng Zhu, an assistant professor at Lingnan University in Hong Kong who studies Chinese governance, said this trend of nocturnal cycling epitomizes a local event going national primarily due to the algorithm of short video platforms and coverage by central media.
“Kaifeng government, of course, is very lucky that they have seen such a viral trend that’s going their way,” said Zhu, noting that officials may sometimes underestimate the sheer size of the connected Chinese population, which local governments struggle to handle.
The trend could be more “sustainable” and do more to boost local economies in the long run if local officials chose to capitalize on the trend organically instead of seeking to propel it with help from central media, Zhu said.
He said the trend was likely to be one of many including spontaneous congregation by young people, which was leading to a “contest between local governments’ capacity with the new form of communication.”
Last month, police in China’s financial capital of Shanghai went out in force on Halloween, after some revelers’ costumes drew attention on Chinese social media in 2023.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
