Strict Measures for Bike Tours of 200,000 Chinese Students Blocking Highway to Buy Soup Dumplings

zhengzhou - Authorities in Henan province, China, have implemented strict measures to prevent thousands of students from undertaking a 60-kilometer bike tour to buy popular soup dumplings in Kaifeng.

Thousands of students in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou have been taking late-night bike rides to Kaifeng to purchase the popular guantangbao, a type of soup dumpling that has gained immense popularity on Chinese social media since June. In response, the police have closed off bike lanes between the two cities to discourage excessive participation in the bike tour.

On Friday, around 200,000 participants, as reported by local media, blocked the highway between Zhengzhou and Kaifeng. According to Liu Lulu, quoted by the state media China Daily, the event was described as 'much more than a bike tour,' with people singing and cheering each other on as they ascended the mountain together.

Despite the enthusiasm surrounding the bike tours, authorities and residents are displeased with the disruptions caused. Improperly parked bikes near sites of interest in Kaifeng have hindered pedestrian movement in the area. In response, the region's top three bike rental companies have announced plans to lock up bikes if they are ridden outside designated zones.