Articles By: Doyin Oyeniyi

Kingdom of Electric Bicycles

Kingdom of Electric Bicycles

In the bike parking lot of Zhang Shan Park Subway Station in Shanghai, the electronic bikes outnumber the regular bikes. There are dozens of them, ranging from brand new and fashionable Giant bikes to old, rusted bikes. No matter their condition, they are a growing trend in China’s changing bike culture.

Featured - On The Street, On The Street June 21, 2011 12:31 am Comments Off

Village Buzz: A Man and His Bees

Village Buzz: A Man and His Bees

Ding Xijiu sits in his small kitchen, gazing out a window facing the street where seven wooden boxes line the small area in front of his house. Hundreds of bees quietly fly in and out of the boxes, carrying pollen down from the yellow cole flowers that dot the mountains around Xiejiaqiao, a village near Hangzhou.

Featured - On The Street, On The Street, Society & Culture June 17, 2011 8:16 am 1 comment

Trying To Fix The Chinglish Issue

Trying To Fix The Chinglish Issue

When recently approached by a Western visitor, high school graduate Xie Jing said, “This is my first time talking to a foreigner, so I am nervous.” Xie, who lives in Xiejiaqiao, a rural village near Hangzhou, isn’t alone. Although Xiejiaqiao is a small village, even students in cities like Beijing don’t practice English enough.

Featured - Global China, Global China June 16, 2011 9:53 am 2 comments

Natooke Making Fixed-Gear Bikes Cool

Natooke Making Fixed-Gear Bikes Cool

When Ines Brunn first opened up Natooke, her fixed-gear bike shop in Beijing in 2009, it took a while for the idea of fixed-gear bikes to catch on with Chinese cyclists. Fixed-gear bikes are so named because they have only one gear on the back wheel that’s directly connected to the pedals.

Business & Technology, Society & Culture June 3, 2011 10:33 am 4 comments

Hot Chocolate in the Hot Summer

Hot Chocolate in the Hot Summer

I have never been so aware of the color of my skin as I when I was in China. While my group stood out because we were all clearly foreigners, it’s pretty safe to say that I stood out the most as the only African American in my group. While walking down the street with another correspondent one day, she turned to me and said, “Yeah, it’s definitely different walking next to you.”

Focal Points May 1, 2011 12:06 am Comments Off