Powered tricycles on the fast road to global success
Once the mainstay of rural communities, three-wheelers are now being exported to the world
Editor's Note: In a series of reports titled "Claims to Fame", China Daily looks at how some regions have earned wealth and recognition through specific products to realize the goal of rural vitalization.
On a scorching day in May at 10 am, 72-year-old Han Dengbu and his wife were getting ready to head back home on their three-wheel vehicle.
Residents of Mangling town, Yanshi district in Luoyang, Henan province, they had begun spraying pesticides on some boxwood shrubs at 6 am.
The couple's three-wheeler, or sanbengzi, was purchased almost a decade ago and is an essential part of their lives.
"When we bought it, it cost about 3,000 yuan ($414). We used it to pick up the kids and for farming. Now, we use it to spray pesticides on saplings in the village," Han said.
The couple has even added a canopy to the tricycle for shade and rain protection. "Just twist the handle, and it goes. It's convenient and safe," he said.
Today, the tricycle is still the couple's primary mode of transportation.
In Mangling, it's common for every household to own at least one tricycle. In just a few minutes, one can see dozens of tricycles whizzing by.
This is not surprising, as Yanshi is known as China's three-wheeler hub. One out of every three tricycles in China is made there, and all the parts required to assemble a tricycle can be gathered within 30 minutes.
The sanbengzi got its name from the action of the driver standing on the pedals of the tricycle to ride on bumpy roads, appearing as if they were jumping.
