Accelerating China’s Resurgence as the “Kingdom of Bicycles” at Intertraffic

After a number of successful contributions to Intertraffic’s flagship Amsterdam event, the Dutch Cycling Embassy received an incredible invitation last year: at the request of Intertraffic China’s knowledge partner, the Chinese Academy of Transportation Sciences (CATS), we were asked to participate in a half-day symposium entitled “Modern Micromobility Systems Improve Quality of Life”. Taking place in Shanghai in April 2025, it was intended as a first step in a more structured and long-term knowledge exchange between the Netherlands and China on the topic of active and sustainable mobility.

For our organization, this was enticing offer on several levels. Once known as the “Kingdom of Bicycles”, China largely abandoned cycling in the 1990s, handing their streets over to the car in the name of prosperity. But in recent years, policymakers have done a stunning reversal, reallocating vast amounts of space in the name of liveability. Furthermore, this infrastructure and policy has been directly influenced by best practice established in the Netherlands, including the CROW Design Manual for Bicycle Traffic.

I was able to witness this comeback story first-hand with a pre-conference visit to Beijing. Motivated by the COVID-19 pandemic, starting in 2020, that city’s transportation department introduced the development concept of "slow travel first, public transportation first, and green first”, implementing a three-year plan to continually improve the quality of the walking and cycling environment. Their cycling network now boasts a staggering 3,200-kilometres of dedicated bike routes, with over 200-kilometres of infrastructure being delivered each year. That infrastructure is complemented by the availability of two million shared bicycles, which can be reserved via a mobile application for pennies a ride. Beijing has even adopted the idea of the Dutch “fietsstraat” (cycling street), where cyclists are treated as the main users and drivers as guests.

This trip also included a visit to the district of Tongzhou, where an impressive new cycling highway designed by Dutch consultants Royal HaskongingDHV was still under construction. Due to open later this month, the 2.7-kilometre-long project was inspired by the Beijing Mayor’s travels to The Hague, and a directive from him that the new neighbourhood should feature a world-class cycling infrastructure project like the regional doorfiets (“non-stop cycling”) routes found across the Netherlands. Designed using principles straight out of the CROW Manual, this spectacular international collaboration should be seen as a clear sign Chinese policymakers are gradually seeing the humble bicycle not as something to aspire from, but something to aspire to.

After a breathtaking ride on the high-speed train from Beijing to Shanghai—making the 1,318-kilometre journey in just four hours—I joined the delegation of around 20 mobility professionals who had travelled from the Netherlands for Intertraffic China. The three-day program was intensive but incredibly fruitful, with meetings with the Municipality of Shanghai’s Slow Mobility Department, the Chinese Academy of Transportation Sciences, and Tsinghua University. The symposium itself was also a very productive three hours, including contributions from government, academia, and industry. During the following lunch break, plans were hatched for a mobility-focused study visit to the Netherlands from Chinese stakeholders centered around Intertraffic Amsterdam in 2026.

For my final day in China, I received an invitation from Professor Annemieke van den Dool (a Dutch woman born and raised in Houten) to visit Kunshan, a city of two million inhabitants situated 60 kilometres west of Shanghai. It is home to Duke-Kunshan University—a prestigious cooperation between the U.S. and China—as well as a number of bike manufacturers, including Giant and Shimano. In recent years, it has deliberately established its brand as a cycling city, as part of a strategy to put itself on the map as “Kunshan Innovation Valley”. In addition to a guest lecture at the university and a tour of 100-kilometres of high-quality “slow travel” routes, I led a roundtable discussion with public and private stakeholders; brainstorming how Kunshan could leverage this bike-friendly reputation to attract new foreign and domestic business, talent, and tourists.

Needless to say, we at the Dutch Cycling Embassy are incredibly grateful for this experience, and for Intertraffic offering us the opportunity to explore existing and potential collaborations between the Netherlands and China on the topic of cycling. The impacts of this trip will likely be felt for many years to come, as we build on the relationships that were initiated in Shanghai, and our two countries continue to learn from each other as they improve their infrastructure and policy. Based on the incredibly high level of ambition seen repeatedly over this trip, if China puts that same ambition into recapturing their crown as the “Kingdom of Bicycles”, watch out for what comes next!


Chris Bruntlett is International Relations Manager for the Dutch Cycling Embassy, a public-private partnership that represents the best knowledge and experience from the Netherlands. He uses his knowledge and passion to share lessons for cities wishing to follow their footsteps, and become better places to live, work, play, and of course cycle.