Bicycle: a symbol of China's transformation

In the 1980s, bicycles in China were ingrained in every day life and were an important means of transportation, earning the country the nickname the kingdom of bicycles.

China was home to 500 million bicycles in 1987. But in recent years, cycling has declined dramatically in nearly all of China's major cities.

Between 1995 and 2005, China's bike fleet declined by 35 percent, from 670 million to 435 million. And bicycle ownership fell from 1.9 to 1.1 bicycles per household.

The difference can partially be explained by the growing number of electric bicycles. It's estimated that there were well over 120 million such bicycles in China in 2013. One in five Chinese bicycles has a battery, and that ratio is likely to be higher in urban areas.