Powered tricucles on the fast raod to global success

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.