Beijing’s rickshaws struggling to survive
Print Edition
THE makeshift red-canopied vehicles are ubiquitous in Beijing: rickshaws traversing narrow alleyways and skyscraper-lined avenues alike.
The historic mode of transport has made a comeback for tourists — but for the drivers, life is a struggle.
Near the lofty Forbidden City, where emperors once lived, a man surnamed Guo has worked as a rickshaw driver for 10 hours every day for the last 30 years.
The boom of cars, electric scooters, and, more recently, shared bikes, has not managed to kill his business.
“It hasn’t changed anything,” Guo said with a smile.
Appearing in China at the end of the 19th century, rickshaws originally had two wheels and were pulled by their driver on foot, with passengers seated at the back.
Today, most of the vehicles are tricycles. Some still have pedals and are propelled by physical force, but the majority have electric or gas engines.
The drivers must be licensed and operate within government-defined zones, mainly around scenic downtown lakes. But others tinker with their own vehicles and work illegally, without licenses. They are targeted by police officers for their dangerous driving and tourist scams.
Li Wei, 29, from the central Henan province, drives from 8pm until dawn. He has been caught six times in four years, each time having to pay a fine of 1,000 yuan (US$145).
Unlicensed work also carries the risk of having the rickshaw — worth 2,000 yuan — confiscated. But for Li the rewards are worth the gamble. On weekends, he earns 500 yuan a night.
This is a hefty sum in China and despite his wife also working full time, as an assistant at a clothing store, they can still only afford a tiny, dilapidated apartment in Beijing.
After four years in the job, and tired of earning a living this way, Li refuses to return to factory floor or restaurants, where he once worked. Asked what he would do instead, he said: “I have no idea how I would make a living otherwise.”
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