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In the Chinese province of Henan, the bicycle paths leading from Zhengzhou to Kaifeng were blocked, where students went in huge crowds for the signature dumpling soup.
About 200 young people rented bicycles to travel from Zhengzhou to Kaifeng, 000 km away, to enjoy the night's signature dumpling soup. A sudden flash mob, which became widespread in social networks, eventually provoked a transport collapse. Sky News writes about it.
Chinese authorities shut down a social media trend after thousands of cyclists blocked highways. Police in Henan Province have closed the cycle paths connecting Zhengzhou and Kaifeng to reduce the number of students traveling the 77km distance.
Photographs show a crowd of students, dubbed an "army of night riders" by some participants, blocking a highway in central China on Friday night.
Local media estimated that about 200 young people rented bicycles (costing only about $000 a month) to travel to Kaifeng and try the famous guantanbao, a type of dumpling soup.
Liu Lulu, a student at Henan University, told state media China Daily: “People sang together and encouraged each other as they climbed the mountain together. I felt the passion of young people. And it was much more than just a bike ride."
One person also wrote on social media: “Night Rider Army was amazing last night! Two lanes were opened, but it was simply not enough: an army of cyclists took four!”
The trend started in June when four young women from Zhengzhou suddenly went on a trip to get dumplings. Since then, social media users in China have turned bike rides into a trend.
But the flash mob became too massive, so in the end the cyclists blocked the highway, and then caused parking problems when they started dumping bicycles near city landmarks.
The province's three main bike-sharing providers — Hellobike, DiDi Bike and Mobike — also issued a joint statement on Saturday saying their bikes would be blocked if ridden outside designated areas in Zhengzhou.
