Beijing bicycle

China, one of the largest countries in terms of land mass also has the largest population in the world. It is surrounded by the East China Sea, Korea Bay, South China Sea and Yellow Sea. China’s vast landmass experiences different climates ranging from subtropical in the south to subarctic in the north. The geographical terrain of china ranges from configuration of broad plains, expansive deserts, and lofty mountain ranges, including vast areas of inhospitable terrain. The eastern half of the country, its seacoast fringed with offshore islands, is a region of fertile lowlands, foothills and mountains, deserts, steppes, and subtropical areas. The western half of China is a region of sunken basins, rolling plateaus, and towering massifs, including a portion of the highest tableland on earth. Despite all the diversity in the landmass of China, their population is mostly situated on the coastline cities. The booming economy also contributes to an influx of people moving to the city areas. More and more people are seeking better opportunities in the city’s factories, service industry and booming real estate developments. The movie” Beijing Bicycle” showed number of high rising buildings being built around the whole city.
The movie introduces a young man who comes from outside of Beijing in search of a better job opportunity in the city. He starts working for a delivery service on bicycle. His motivation for the job is he will own the bike as soon as he pays it off. Working towards owning his first possession, he is really attached to the bike. When he starts his job, the manager starts explaining job requirements. The way he talks to the employees, draws attention to how the City people treat people from other parts of the country. The manager’s behavior and attitude resonates that he thinks the employees can never be comparable to him in terms of social status. As the young man loses his bike, he becomes stubborn to find it and tries to track down his bike. Most of the people in Beijing use bikes for their day to day activities and the city are swarmed with bikes. To find one bike out of millions is quite impossible. The movie shows how people use bikes for activities such as going to school or work, shopping. In one scene, it shows two people trying to carry a fridge on the back of a bike.
The movie also introduces a school student who lives in the slumps of Beijing. People live in close small quarters and use common facilities for cooking and cleaning. The young school kid is desperate to get a bike, but his father cannot afford it. So he steals money and coincidentally buys a stolen bike from the second hand market. But when the owner, the delivery service guy, tracks down this bike, he tries to run away with it. For a long time in the movie, they both try different means to get the bike to themselves. Such is the importance of the bike to them; they even fight over it for a long time. After series of events, they make an arrangement of using the bike every other day.
At the end of the movie, the owner of the bike carries a broken bicycle on his shoulder on his shoulder thru traffic. On the background, the bikes were in a distant view and cars of different company swarmed the street. The director tried to paint the picture of rapid economical change and environmental changes that are taking place in China. The mean of transport which dominated the backdrop is quickly fading and making way for the automotive industry. He also tried to create the sense of moving forward accepting the changes than to cling on to outdated technology.