Before Luis Melian Alfonso traveled from Cuba to China for the first time in 1993, he had read and heard about the "Bicycle Kingdom", but was still surprised to see so many people going to and from work by bike, often while carrying their children.

Melian said he found cycling a good way to fit into Chinese society. "A few months later, I rode a bike to and from work to feel close to the Chinese people," he said, despite there being a shuttle bus he could take.

"If you are in a foreign country, you cannot say you're close to the people if you're not close to the working people," he said.