On November 8, 2024, university students from Zhengzhou organized a large-scale "night ride" to Kaifeng, forming a procession that stretched several kilometers, with shared bicycles filling the streets.(Internet Image)
People News - The "Night Ride to Kaifeng" movement, which started at Zhengzhou University, reached a peak last weekend, with over 200,000 participants on the road from Zhengzhou to Kaifeng. The movement inspired similar rides among students, veterans, and workers in more than ten provinces and cities. Alarmed by the size of the event, the CCP quickly implemented stability measures such as blocking roads, locking schools, and immobilizing bicycles. While the students' youthful celebration has ended, their words prompt deeper reflection. Observers note that this event wasn’t a challenge to authority but rather a momentary outburst from those suffering in silence. However, if similar activities grow, it could evolve into a social movement, a prospect that has the authorities deeply concerned.
According to Radio Free Asia, the "Night Ride to Kaifeng" began over five months ago when four female students from Zhengzhou rode their bikes to Kaifeng for a late-night meal. In the months that followed, participation grew from a few to hundreds, and then to over 200,000, filling the 50-kilometer route between Zhengzhou and Kaifeng. As the event gained traction nationwide, authorities responded with roadblocks, school lockdowns, and other measures.
The New York Times reported on the event under the headline "Thousands of Youths Ride to Kaifeng: A Youthful Celebration Quickly Halted," noting that the gathering, though apolitical, attracted tens of thousands and stirred media coverage worldwide before it was quickly suppressed by authorities.
The Students’ Collective Struggles and Reasons for Participation
A video titled "Confession of a Riding Student" was uploaded online, provoking societal reflection. In it, a student describes the collective difficulties faced by his generation and explains his reasons for joining the ride.
He begins by stating, "If we could afford motorcycles or cars, we wouldn’t be riding these shared bikes. Ninety percent of us—students, young people, families—are poor. We can’t afford to travel on holidays, we can’t afford social activities, we can’t afford to go abroad or take up fancy sports, and we’ve ended up riding over 50 kilometers at night just to afford a single basket of soup dumplings."
He criticizes the government for turning young people into obedient machines, yet leaving them with no jobs or future prospects. Faced with school authorities’ warnings and even threats, he and others still chose to participate.
"The counselor warned us to go back or face punishment," he said, "but we still went because we’ve spent 20 years listening to instructions and may well spend our whole lives doing so. This might be the one chance in our lives to do something against the wishes of society, our parents, and our teachers without being punished."
He admits that the foreseeable future holds only a small salary and a monotonous life, so he hopes that this bike ride will at least become a memory worth recalling in his old age.
"Most of us will graduate to jobs with a monthly salary of barely 3,000 yuan, and drift aimlessly through life. I don’t want to grow old without even one memory worth treasuring," he says. "Right now, we are alive and young. We’ll never be as young as we are today, so we should do something like this today. Only a select few fortunate enough in this world get to realize their talents and pursue what they love."
Commentary: The Student’s Confession Is Incredibly Authentic
Luis Liang, a young scholar who recently fled China’s restrictive political environment and sought asylum in Germany, said that this student’s confession is strikingly truthful.
"What he says is the reality," Liang noted. "If you don’t come from a family with influence, life is indeed bleak. For those without education, they’re left doing dehumanizing jobs for subsistence pay. And even if you manage to get into a university, the suffocating education system in China stifles any vision. You graduate only to face unemployment, with immense societal and familial pressure and no upward mobility. They’re trapped and, for now, chose to vent their frustration."
No Intent to Challenge Authority, Just a Silent Outburst
Liang further explained that young Chinese have been trained from a young age to accept social injustices in silence. This night ride was not about challenging the government; it was a momentary eruption of pent-up frustration.
"Chinese youth understand the value of freedom better than anyone, and they crave it deeply," he said. "But as this student mentioned, they’ve grown up facing societal cruelty and inequality, seeing freedom as an unattainable luxury. They’ve learned to be obedient and are content with just a slight improvement in their and their family’s lives, never daring to dream of challenging the regime. However, even this modest desire is increasingly out of reach, leading to growing discontent among young people."
Authorities Likely to Suppress Further Development to Prevent a Social Movement
Liang also pointed out that the authorities would likely curb any further developments in order to fragment such collective actions back into isolated incidents.
"The authorities will, of course, suppress this, spending vast sums on stability measures—even though they know these protests pose no immediate threat," he said. "These protests, however, can spark hope, offering young people a sense of solidarity. The CCP won’t address the underlying issues, but it will take down those who raise them."
Wu Renhua, a survivor of the Tiananmen Massacre and an expert on related documentation, also commented on the situation, noting that although this "Night Ride to Kaifeng" had no explicit political demands, frequent activities like this could eventually form a social movement—something that deeply concerns the CCP.
"This bike ride may not have been a social movement yet, but who’s to say it won’t happen next time?" Wu remarked. "Why is the CCP so nervous, deploying police to intervene? Because they see the potential. Unlike 1989, today’s China has no room for student demonstrations. Any major upheaval will likely come from non-political issues that bring people together, and from there, political demands may emerge."
Experiencing "the Meaning of Freedom" Through Cycling
Wu also noted that while some online commentators have criticized the young cyclists as merely venting without daring to express defiance, he believes that even non-political gatherings hold significant value. At the very least, these students could experience "the meaning of freedom" through their ride.
"Many young people have been repressed for so long under this regime that even gathering in a non-political way allows them to connect, make friends, and communicate," he said. "Freedom is paramount, and this ride allowed them to relax and enjoy freedom, which will make them cherish it all the more."
Wu also observed that the large-scale, violent retaliation incident in Zhuhai has overshadowed public discussion of the "Ride to Kaifeng" event. The CCP often uses one news topic to cover up another social issue. With President Xi Jinping directly calling for preemptive measures following the Zhuhai incident, it is expected that stability measures will tighten further, likely stifling any future student riding movements.
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