China's 'Night Riding Army' snarls traffic on quest for soup dumplings
Authorities in central China put an end to a night cycling craze among university students riding from Zhengzhou to Kaifeng for soup dumplings.
HONG KONG — They rode for soup dumplings — and a sense of youthful liberation in pressured times.
But the band of university students who cycled through the night would ultimately be met by a red light from authorities, after their viral quest grew so popular that it snarled traffic in central China and overwhelmed the ancient capital, Kaifeng.
The nocturnal rides became a trend on Chinese social media in recent weeks after four female university students from Zhengzhou, the capital of China’s northcentral Henan province, traveled to neighboring Kaifeng for a taste of its famous soup dumplings, known locally as “tangbao,” Chinese state media People’s Daily reported.
By the weekend, tens of thousands of students had joined this self-proclaimed "night riding army," seeking not just breakfast, but also a way to travel and socialize without spending much money.
They rented shared bikes and cycled in groups through the night from Zhengzhou to Kaifeng. Waves of riders propelled by the slogan "youth is priceless" joined this 40-mile journey along a major road beside the Yellow River.
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