Once the mainstay of rural communities, three-wheelers are now being exported to the world
Editor's Note: In a series of reports titled "Claims to Fame", China Daily looks at how some regions have earned wealth and recognition through specific products to realize the goal of rural vitalization.
On a scorching day in May at 10 am, 72-year-old Han Dengbu and his wife were getting ready to head back home on their three-wheel vehicle.
Residents of Mangling town, Yanshi district in Luoyang, Henan province, they had begun spraying pesticides on some boxwood shrubs at 6 am.
The couple's three-wheeler, or sanbengzi, was purchased almost a decade ago and is an essential part of their lives.
"When we bought it, it cost about 3,000 yuan ($414). We used it to pick up the kids and for farming. Now, we use it to spray pesticides on saplings in the village," Han said.
The couple has even added a canopy to the tricycle for shade and rain protection. "Just twist the handle, and it goes. It's convenient and safe," he said.
Today, the tricycle is still the couple's primary mode of transportation.
In Mangling, it's common for every household to own at least one tricycle. In just a few minutes, one can see dozens of tricycles whizzing by.
This is not surprising, as Yanshi is known as China's three-wheeler hub. One out of every three tricycles in China is made there, and all the parts required to assemble a tricycle can be gathered within 30 minutes.
The sanbengzi got its name from the action of the driver standing on the pedals of the tricycle to ride on bumpy roads, appearing as if they were jumping.
Viral sensation
The humble vehicle is now growing in popularity overseas. A Chinese video blogger in the United States called Bobo shipped an electric tricycle from China for her father-in-law.
The tricycle became a viral hit, with locals snapping photos and marveling at it. Some even offered to buy it.
But it's not just the US. The tricycles are popular in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and other regions.
The iconic "reverse, please be careful …" warning sound has echoed on foreign streets, and content featuring the tricycles has taken short-video platforms by storm.
Even Hua Chunying, vice-minister of Foreign Ministry, and Xie Feng, China's ambassador to the US, have promoted them on social media.
The tricycles' popularity has quickly boosted upstream industries. This year, industrial regions like Wuxi and Xuzhou in Jiangsu province, Linyi in Shandong province, and Luoyang in Henan have all had their economies boosted by the vehicle.
In late April, the 11th China Three-wheeled Motorcycle Industry Development Summit in Yanshi saw contracts worth 500 million yuan ($68 million) signed, a record amount, according to local government data.
"With the push from China's new energy market, foreign traders are eager to collaborate with Chinese manufacturers. Trade inquiries have increased significantly this year," said Yang Yanchang, deputy general manager of the international trade department of Luoyang Zhufeng Motor Tricycle Co. "This never happened before."
Yang credits the increasing popularity of tricycles to their cost-effectiveness. In international markets, the price of a three-wheeler ranges from $800 to $4,000.
"These affordable, high-quality, and eco-friendly vehicles are well-suited for farm work and goods transportation overseas," he said.
Exports boosted
Zhufeng, a leading manufacturer in Yanshi, was one of the first to begin exporting tricycles. They now export over 20,000 tricycles annually, with an export value exceeding $30 million, reaching more than 50 countries and regions.
Yang still remembers their first foreign deal.
In 2011, upon hearing about the thriving two-wheeler export business in coastal areas like Guangzhou in Guangdong province, the company took its tricycles to the Canton Fair to try and enter the overseas market.
At the fair, there were only one or two three-wheeler manufacturers, but being an exclusive supplier helped them secure foreign buyers, Yang said.
The first order was shipped to Angola in Africa. It took two days to load the container because workers didn't know how to pack it.
Zhufeng then began organizing regular trips for foreign trade staff to coastal provinces like Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangdong to broaden their horizons and ideas.
Li Pengfei, director of the management center at Zhufeng, said that the first stop for many African customers in China is Guangzhou. In terms of foreign trade, Yanshi is at a disadvantage being in the central plains.
"To attract more buyers to the inland factory, we subsidize travel and accommodation," he said.
The primary export destinations for Yanshi tricycles are developing countries where tricycles play a crucial role in the transportation of crops and passengers, and the operation of stalls. Li compares their use to "China 20 years ago".
Luoyang's first tricycle, arguably also China's first, was made 32 years ago. Zhang Guangdu, who then worked in Yanshi, headed the manufacturing of the innovative three-wheelers.
"During the wave of layoffs in the 1990s, my father noticed people making money by pulling pedal tricycles. This inspired him to buy a two-wheel motorcycle and modify it," said Zhang Jianwei, Zhang's son and now owner of Dahe Motorcycle.
Zhang senior cut off the rear wheel and installed a cargo box with two wheels, creating a motorized tricycle. "My father's innovation inspired many, leading to the establishment of numerous factories," Zhang Jianwei said.
Guo Qiuxiang, a standing committee member of the Yanshi District Party Committee, described the early market as a "blue ocean".
People thrived through hard work with three-wheelers, marking the start of the industry's growth in Yanshi, she said.
Within a 500-kilometer radius of Yanshi lies a mainly agricultural area covering seven provinces and with a population of 460 million. This mostly flat or gentle hill terrain generated large markets for the tricycles.
"When China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, Yanshi's three-wheeler industry saw no direct change," Guo said. "The domestic market was vast enough that we weren't ready to expand overseas."
The peak for Yanshi's tricycles was in 2014 and 2015, with annual domestic sales reaching 1.1 million units.
However, in recent years tricycle demand has dropped due to market saturation and policies urging equipment upgrades. In 2023, domestic sales in Yanshi fell to 400,000, about a third of what it was a decade ago.
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Once the mainstay of rural communities, three-wheelers are now being exported to the world
Editor's Note: In a series of reports titled "Claims to Fame", China Daily looks at how some regions have earned wealth and recognition through specific products to realize the goal of rural vitalization.
On a scorching day in May at 10 am, 72-year-old Han Dengbu and his wife were getting ready to head back home on their three-wheel vehicle.
Residents of Mangling town, Yanshi district in Luoyang, Henan province, they had begun spraying pesticides on some boxwood shrubs at 6 am.
The couple's three-wheeler, or sanbengzi, was purchased almost a decade ago and is an essential part of their lives.
"When we bought it, it cost about 3,000 yuan ($414). We used it to pick up the kids and for farming. Now, we use it to spray pesticides on saplings in the village," Han said.
The couple has even added a canopy to the tricycle for shade and rain protection. "Just twist the handle, and it goes. It's convenient and safe," he said.
Today, the tricycle is still the couple's primary mode of transportation.
In Mangling, it's common for every household to own at least one tricycle. In just a few minutes, one can see dozens of tricycles whizzing by.
This is not surprising, as Yanshi is known as China's three-wheeler hub. One out of every three tricycles in China is made there, and all the parts required to assemble a tricycle can be gathered within 30 minutes.
The sanbengzi got its name from the action of the driver standing on the pedals of the tricycle to ride on bumpy roads, appearing as if they were jumping.
Viral sensation
The humble vehicle is now growing in popularity overseas. A Chinese video blogger in the United States called Bobo shipped an electric tricycle from China for her father-in-law.
The tricycle became a viral hit, with locals snapping photos and marveling at it. Some even offered to buy it.
But it's not just the US. The tricycles are popular in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and other regions.
The iconic "reverse, please be careful …" warning sound has echoed on foreign streets, and content featuring the tricycles has taken short-video platforms by storm.
Even Hua Chunying, vice-minister of Foreign Ministry, and Xie Feng, China's ambassador to the US, have promoted them on social media.
The tricycles' popularity has quickly boosted upstream industries. This year, industrial regions like Wuxi and Xuzhou in Jiangsu province, Linyi in Shandong province, and Luoyang in Henan have all had their economies boosted by the vehicle.
In late April, the 11th China Three-wheeled Motorcycle Industry Development Summit in Yanshi saw contracts worth 500 million yuan ($68 million) signed, a record amount, according to local government data.
"With the push from China's new energy market, foreign traders are eager to collaborate with Chinese manufacturers. Trade inquiries have increased significantly this year," said Yang Yanchang, deputy general manager of the international trade department of Luoyang Zhufeng Motor Tricycle Co. "This never happened before."
Yang credits the increasing popularity of tricycles to their cost-effectiveness. In international markets, the price of a three-wheeler ranges from $800 to $4,000.
"These affordable, high-quality, and eco-friendly vehicles are well-suited for farm work and goods transportation overseas," he said.
Exports boosted
Zhufeng, a leading manufacturer in Yanshi, was one of the first to begin exporting tricycles. They now export over 20,000 tricycles annually, with an export value exceeding $30 million, reaching more than 50 countries and regions.
Yang still remembers their first foreign deal.
In 2011, upon hearing about the thriving two-wheeler export business in coastal areas like Guangzhou in Guangdong province, the company took its tricycles to the Canton Fair to try and enter the overseas market.
At the fair, there were only one or two three-wheeler manufacturers, but being an exclusive supplier helped them secure foreign buyers, Yang said.
The first order was shipped to Angola in Africa. It took two days to load the container because workers didn't know how to pack it.
Zhufeng then began organizing regular trips for foreign trade staff to coastal provinces like Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangdong to broaden their horizons and ideas.
Li Pengfei, director of the management center at Zhufeng, said that the first stop for many African customers in China is Guangzhou. In terms of foreign trade, Yanshi is at a disadvantage being in the central plains.
"To attract more buyers to the inland factory, we subsidize travel and accommodation," he said.
The primary export destinations for Yanshi tricycles are developing countries where tricycles play a crucial role in the transportation of crops and passengers, and the operation of stalls. Li compares their use to "China 20 years ago".
Luoyang's first tricycle, arguably also China's first, was made 32 years ago. Zhang Guangdu, who then worked in Yanshi, headed the manufacturing of the innovative three-wheelers.
"During the wave of layoffs in the 1990s, my father noticed people making money by pulling pedal tricycles. This inspired him to buy a two-wheel motorcycle and modify it," said Zhang Jianwei, Zhang's son and now owner of Dahe Motorcycle.
Zhang senior cut off the rear wheel and installed a cargo box with two wheels, creating a motorized tricycle. "My father's innovation inspired many, leading to the establishment of numerous factories," Zhang Jianwei said.
Guo Qiuxiang, a standing committee member of the Yanshi District Party Committee, described the early market as a "blue ocean".
People thrived through hard work with three-wheelers, marking the start of the industry's growth in Yanshi, she said.
Within a 500-kilometer radius of Yanshi lies a mainly agricultural area covering seven provinces and with a population of 460 million. This mostly flat or gentle hill terrain generated large markets for the tricycles.
"When China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, Yanshi's three-wheeler industry saw no direct change," Guo said. "The domestic market was vast enough that we weren't ready to expand overseas."
The peak for Yanshi's tricycles was in 2014 and 2015, with annual domestic sales reaching 1.1 million units.
However, in recent years tricycle demand has dropped due to market saturation and policies urging equipment upgrades. In 2023, domestic sales in Yanshi fell to 400,000, about a third of what it was a decade ago.
