London's 'beautiful communist bicycles' attract Chinese students, says Boris Johnson
Mayor Boris Johnson touts London's 42 universities and says that Chinese students come to the UK to 'meet the world'
In a high-profile six-day Beijing visit designed to boost trade relations, outspoken London mayor Boris Johnson took the opportunity to hype his city, pointing out that Chinese visitors were attracted to London because of multiculturalism, fine universities and “beautiful communist bicycles”.
“Why is it that we are so lucky, so blessed in London, to have so many Chinese students?” Johnson asked at a Sunday press event in Beijing’s 798 Art Zone, home to one of the Chinese capital’s largest artistic communities. “Is it because of the weather? You’re laughing. Is it because we have so many wonderful French restaurants in London? Is it because we have so many beautiful communist bicycles on the streets of London?
“I’ll tell you what I think it is. It’s because we have more universities in London than any other city on earth – 42 universities in London.”
Johnson’s “beautiful communist bicycles” joke refers to the Barclays Cycle Hire, a public bicycle sharing scheme that Johnson instituted in July 2010 to promote cycling throughout London.
A keen cyclist himself, Johnson may also have meant the joke as a subtle reference to the vast number of bicycles that have always dotted the streets of Beijing. Bicycles have long been a Chinese mainstay, especially for families who cannot afford automobiles, and in the years following the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese government widely encouraged bicycles over cars and buses as an efficient and inexpensive means of transportation.
