Keeping their heads down: the daily struggle of life as a Beijing rickshaw driver
Despite the risk of heavy fines and the confiscation of their rickshaws by police, drivers say it is still a worthwhile job
The red-canopied vehicles are ubiquitous in Beijing: rickshaws traversing narrow alleyways and skyscraper-lined avenues alike.
A historic mode of transport, they have survived China’s modernisation, and remain an integral part of city living. But for the drivers, life remains a struggle.
Near the Forbidden City, where emperors once lived, a man surnamed Guo has worked as a rickshaw driver for 10 hours every day for the last 30 years.
The boom in cars, electric scooters, and, more recently, shared bikes, has not managed to kill his business.
“It hasn’t changed anything,” Guo said with a smile.
Appearing in China at the end of the 19th century, rickshaws originally had two wheels and were pulled by their driver on foot, with passengers seated at the back.