Entrepreneur boosts hometown economy with bamboo bicycles

Tan Jiangyong makes a bamboo bicycle at his factory in Huanjiang Maonan autonomous county, Hechi, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Tan Jiangyong has sold nearly 60,000 handmade bamboo bicycles to overseas markets in countries and regions such as Sweden, Denmark, Israel, Singapore, and Japan.

Tan, 33, began to develop his business in 2014 in his hometown in Xianan township in Huanjiang Maonan autonomous county, Hechi, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

After graduating from college in Shanghai in 2011, Tan stayed in the city and became a design assistant.

As he was working, he came across a bamboo bicycle in a design.

"Huanjiang abounds with bamboo, but locals only use it to make crutches," he said. "Then I had the idea of developing bamboo bicycles."

He quit his job in Shanghai and returned to his hometown.