Nowadays, cycling is largely seen as a recreational pursuit in Hong Kong. However, bicycles were often people’s main mode of transport in the old days, and were often used to make a living. In the 1960s, bicycles were like private cars. At that time, the average monthly salary was just about $100 while the price of a bicycle was as high as $200. On the façade of No. 620 Shanghai Street, the fading Chinese characters Dan Che Hong (literally bicycle shop) can still be seen but the shop has already disappeared without trace. There was a saying that a cycling shop called Shun Hong operated there around the time in 1950s and 60s.

At that time, the more popular bicycle brands in Hong Kong were the Hercules, British Small Army and Pashley which were all British products. These bicycles were very well made with a steel frame that was welded by hand and quality spare parts, but they were too expensive for the average earner and thus inviting mainland China to fill that gap. Imported bicycles from the Mainland included famous brands such as Phoenix which was also known as “mi lo che”, meaning bike for the rice delivery man.