The China Cycling Festival and Asia Cycle Expo 2014 kicked off at the Kunshan Convention & Exhibition Center in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, on Oct 10.

The expo covers an area of 20,000 square meters, with more than 200 bicycle brands from 120 leading bicycle enterprises around the world on display, including Giant, Shimano, Marmot, Merida and Tyrell.

The top attractions for the event were high-grade bicycles from well-known brands, such as a "Flying Pigeon" bicycle worth 990,000 yuan ($161,340) with a hand-drawn lotus picture on its frame, and the bikes in the same style as those given as presents to US President Barack Obama, former Cuban leader Fidel Castro and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

The photo shows a "Flying Pigeon" bicycle worth 990,000 yuan ($161,340) with a hand-drawn lotus picture on its frame during the China Cyling Festival 2014 in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, from Oct 10 - 12. [Photo/Suzhou Daily]

In addition, the event featured various activities that included a unicycle show, a kid's bike competition and a city cycling experience activity. Visitors were allowed to try out the bicycles at the expo. Some bikes with bamboo frames attracted significant attention from visitors. A member of a cycling club in Kunshan tried out a bike of this kind, praising its comfort and lightness due to its aluminum alloy frame. According to Jin Yueguo, a staff worker at Suzhou Tianjian Bamboo Technology Co, a company producing bamboo bicycles, the majority of bicycles in China are made of aluminum alloy and carbon steel, which are non-degradable. Bamboo, however, is recyclable and eco-friendly.

During the festival, a forum on China bicycle cultural development was held, focusing on the development of domestic and overseas bicycle industries, bicycle culture and bicycle competitions.

The photo shows the China Cyling Festival 2014 in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, from Oct 10 - 12.[Photo/Xinhua]

China has witnessed a booming bicycle industry, with annual output of over 80 million bicycles and 30 million electric bicycles. During the first seven months of this year, the profit of the bicycle industry increased 17.3 percent.

Kunshan is a key base in the country for the production, research and export of bicycles. The cycling festival will help Kunshan expand its influence around the country, as well as enable the city to better serve national and Asian bicycle industries.