all or nothing on a bike

So, continuing about the two-wheelers or in some cases the three wheelers, riding a bike is
definitely an art form in China. Used to seeing the shiny, ultra up-to-date form of transport back home, it is fasciinating to see a completely different style here. We in the west are more used to seeing children of a young age strapped in to safer bike seats, attached to the back of the bike, with the children strapped in. Here it is rare to see such a contraption, possibly because the children themselves generally do not leave home until they are at least the age of two.

So here, it is the norma and common, to see a child or adult, sitting on the front bar of the bike or on the back steel place usually kept for a bag or basket, legs outstretched or tucked under, riding side-saddle (but without the equipment). They do not hold on tightly, but seem to look very relaxed, carefree and confident. Is balance something that is inbred in the Asians, or something that one learns in this country, at an early age? Some of these bikes are motorised, almost like a moped, but a more homemade version.

As to the rest, well, there are tricycles with passenger seats in the bag and I have seen many a sprightly elder gentleman, wheeling his wife around, without even a huff or puff. The pedicab drivers seem to have unlimited stregnth, as they take one or two people in their small carriage for a minimum fare, unlike the carriages of Vienna, where the horses do all the work.

Other bicycles have wagons or trolleys attached to the back, with two - four wheels, depending on what is being laden thereon. Again, we in the convential west will see a water bottle truck delivering heavy, swollen, plastic bottles of mineral water, but here, yet again, it is unique!
A wagon will be laden with 10 of these heavy barrels, surrounded and secured with a rope or strong string and the delivery person will stop and unload, untie and retie accordingly. now you may well ask, how does he stop theft? Well, it appears that these wagons though old in appearance, have been fitted with the most up-to-date security equipment - a burglar alarm!
(I haven't yet fathomed if this is supposed to be a deterent or is really necessary, as the streets are so crowded, it would be impossible to run off laden with such a thing).

Besides the water bottles, i must clearly add, that everything is laden onto these wagons, be it
building materials, windows, wood - you think of it and I can guarantee that I have seen it, sometimes with children piled high on the material to make sure it doesn't slip off). The point is who needs a gym with such skills!