Today, many of those lanes have been taken over by cars and buses, their roar and honk drowning out the tinkle of bicycle bells.

But the bicycle is far from dead - its numbers are growing. For many Chinese, pedal power remains a mainstay - for commuting, sending children to school or making a living.

And getting around the traffic jams.

In China, the bicycle's enduring role epitomises the country's wider transitions - from countryside to city, from planned economy to freewheeling capitalism.

Multiplying cars may be a sign of affluence, but the bike's staying power is a reminder that most of China's 1.3 billion people have yet to make it into the middle class.

In Shanghai and other cities, pedal-pushing rural migrants can be seen everywhere, delivering goods.

And for the Beijing Olympics next month, the city is offering visitors 50,000 bicycles for rent.

However, many bike pathways in Beijing and Shanghai have been taken over by right-turn and bus-only lanes. Big offices and hotel buildings generally provide bicycle parking onsite only for employees.

'This is a question of government policy,' laments Mr Chen Haiming, who is an engineer and general manager at Shanghai Forever Company, China's biggest bicycle maker.

'In Europe they are building bicycle pathways and encouraging people to commute by bicycle. But not here.'

All the same, Shanghai's more than 20 million people have few options. The subways and buses can handle only one-quarter of the commuting volume.

A modest family car in Shanghai costs about 40,000 yuan (S$8,000) and licensing it costs a further 35,000 yuan - adding up to more than most Shanghai workers make in a year. A scooter sells for about 2,000 yuan.

So by bicycle or scooter they wind their way through rush-hour traffic, many wearing cotton masks to filter out exhaust fumes.

Meanwhile, bike companies have been retooling.

Twenty-two years ago, when Mr Chen was first assigned to work at Shanghai Forever's rusting factory in downtown Shanghai, the company was still only turning out 18kg, heavy-duty bikes built to carry loads and entire families on the crossbar, handlebars and rear carrier.

Today, Forever's website displays dozens of models, from high-tech mountain bikes to foldables that can squeeze into a briefcase.

Mr Chen is confident that despite China's enchantment with the automobile, bicycles are here to stay.

'Bicycles can help protect the environment. People need them for exercise,' he says. 'The bicycle will never be obsolete. No matter how well developed the automobile and aircraft market grows, the bicycle still has its purpose.'

Mr Wu Liqiang, manager for the host of a Shanghai TV show, agrees. He vividly remembers his first bicycle, in the 1970s, a chic black Forever.

'The feeling I had riding that bicycle was amazing. It was just about as cool as driving a Porsche would be now,' says Mr Wu, now 50.

'Girls were very glad to go out with me because they could sit on the back of my bicycle and enjoy the breeze and sunshine.'

He owns a bright-blue VW Polo but hardly ever drives it. 'The traffic's getting worse and worse and you end up wasting hours on the road. The bicycle is still the best vehicle for China.'

ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHOICE WHEELS

'The traffic's getting worse and worse and you end up wasting hours on the road. The bicycle is still the best vehicle for China.'

MR WU LIQIANG, manager for the host of a Shanghai TV show and owner of a bright-blue VW Polo