Chongqing - The first all-English international broadcast program in Chongqing, “Let’s Meet,” produced by WCICO, will premiere its National Day special series, “The Second Odyssey of the World’s Motorcycle Capital,” globally on October 3, beginning with the first episode, “Four Decades Building the Industrial Bedrock.”
How did one city grow into one of China’s most important motorcycle production hubs? Chongqing's bond with motorcycles began in 1979, when it leveraged military-industrial expertise to launch its "military-to-civilian" transition, manufacturing China's very first civilian motorcycle, the Jialing CJ50. By the 1990s, this foundation had given rise to industry giants like Lifan, Zonsen, and Loncin. Although its early overseas ventures in Southeast Asia suffered setbacks from fierce price wars, Chongqing's motorcycle industry has gradually shifted toward high-end, electric, and smart manufacturing. Over more than four decades, it has built a complete industrial ecosystem, charting a path from breakthrough and downturn to transformation and upgrading.
This episode traces Chongqing's motorcycle industry from its very beginnings. It covers the late 1970s "military-to-civilian" transition at state-owned defense factories, the development of a complete supply chain, the industry's first overseas ventures, and the hard lessons of global competition. Looking back across nearly half a century of industrial accumulation, it shows how Chongqing grew step by step into one of China's major motorcycle manufacturing bases, laying the industrial foundation for a new era of global competition.
“Let’s Meet” airs every Wednesday and Saturday at 6:00 p.m. and is simultaneously released across Chongqing Satellite TV, the official Let's Meet WeChat Channels account, the official Let's Meet YouTube channel, the Bridging News app, the iChongqing website, iChongqing’s Facebook account and YouTube channel, as well as WCICO’s global communication network and Chongqing Satellite TV’s new media platforms.