Beijing: Authoritarian politics collided with China's share bike boom, it seems. The young entrepreneur behind collapsed company Bluegogo has blamed a controversial Tiananmen Square advertising campaign for its woes.

In an extraordinary twist, Bluegogo's chief executive, Li Gang, wrote in an open letter that his bike share firm had been "cursed since June".

Bluegogo chief operating officer Sun Ye on one of the company's bikes. Credit:Sanghee Liu

He did not mention the June 4 anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square killing of student protesters, but referred to an "advertising accident that affected a large investment and possible acquisition".

On June 4, images began circulating on Twitter and WeChat suggesting Bluegogo had changed the bike icon on its mobile phone app to a tank.