Recently, a young Japanese man with dreams of cycling around the world became the center of attention when his bicycle was stolen in Wuhan. His story and call for help in finding the bike has been forwarded over 60,000 times and is currently #1 on Sina Weibo. Last night around 11pm, police finally recovered the bicycle and returned it to him.

Keiichiro was once a nurse working in Yokohama when he decided to leave behind his previous life and circle the world on his bicycle. Planning to visit dozens of countries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Americas before returning to Japan, his route had thus far taken him through Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Nanchang before he arrived in Wuhan on February 3rd.

While in Wuhan, Keiichiro mistakenly left his bicycle outside of a designated parking zone (leaned against a wall rather than on a rack) as well as beyond the designated hours of the parking area, whereupon it was stolen after the parking attendant had left for the day.

The modified bicycle has an estimated worth of around 13,000 RMB, and despite receiving offers of replacement bicycles from philanthropic netizens, Keiichiro was adamant to get his own bike back. In moderately decent Chinese, Keiichiro sent out this plea in a widely circulated video:

My bike is my true love, my girlfriend, my best friend. I hope it will be returned.

Luckily, police were able to find the bicycle in a residential area of Wuchang, and returned it to Keiichiro the same night. Keiichiro plans to resume his journey, but says he will always remember the warmth and kindness shown to him by his friends in Wuhan.

Source: Sina News, Sina Weibo, NetEase, Youku

Comments on Sina Weibo (1, 2, 3):

幸运的冰棍化水：

Making a big deal over nothing. Does this deserve this much fuss? Everywhere, having one’s bike stolen is a small matter, yet this is raised to the level of a Japanese person losing his bike and Chinese people embarrassing themselves. May I ask, how many Chinese people haven’t lost their bikes? And how many got them back in 2 hours?

蓝梦飞花：

So many of our country’s people have their bikes stolen, how come we’ve never seen them so quickly recovered? Looks like they didn’t publicize their loss enough.

可怜的荆棘鸟：

Things that affect the country’s image must be dealt with quickly, but the people’s internal problems can be dealt with slowly.

钱程似瑾：

If only the bike I lost were found this quickly.

漆洪波:

He lost his bike, Wuhan embarrassed itself.

任志强: (responding to above)

China embarrassed itself.

幸福彼得大帝：

It’s okay, it was just a bike! Chinese people however have lost face in front of the world!

领尚臻品：

Losing a bike is a really normal thing, is it necessary to pay so much attention to this? Do Chinese people riding bikes in Japan or abroad never lose their bikes? Are there no thieves in Japan? Japanese people always think it is other people’s fault, never reflecting on their own problems/mistakes, including invading others! Our countrymen should also avoid blindly introspecting whenever it involves foreigners, cursing our own compatriots, even feeling ashamed! This is a kind of serf mentality and logic!

剃个光头去云南:

Fuck, evening losing a bike is considered news, and the lost bike is even recovered! That’s definitely the first time I’ve ever heard of such a thing.

大小姐丝丝:

I hear the bike has been recovered. If the police have the time, how come they don’t go look for missing children? There are so many in the country, and yet you guys fucking go all out in helping a Japanese guy find his bicycle? Do the Japanese pay taxes? Mobilizing such a large amount of manpower when a lousy bike is stolen, yet when so many parents have lost their children, we never see you guys screaming all over the world how embarrassing it is.

嘉兴小新:

NND, we never see the police work this hard when our own countrymen lose their bikes. Let’s ask those countrymen who have lost their bikes in Japan, do the Japanese police do so much to help find it?

快乐的猪猪行天下：

If it was lost, then it was lost, which country doesn’t have thieves? Chinese people have lost things in other countries, right? How come we never see you report those? Or is losing something in Wuhan automatically a damage to international image?

一抹蓝同学：