Repairman repairs nearly 500,000 bicycles at Peking University in 16 years

A bike repairer at Beijing’s Peking University has won respect from many for remaining dedicated to his work over the course of the past 16 years. The man has repaired nearly 500,000 bicycles in all over the course of that period.

Photo shows Lin Qinggang at work. (Photo/People’s Daily)

Lin Qinggang, from Xingtai city, north China’s Hebei Province, started his business in 2006. Before that point, he had been a migrant worker at a construction site and a bicycle salesman in Beijing.

In 2017, Peking University built a repair shop for Lin, which had been transformed from a 32-square-meter container.

Over the past several years, Lin gained the trust of teachers and students at Peking University with all the good qualities he possesses, including his dedication and reliability.

Lin tells people that he starts work at 8:30 a.m., but that for most of the time, he’s available as early as 8 a.m. “If people come to pick up their bicycles and I’m not there, they will lose their trust in me,” Lin explained.

Photo shows Lin Qinggang’s repair shop inside Peking University in Beijing. (Photo/People’s Daily)

Because students always come over to Lin’s shop to have their bicycles repaired before and after lunch and dinner breaks, the man is often busy during these hours. This means he has to finish his meals quickly.

“During the busiest time before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I never had lunch on time, usually having supper at about 8 or 9 p.m., and sometimes even at 10 p.m.,” Lin recalled, saying that he once repaired 180 bicycles on his busiest day.

Lin’s services has won recognition from teachers and students at Peking University, who would often share food with him during holidays such as the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival. Such gestures of goodwill have deeply touched Lin.

Lin Qinggang is still at work at 9:30 p.m. during a busy workday. (Photo/People’s Daily)

“Some of the services that I provided were for free, but the students insisted on giving me money or paying me extra. I think this is the way they expressed their encouragement,” Lin said.

When Lin just started the business, some young people had doubted his abilities as a bike repairer. “My solution was to work very hard to prove myself. Eventually, most of the people changed their opinions,” said Lin. 

Photo captures Lin Qinggang at work repairing a bicycle. (Photo/People’s Daily)

Photo captures Lin Qinggang at work repairing a bicycle. (Photo/People’s Daily)