unicorn. How China’s bicycle ‘unicorns’ shook up a small town

被“獨角獸”公司吞噬的中國的自行車小鎮

中國共享單車的急速發展曾讓天津王慶坨鎮風光無限。作為自行車生產重鎮，這裡滋養著中國數家市值超過十億美元的“獨角獸”公司。但現在，隨著投資熱潮退去，工廠關閉、工人下崗，廢棄的自行車堆滿田野，盛極一時的榮景已不復存在 。

在短短三年內，共享單車席捲中國的大小城市。來自全球投資者的大筆風投湧入，讓更多企業複製相同模式，加入了這個新興的競技場。這些公司專注於增長，收費低廉或乾脆免費。而隨著街上的自行車越來越多，它們也逐漸陷入財務危機。

王慶坨鎮過山車般的繁榮與凋零揭示了中國互聯網的極端一面。蓬勃發展的新興產業讓許多投資者獲利，但當這個行業“熄火”時，代價隨之而來——中小投資者和供應商可能因此遭遇重創，用戶開始賠錢、或必須支付更高的價格，工人因此丟了飯碗。

→相關閱讀：中國共享經濟先鋒、Ofo創始人戴威被列入政府黑名單，數百萬用戶要求退還押金，許多人稱遭遇退款難，引發公眾憤怒。中國科技企業“ 先燒錢買用戶，後期再談盈利 ”的商業模式顯示出局限性。

Unwanted bikes littered around the manufacturing town of Wangqingtuo.  Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times

How China’s bicycle ‘unicorns’ shook up a small town

As bike-sharing swept through Chinese cities about three years ago, the small town of Wangqingtuo — home to many bicycle factories — prospered.

But then the start-ups hit financial troubles, hollowing out parts of Wangqingtuo, leaving factories shuttered and unwanted bicycles piled up on empty streets.

Takeaway: The boom and bust of China’s bike-sharing companies reflect the country’s dizzying start-up scene, with new unicorns (companies worth more than $1 billion) cropping up every four days last year, according to a research firm in Shanghai.

While the fast-paced technology industry has created new industries, the companies that quickly collapse often end up wiping out jobs and small investors.