Xu Xiaoping and his newly invented bicycle
To have ample time to focus on invention, Xu Xiaoping resolutely quit his respectable public position. Today, he holds 10 nationally authorized patents, some of which have been successfully transferred, with the resulting products exported abroad. He also pens down his various imaginative ideas in articles, and within a year, wrote two science fiction novels totaling 500,000 words.
Quitting civil service to focus on invention
Xu Xiaoping is tall, talkative, and agile. He spreads out his five fingers proudly and says, “Can’t tell, can you? I’m already over 50.”
Xu Xiaoping has a rich life experience. Originally from Jiangxi, after seven years as a technician, he was admitted to Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics. He graduated at age 30 and began working in a government office.
In 1994, when he resolutely quit his public post, many friends didn’t understand. At first, he himself was somewhat unaccustomed. For example, in the past, when conducting field research, he was driven in a car, but now, when attending exchanges, he had to arrange accommodations and book tickets himself. But he quickly adjusted his mindset because now he had plenty of time to do what he loved, allowing his imagination and creativity to soar.
The outgoing Xu Xiaoping enjoys making friends, yet whenever friends invite him to drink or play mahjong, he avoids them as much as possible. As a result, he has received no shortage of complaints from friends. “Inventing requires a lot of time and energy, and I enjoy it,” Xu Xiaoping said. Many friends lamented his decision to leave civil service, but he never regretted it.
Paying his own way to visit exhibitions across the country
“Those who invent know how precious inspiration is, yet how fleeting it can be,” Xu Xiaoping said. Notebooks and pens are kept by his bedside and in the bathroom. Sometimes, waking up in the middle of the night with a sudden idea, he quickly sketches or jots down a few words. Whenever he travels, he carries paper and pen with him. Everything he sees and hears along the way can spark inspiration.
Inspiration comes from life. Xu Xiaoping gives an example: his son spent over 2,000 yuan on a vacuum cleaner that ran out of power quickly, leaving the whole family frustrated. Is there a vacuum cleaner that doesn’t need batteries? So, he described an electrostatic dust removal device in his science fiction novel. “I also dream of inventing a new material that can convert wind and sunlight into electricity, envisioning a future high-quality life without utility poles on the roads.”
Xu Xiaoping often mentions the phrase “going to the market.” He pays his own expenses to attend all kinds of exhibitions across the country in order to keep up with industry trends. Those exhibitions always feature new products, knowledge, technologies, and industries that interest him.
Inventing a new type of bicycle for export
“I once worked as a technician at Hongdu Aviation Machinery Factory in Jiangxi for seven years, so I have strong hands-on skills.” Among Xu Xiaoping’s many inventions, he takes the most pride in the inspiration behind the pedal-driven bicycle.
Xu Xiaoping said that traditional bicycles use a crank rotation drive structure, which can be tiring to ride for long periods. The pedal-driven bicycle he invented is powered by pedaling left and right foot pedals, driving the chain wheel to move the bicycle forward. The motion is as simple as pressing the gas pedal in a car. Its efficiency is more than twice that of a regular bicycle, with a low-set saddle and a backrest, making riding easy, less tiring, more comfortable, and safer. Moreover, this bike has a small front wheel, saving material resources and reducing production costs.
In 2003, he applied for a patent for this invention, which was approved and authorized by the National Patent Office in 2005. Soon after, the technology caught the eye of a bicycle manufacturer in Guangdong, which has since put it into production and exported it abroad.
Xu Xiaoping keeps a photo of the first pedal-driven bicycle he made himself. Because Hainan lacks bicycle factories and materials, he welded the frame from water pipes and personally sprayed it with silver paint. When he rode this bicycle for a photo at Wanlv Garden in Haikou, it attracted the attention of many passersby.
Writing two 500,000-word sci-fi novels in one year
Xu Xiaoping is a big fan of the Harry Potter series by British author J.K. Rowling. Starting in 2004, he began conceptualizing and writing science fiction. In 2005, he started writing in earnest, committing to five or six thousand words a day. Within just one year, he completed two sci-fi novels totaling 500,000 words: The Secret of Lailong and the Magic Lock and Star Legends. He is currently in talks with publishers.
“I used to like writing economic papers, but I never published any literary works,” Xu Xiaoping said. Welding torches and literature aren’t mutually exclusive—every inventor likes to daydream. If those imaginative ideas are recorded, and perhaps decades later they become reality, isn’t that a meaningful thing? For example, ancient Chinese myths speak of clairvoyance and clairaudience, and today, communication and video technologies are constantly evolving, enabling barrier-free interaction even across great distances.
In Xu Xiaoping’s works, there is a strong longing for the mysterious cosmos. The protagonists are mostly teenagers, and aliens and humans can coexist harmoniously.
His works frequently feature elements of Hainan such as white beaches and beautiful coconut trees. For example, The Secret of Lailong and the Magic Lock begins with: three friends coming to Hainan Island for vacation, playing on the picturesque beach, and noticing some majestic crabs scuttling along the shore. While chasing a large red crab, they discover a hard little box buried in the sand, with mysterious symbols and text on it. It was left behind by aliens.
“The two books are long, but writing them was quite relaxing,” Xu Xiaoping said. He often sat under a coconut tree on the beach with a notebook, writing while enjoying the sea breeze. Or he would create while sitting on the sofa at home.
“The key is persistence,” Xu Xiaoping said. Over the years, his persistence in inventing and writing stems from interest and is fueled by determination. Over the years, he has maintained one habit: immediately taking a cold shower after a hot bath. It’s all about tempering his willpower.