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Burundi’s “Banana Riders” Go Viral on Chinese Social Media, Triggering Memories of China’s Own Development Journey

by Han Zhen

Eric, a young Burundian, barrels down a mountain at 70km an hour with more than 200 kilos of bananas strapped to his rickety bicycle in what looks like an absolutely terrifying race to the bottom.

Eric and his fellow “banana riders” first gained acclaimed in the BBC documentary World’s Most Dangerous Roads but soon became megastars in China when clips went viral across massive social video networks like BiliBili (the Chinese YouTube) and Douyin (the Chinese TikTok).

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