阅读理解How many bicycles do you need in your life? For Chai Lin, the answer is 1,300 and the number is continuing to grow.
Bicycles first came into China in the 19th century. At that time, they were a symbol of having a lot of money. And later they became a common way of transport. When Chai saw some people riding a bicycle, he said,"They were like flying on the streets, and my heart went flying with them."Since then, he dreamed of owning a bike.
However, at that time a bicycle was too expensive for ordinary Chinese. To get enough money sooner, Chai began to sell his pictures in the street. With his own hard work and the help of his family, Chai got his first bike, at the price of 880 yuan, in 1979.
Chai Lin became a businessman years later and he could buy motorbikes and cars. ▲ He began to collect bikes of different brands and ages from around the world in different ways. Up to now, Chai has collected more than 1,300bikes.
With his collection growing, there was no room big enough to keep it. In 2009, with the support of the Gansu provincial government, he spent 200 million yuan building a museum just for exhibiting(展出) his bikes. After 10 years' hard work, the Gansu Sanmu Bicycle Museum in Lanzhou finally opened to the public in January 2019. People can go and enjoy the bikes for free. By 2024, more than two million visitors have been there.
"A large part of my collection is not yet exhibited and has to be kept in other places. I hope to expand (扩大) the museum for my bikes,"he said.
