Over 50 thousand sharing umbrellas have been removed from public areas in Hangzhou just one day.

 

杭州公共区域五万多把共享雨伞一天之内即被移除。

 

The umbrellas are the latest example of China's booming sharing economy which more usually involves bikes, cars or apartments. 

 

The umbrellas were locked to railings in public places such as railway or subway stations, at bus stops, as well as shopping malls. As with other sharing schemes, users simply register for the service, pay a deposit, and then scan a QR code to unlock the umbrella. Rental¹ costs 1 yuan, about 15 US cents, for one hour. 

 

An official from the city's urban management department, surnamed Chen, said the umbrellas were taking up much space in public areas. The rules forbid the hanging of objects on railings, trees or fences that harm the appearance of the city.

 

"We will continue to keep an eye on sharing umbrellas and prevent them from damaging the city's appearance." Chen added.

 

The founder² of the sharing umbrella scheme in Hangzhou, Zhao Shuping, said he was aware that some of his company's umbrellas had been taken away. However, Zhao remained positive about the development of his service, saying that they were planning to site barrels around the city to place the umbrellas in.

 

"We are still planning to launch a new batch³ of sharing umbrellas in Hangzhou between June 27th to 29th," said Zhao.

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