Shenyang, the capital of northeastern China's Liaoning Province, opened its first legal market for second-hand bicycles on Sunday.

The market has been set up in a bid to stamp out the black market in stolen second-hand bikes.

Located at 52 Kunshan West Road in the city's Huanggu District, the market will sell all kinds of bikes, including electric ones. It will be open for business every day except Monday.

Vendors are required to provide authorities with their identity cards. They will pay the market 5 yuan (US$0.65) every time they make a sale and all buyers will have to register their names. All the bicycles sold at the market will be given a serial number.

All the measures are aimed at deterring bicycle thieves, who are running rampant in the city.

Sixty-five year old Jing Yubo bought the first bicycle from the market. He says he was satisfied with his new bike, which only cost 40 yuan (US$5.18).

He says his family has lost a dozen bicycles. He used to buy second-hand bicycles from the black market, but always feared they were stolen from others.

(CRI April 30, 2007)