A RESIDENT said there is a “strange slope” on Longgang Boulevard, claiming it’s easier to ride a bike up the slope than down. An expert said the “strange slope” phenomenon is an optical illusion caused by visual errors, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

The resident, surnamed He, said he felt that riding a bike down the 200-meter “strange slope” on Longgang Boulevard was more exhausting than riding up the slope, but a Daily reporter felt differently when cycling on the same slope. When the reporter stopped pedaling, the bicycle continued down the slope.

Another resident, surnamed Wang, said he passes the slope every day on his way to work, but doesn’t experience any abnormal feelings when riding down.

It has also been reported that there is a “strange slope” on a flyover in Nanwan Subdistrict in Longgang, but the reporter didn’t feel anything strange when riding on this slope either.

There have been reports about “strange slopes” in other cities in China, and most of these slopes have been turned into scenic spots. One of the most popular “strange slopes” is located in Rizhao, Shandong Province. Water can flow up the slope and an unmanned car weighing 2 tons can roll slowly from the bottom of the slope to the top by itself.

Similar things have happened on two other “strange slopes” in Shenyang and Taiyuan.

Cheng Lebing, a general manager of a Shenzhen-based architectural design company, said the phenomenon of the “strange slope” is an illusion caused by visual errors.

According to Cheng, if people choose the wrong objects for reference, they might feel that they are going down a slope when they are actually going up a slope, which is the cause of most “strange slope” phenomena. (Zhang Yang)