This paper scrutinizes and analyses the relevant historical policy documents chronologically - from the 1960s to the present - in order to figure out the potentials of revitalizing the bicycle mode share in Beijing. Firstly, we targeted two top-drawer conflicts of the bicycle use, which are travel- or commuting distance and motorised vehicle-oriented urban development. Secondly, we analysed how the various related policies resulted in the changing landscape of the bicycle mode share, including increasing in the bicycle mode share, created the conflicts and declined the bicycle mode share. The results are revealed by collection and analysis of historical material and interviews with key stakeholders. The historical material is obtained from libraries, online resources, and reports from professionals including urban designers, transportation engineers, research centres and politicians of the Beijing transport management. The stakeholders are mainly from the different authorities, as well as ordinary citizens. The paper concluded that the change of policies had the biggest impact on cycling rather than changing phenomena of the physical city such as sprawl and demographic changes that impacted increasing car ownership. The introduction of policies for promoting cycling has not yet become a significant political agenda but towards a promising progress.