A nationwide campaign against bicycle theft has resulted in 38,000 bicycle theft cases being resolved last month, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

More than 68,000 stolen bicycles were recovered by police in March, and more than 27,000 were returned to their owners, said a source with the MPS at a campaign here on Saturday.

The campaign, which was held in many Chinese cities, aimed at raising public awareness on preventing bicycle theft, the source said.

In Beijing, some communities, universities, vegetable markets are urging people to discourage thefts by parking their bikes in areas that have an attendant on duty.

Known as the "bicycle kingdom", China is home to a world-record 470 million bicycles. Nearly 4 million bikes, including 700,000 electric bikes are stolen every year in China, costing bike owners a collective two billion yuan (250 million U.S. dollars).