Driving and Travelling in China
Before you join one of our driving tours, you might want to browse the content of this page – you’ll learn more about driving in China as well about China in general.
Driving in China
I’ve driven around 40,000km in China, that’s once around the circumference of the Earth. Half of that in a tiny sports car, a Caterham Super 7. And yet, I’ve never had an accident – knock on wood – not even a single moment that I’d say ‘Wow, that was close!’ So what does it take to drive in China? Here are a few tips:
If you know something I don’t know about driving in China or you have other questions, don’t hesitate to Contact us.
The China Driving License
Until this day, China has not ratified the final resolution of the 1968 “United Nations Conference on Road Traffic”. As a result, the so-called “International Driving License” is not accepted in China.
In January 1997, a special regulation has come into effect in China which allows one to apply for a temporary Chinese driving license. We take care of all the steps required to apply for this license on behalf of our customers.
The Permanent License
That’s the kind of license all mainland Chinese drivers have. Strictly speaking, you have to have residence in China, that is, a residence visa that’s valid for at least one year in order to get one of these licenses. A one-year-plus residence visa usually comes with employment in China. So, if you’re an expat living in China, getting a Chinese license is cheap and not difficult. There are many agencies that can help you get one. It usually involves a health exam and a computer-based multiple-choice test about China’s traffic regulations. In major cities this is available in English together with the list of questions you can study beforehand. In smaller cities, it’s available in Chinese only. (What to do? There’ll always be a local who, for a fee, will sit next to you in the exam room and effectively take the test for you. Don’t ask!)
But what if you don’t formally reside in China?
There are a few special agencies – I know of at least two – who have the relationships to get you a permanent Chinese Driving License on the basis of a valid business or tourism visa provided that you apply in person. The special relationships these agencies have don’t come cheap, however: you’re talking RMB5,000 or so for a license. Plus you have to go to Beijing or wherever the agency is based and then wait for a month. Not the kind of hassle you want for a driving holiday, or one that we recommend.
By the way, if you are a Hong Kong resident and have a Hong Kong driving license, then you do not need to be resident in China to get a permanent Chinese Driving License. You can apply for one right across the border in Guangdong province (cheap, but not easy…here’s my experience doing this (or download as .pdf)) or let a Hong Kong agency do it for you (easy, but not cheap)).
The Temporary License
The privilege for tourists to get a temporary Chinese driving license was introduced in January 2007. Its maximum validity is 90 days. One tricky thing is that if you want this kind of license, your tourism or business visa must not be longer than 90 days. Else they won’t approve the license application.
This new policy is supposed to apply nationally, but try and get one in any city but Beijing, and you’re likely to be greeted by blank stares. It’s a typical case of the centre mandating one thing and the periphery (that is, 99% of China) interpreting the rules in their own way. In particular, some cities require that the temporary license be applied for by a travel agency on your behalf. That may be no bad thing for you because at least a travel agency can help you get through the thicket of the regulations.
Applying for the temporary driving license requires that you have a certified Chinese translation of your overseas driving license and undergo a very simple health test (eye sight and hearing). You do not need to take a driving exam, on paper or on the road.
Why is all this so difficult?
I’ve been asking myself this same question for a long time. At first, I thought it is because China doesn’t want tourists to just go anywhere. But that I figure can’t be the reason these days. (This was, for sure, the reason why the 1968 convention document wasn’t ratified, though.) After all, these days, once you’re inside China, you can go anywhere (except Tibet) – you can buy airplane and train tickets and, yes, go anywhere. Or you can rent a bike or walk to anywhere. So, why, then make getting a driving license so difficult?
I suspect that the main reason is that China’s car insurance industry and law enforcement and resolution mechanisms are, too put it tactfully, ‘still under development’. If you do end up in a traffic accident, it will be a mess to extricate yourself. But, but, but, the car (rental or owned) will have insurance, no? Yes, it will, but it won’t mean much in terms of ‘hassles avoided’.
Here is an irony: in the biggest and most modern cities – Shanghai and Beijing – where the driving is not much fun, accident matters are handled fairly swiftly and according to the rule of law. In rural areas where the driving is fun, accidents, even small ones, can be a nightmare.
So, drive carefully!
Driving Tips
Our founder has driving in China approximately 60,000km (which is equivalent to about one-and-a-half times the circumferences of our earth). And about 1/3 of that in a tiny British sports car (a Caterham Super 7). He’s never had an accident; in fact, he’s never even had one of those “Wow! That was close!” moments. Here are a few tips which we hope will be useful:
- Wear Seat Belts – This should go without mentioning, but it anyway never hurts to say.
- Avoid night driving – This applies mostly to rural areas. Night driving is more dangerous than day driving anywhere in the world, but especially in China because you really can’t see the animals well, because lots of Chinese rental cars have dim headlights, and because many Chinese drivers often don’t turn on their headlights in the dark. Can’t quite figure out why, but it may be to do with the belief that saving fuel is more important than getting home safely.
- The Middle Kingdom – is so called because many people quite frequently drive in the middle of the road. So, be prepared, especially on mountain roads. The main reason why cars often come at you in the middle of mountain roads is NOT to scare you but to stay away from the valley-side edge of the road; or to avoid potholes.
- Expect the unexpected – in China, expect the unexpected. While China has clearly defined traffic regulations similar to those in other countries, these rules often go unheeded. There is no point in getting upset about rules not being followed, however; just take that as a given. Instead, be always alert and expect the unexpected. For example: be prepared for livestock on the roadways, broken down cars, unmarked road repairs, and a host of other obstacles not commonly encountered. For those coming from “rules-based” countries like Northern Europe, the U.S. and Australia, it’s a bit like flying into Rome (or Madrid or Paris) and driving there for the first time. It actually works perfectly well, but you need to be more alert. If you are, it can be more fun than blindly following rules.
- Toot your horn, frequently – In most Western countries, tooting your horn is considered an impoliteness and the horn is to be used only in extreme circumstances. In China, especially in China’s rural areas, tooting your horn is expected. The thinking goes: “If I can’t hear you, I assume you’re not there!” So, toot your horn when
- Going into turns where you can’t see what’s ahead.
- Passing by people, bicycles and other cars
- Passing Trucks – Trucks are notorious for driving in the middle of the road. What to do when you want to pass them? Toot your horn, vigorously until you get their attention. Once you have their attention, most truck drivers are very courteous and move to the side such that you can pass. Keep toot-tooting your horn until you are well clear of the truck you’re passing.
- Beware of wet roads – China’s road surfaces, especially those of the national (G), provincial (S) and country (X) roads, are old and worn. When it rains, they become EXTREMELY SLIPPERY. So, exercise great caution, especially when approaching and driving through turns. This is particularly true of wet COBBLESTONED roads.
- Beware of unlit tunnels – Many of China’s tunnels are unlit. So, before entering a tunnel, gradually slow to a near-halt, then proceed cautiously because your eyes will not be accustomed to the darkness. What’s more, it is entirely possible that a car will emerge from the tunnel with only faint lights. So, until your eyes have adjusted and you are sure no one is coming at you, drive slowly, very slowly.
- No guard rails – Many of China’s mountain roads do NOT have guard rails. This means, in clear text, THERE IS NO ROOM FOR ERROR. Therefore, stay well inside your and the car’s limits and allow for error on the part of others. If in doubt, slower is better.
Road Maps and Sat-Nav Systems
Chinese maps have been improving quickly, but a few things need to be kept in mind:
- Even the best Chinese road atlas called “China Highway, City and Provincial Road Network Atlas” (中国高速公路及城乡公路网地图集) is poor by comparison to atlases available in the U.S.A. , Australia, Europe or the U.K. (Don’t even begin to think about the quality offered by Michelin for Europe, the RAC for the U.K., or UBD for Australia.) China’s best atlas still falls way short in that it shows some roads that aren’t built yet and fails to show some roads that have been built already.
- All atlases are in Chinese. So, if you don’t read Chinese, forget about using them for any detailed work other than to aid your general sense of direction. (There are a few tourist maps in English in the big cities, but they are not detailed enough for navigating by car.)
In addition, once you get out into the countryside, most road signs are written in Chinese only. What’s more daunting is that many roads have no signs and, here’s the killer, the locals often have no idea where a given road goes other than that it goes to the next village.
While I personally prefer maps, mostly for romantic reasons, there are nowadays excellent satellite navigations available in China. These systems can be set up to have English menus and English voice instructions. That’s great, except for the maps are all in Chinese, of course. This means that even if you buy a satellite navigation system, you won’t be able to tell it where you want to go, unless you can read and write Chinese.
For our tours, we do include satellite navigation systems and we pre-program all the routes with waypoints and destinations all labelled in English (or Pinyin where there is no English translation). This means you don’t have read Chinese.
Renting Cars
In the major cities – Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai – and a few tier-two cities – Suzhou, Hangzhou and Nanjing – Avis is present (see www.avischina.com). They are used to serving the non-Chinese market and are thus a safe bet. Their range of vehicles is limited, however. To the best of my knowledge, they do not provide SUVs.
Outside of this small selection of cities, it is very difficult to rent cars:
- If you are resident in China and have a Chinese Driving License, you may be able to find a rental car company that will sign a contract with you. Even so, expect to pre-pay the entire rental fee plus a hefty deposit in cash.
- If you’re not resident in China, it will be next to impossible, even if you show up with a stash of cash.
Your best bet is to get a rental car arranged through a travel agency, but don’t expect them to receive you with open arms. It’s a hassle for them because they don’t know how to do it and they worry about the accident risk and being stuck having to solve whatever havoc they think a foreign devil might wreak in a car on Chinese roads.
Travelling in China
In order to prepare yourself better for a safe and memorable holiday in China, we provide here a few links that will get you started.
- Chinese embassies
- China Tourism
- Currency Converter
- Maps of China – offline, online
- Sources of News and Stories
- Weather in China
Chinese Embassies
Please visit the Chinese Ministry of Foreign affairs for a list of China’s embassies.
China Tourism
The China’s National Tourism office is worth a visit to get you started.
When it comes to understanding a country, I tend to go first to the The Economist’s Fact Sheet on the country. Here’s the one on China http://www.economist.com/countries/China/profile.cfm?folder=Profile-FactSheet.
When travelling to China, you may want to familiarise with its history and culture. The Wikipedia entry on China is a good start.
If you’re serious about Chinese history, I find there is no better introduction than Patricia Buckley Ebrey’s Cambridge Illustrated History of China.
Currency Converter
China is still largely a cash society. However, when you join one of our driving holidays, you won’t need any cash except for to buy souvenirs.
The Chinese Renminbi (RMB) is appreciating quickly against some currencies so it’s worth checking the exchange rate not long before you travel. Here is the currency converter provided by the Bank of China.
Maps of China – offline, online
What can I say? Google Earth [link to google earth download] is, of course, a great way to look at China from the top, even though quite a few areas are shown only in the roughest of detail.
In general, good maps are very difficult to come by in China, in particular in English. Of all the sites that I know, China Maps Info is the best.
If you are able to read Chinese, then the best online map is provided by Baidu. It’s similar, at least in concept, to the online road maps for other countries such as Via Michelin for Europe, Multimap which is particularly strong in the U.K. but also works well for other countries, Where Is for Australia, or, for New Zealand, Multimap as well.
If you don’t mind downloading a big file (approximately 16megabytes), then here is lovely tourist map of China.
Sources of News and Stories
Here’s a list of news sources published in China:
- Xinhua News Agency (state agency)
- People’s Daily (Official Communist Party Newspaper)
- China Daily
- China Perspectives (online journal of the French Centre for Research on Contemporary China)
- China Blog List - a list of English language blogs focused on China
Weather in China
China’s climate ranges from subtropical Hong Kong where the air is relatively humid and the temperature rarely falls below 10C to regions in the South-West near the Himalayas that are in near-permafrost to deserts whose temperatures vary from day to night by almost as much as they vary from winter to summer.
For the temperatures (high, average, low) and rainfall of many of China’s larger cities, please check out this site.
Photos © Copyright 2005 & 2007 Ron Yue www.ronyue.com.
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