The traffic and transportation system in China is worth sharing. I will talk about:
- Kinds of personal automobiles (this post)
- Modes of public transport
- Traffic rules
The Hybrid Bike: it is between an electric motorbike and a bicycle. It has a rechargeable battery as well as pedals. If it runs low on battery you can start pedaling to recharge it, or simply start using it as a bicycle. The average price of a new one is around 3000 to 3500 Yuans (approx. 500 US$). It is slow, it cannot go above 60km/hr probably but so it is convenient and economical in commuting for short distances as well as environmentally friendly and gives an extra cause for doing exercise. So popular.
The Wheeled Generator: The ‘ weirdest’ invention of a vehicle form. It is actually a mere generator..with wheels attached to it :S !!! And it has a stick to steer the wheels and a small truck attached behind. Farmers love it. Maybe it also serves them as a generator when needed!
The 3-Wheelers: I though it is only exclusive to Mr. Bean's show. Maybe it is but the Chinese ‘copied’ it! There are 3-wheeler cars and 3-wheeler mini-trucks. They are actually more like tweaked motorcycles, not cars. They use motorcycle engines and most of them have the motorcycle front body with morotcycle steering handle, but the rest is installed separately to form the car or truck. They are very noisy, very slow, very polluting. I wonder why they are used but probably because they are cheap and do not consume much petrol. It just feels that they would fall when taking a turn or if you push them from the side.
German cars: Here German cars are the most popular, especially VolksWagen and Audi. China does not like Japanese cars because of economical/political competitions; still people acknowledge that Japanese cars are superb. So, they tend to lean to German cars as a substitute. Another reason behind the popularity of German cars is the major role Germany had in recent Chinese history as it was controlling some land and had formed some colonies, along with other European countries like France and the UK. The huge number of Audi’s and VW’s we saw here made us at some point view them as low-class cars! But everybody knows German cars along with the Japanese are the best of all.
Chinese Cars: well, even the Chinese hate them. They know they cannot trust their own cars! Chinese cars are much less popular than German or any other car brand. Still they are an available option for lower-income people. The most popular Chinese car company is 'Chery'
Bicycles and Tricycles: they are so common and almost all Chinese have one. The weather is appropriate for riding bikes, and the cities are prepared for that with separate lanes for bikers, parking places in public and traffic light signals. Most importantly, people like using them and do not nag and pamper themselves with a bus or a car ride when they can reach easily by a bike with some exercise. Tricycles are preferred for work issues and loading stuff not for every-person use.
The 3-Wheelers: I though it is only exclusive to Mr. Bean's show. Maybe it is but the Chinese ‘copied’ it! There are 3-wheeler cars and 3-wheeler mini-trucks. They are actually more like tweaked motorcycles, not cars. They use motorcycle engines and most of them have the motorcycle front body with morotcycle steering handle, but the rest is installed separately to form the car or truck. They are very noisy, very slow, very polluting. I wonder why they are used but probably because they are cheap and do not consume much petrol. It just feels that they would fall when taking a turn or if you push them from the side.
German cars: Here German cars are the most popular, especially VolksWagen and Audi. China does not like Japanese cars because of economical/political competitions; still people acknowledge that Japanese cars are superb. So, they tend to lean to German cars as a substitute. Another reason behind the popularity of German cars is the major role Germany had in recent Chinese history as it was controlling some land and had formed some colonies, along with other European countries like France and the UK. The huge number of Audi’s and VW’s we saw here made us at some point view them as low-class cars! But everybody knows German cars along with the Japanese are the best of all.
Chinese Cars: well, even the Chinese hate them. They know they cannot trust their own cars! Chinese cars are much less popular than German or any other car brand. Still they are an available option for lower-income people. The most popular Chinese car company is 'Chery'
Bicycles and Tricycles: they are so common and almost all Chinese have one. The weather is appropriate for riding bikes, and the cities are prepared for that with separate lanes for bikers, parking places in public and traffic light signals. Most importantly, people like using them and do not nag and pamper themselves with a bus or a car ride when they can reach easily by a bike with some exercise. Tricycles are preferred for work issues and loading stuff not for every-person use.
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| Shades for bikers at a traffic light - Hangzhou, China |
