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What You Should Know About Traveling By Motorcycle in China

Dear Jean,

My friend and I are planning to come to China in the Fall and ride motorcycles from Shanghai in the East to Chonqing in the West. We have never been to China before so we are wondering what the logistics of such a trip are and what we should watch out for when we make the trip. Any suggestions that you give us would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Mark P. in Ontario, Canada

Jean replies to Mark’s letter

Dear Mark,

I want to first congratulate you and your friend on your ambitious motorcycling plans this Fall. Many foreigners have enjoyed exploring China by motorcycle and I am sure that you will have an unforgettable experience. However, there are some issues related to driving motorcycles in China that you should be aware of. I will touch on a few of these issues here and also direct you to an informative article about motorcycles in China written by our very own Robert Vance.

– Having an international driving license in China is not sufficient legally to drive a motorcycle. The law requires that motorists also obtain a Chinese driver’s license which is difficult to obtain on a tourist visa. With that said, there are plenty of foreigners (and Chinese people as well) who ignore this law but you do so at your own risk. Often, the police will allow foreigners to get away with more than Chinese people but I have heard stories of foreigners being detained and sent home for driving without a Chinese license. You should contact the Chinese embassy in Canada about this issue.

– Not all cities in China allow the use of motorcycles so it is important to make sure that you know where you are going and what cities you will be passing through.

– Motorcycles are not allowed on the national toll expressways so you will have to travel on the more common and bumpier national roads. While these roads are fine to travel on during the day, they become dangerous at night because of vehicles without lights as well as people crossing the road without even looking to make sure that there are no approaching motorists.

– In a supposedly overpopulated country like China, you would be surprised how far the distance is between cities when you are on the road. You definitely should know a lot about motorcycles before you undertake such a trip because a mechanic could be many kilometers down the road.

These are just a few of the issues facing motorcyclists in China. Hopefully, I have not dampened your enthusiasm for making the trip but you do need to be aware of the reality. If you do decide to make the trip, I suggest that you should spend a few weeks familiarizing yourself with the Chinese culture before you make your big trip. And don’t forget to bring a GPS with you!

For more information, please read an article entitled Riding Motorcycles in China in which Robert Vance describes his experience riding a motorcycle solo through 2000 kilometers of Central China.

Good Luck!  

Ask Jean about China is a weekly feature on TeachAbroadChina.com. We welcome any questions related to living and working in China. Feel free to submit your questions by clicking here. We look forward to hearing from you.

Do you have experience riding motorcycles in China? Share with us by leaving a comment below!

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