dreamon Posted May 10, 2011 at 09:21 AM Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 at 09:21 AM Suppose that an American with a US driver license (and an AAA-issued international permit) arrives to Guangzhou airport very late at night and wants to rent a car. He doesn't speak Chinese. What happens? What's the best course of action? He will depart in one week, but he will have to drive around a lot. Does anything at all work at that airport late at night - food, information, money/ATM? Is there a convenient subway? Which map of Guangzhou is the best one (of those available in the U.S.)? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HedgePig Posted May 10, 2011 at 10:51 AM Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 at 10:51 AM I don't believe an international drivers license is accepted in China as China is not a signatory to the international convention which recognises these. Sorry, can't answer the Guangzhou specific questions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liuzhou Posted May 10, 2011 at 11:37 AM Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 at 11:37 AM The previous answer is correct. China does not recognise non-Chinese licences. What you are suggesting is simply not possible. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post imron Posted May 10, 2011 at 11:55 AM Popular Post Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 at 11:55 AM He doesn't speak Chinese, has no idea of Chinese road rules and of local driving conditions? Best course of action is to hire a driver for a week. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymoose Posted May 10, 2011 at 12:07 PM Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 at 12:07 PM Having just looked at a map, it appears that line 3 of the metro goes to Baiyun Airport. I have no idea about the Guangzhou metro specifically, but public transport tends to stop relatively early in China, so the metro might or might not be available depending on how late "late at night" means. The airport is approximately 15 km from the centre of the city, so a taxi shouldn't cost too much if the passenger isn't taken for a ride. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erbse Posted May 10, 2011 at 12:08 PM Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 at 12:08 PM Maybe he wants to drive by himself because he can't afford a driver. If he could, he would have paid a teacher to teach him some Chinese in advance as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imron Posted May 10, 2011 at 12:21 PM Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 at 12:21 PM Well, this person has thought that he'd like to hire a car to drive, and given he doesn't seem to have much idea about China, he's probably going to be budgeting costs similar to what he'd expect them to be in the US. That being the case I imagine for the cost of a day's car rental in the states you could get a car and driver in China and have change left over. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liuzhou Posted May 10, 2011 at 12:48 PM Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 at 12:48 PM It is irrelevant what he wants. He isn't going to be able to rent a self drive car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lu Posted May 10, 2011 at 12:49 PM Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 at 12:49 PM If the American is on some kind of business trip, perhaps his Guangzhou counterparts can arrange a car with driver, and other necessities such as a map. Why is all this a hypothetical in the third person? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbradfor Posted May 10, 2011 at 01:52 PM Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 at 01:52 PM "Doctor, I have this friend with a problem....." 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BertR Posted May 10, 2011 at 03:08 PM Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 at 03:08 PM The previous answer is correct. China does not recognise non-Chinese licences. What you are suggesting is simply not possible. Sorry. This is not completely correct. There is a treaty between China and Belgium to accept each others' driving license. See http://auto.people.com.cn/GB/14556/5292075.html Although I'm Belgian, I have no intentions to ever use this privilege... (... and from seeing the driving style of a lot of Chinese people in China, I hope that not too many Chinese people use their driving license when there are in Belgium... ;) ) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamon Posted May 10, 2011 at 06:49 PM Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 at 06:49 PM HedgePig> I don't believe an international drivers license is accepted in China I heard that it might be possible to get a temporary driver's license right at the airport. Is this false? jbradfor> "Doctor, I have this friend with a problem....." Patient: "Doctor, I have this friend with a problem....." Doctor: "Excuse me, but I don't see anyone else here, only you?" Patient: "That's exactly the problem, my friend!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edelweis Posted May 10, 2011 at 07:00 PM Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 at 07:00 PM http://wikitravel.org/en/Driving_in_China it seems it is possible to get a temporary licence in some places with varying difficulty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanglu Posted May 10, 2011 at 11:32 PM Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 at 11:32 PM I have met someone who claimed to have hired a car and driven around Shandong. I have a vague recollection of laws for driving being loosened around the time of the olympics. None of that too solid sorry. I would question though how someone who can't read road signs would be intending on driving in China. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcdefg Posted May 11, 2011 at 12:10 AM Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 at 12:10 AM Suppose that an American with a US driver license (and an AAA-issued international permit) arrives to Guangzhou airport very late at night and wants to rent a car. He doesn't speak Chinese. What happens? What's the best course of action? Take a taxi. You would be insane to drive in Guangzhou (or elsewhere in China) under these conditions. It's Really, Really not a good idea. Traffic in China is very different from your home town and you will also have trouble reading road signs. Does anything at all work at that airport late at night - food, information, money/ATM? Guangzhou airport is huge and modern. Most things work 24/7 there. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamon Posted May 11, 2011 at 12:42 AM Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 at 12:42 AM fanglu> I would question though how someone who can't read road signs would be intending on driving in China. abcdefg> You would be insane to drive in Guangzhou (or elsewhere in China) under these conditions. Is it really that bad? In Europe, one can drive without knowing the language. Judging from a few photos, China has standard European road sign pictograms, doesn't it? Of course, destination signs are a problem, but if one knows the hanzi for the target city or place and has a good roadmap, it should be doable, no? abcdefg> Guangzhou airport is huge and modern. Most things work 24/7 there. In the US, food courts and most services are often closed at night. How about ATMs, do they accept American debit cards? Do foodstores, restaurants, hotels etc. accept American credit cards? (Many online stores don't, so it's not obvious to me.) Any advice regarding Chinese customs? What are the common issues that American tourists and business visitors encounter? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gougou Posted May 11, 2011 at 01:20 AM Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 at 01:20 AM Quite a while back, I heard that foreign driver's licenses were accepted up to one month after getting to China. Was that not true, or is it not anymore? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rezaf Posted May 11, 2011 at 01:43 AM Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 at 01:43 AM Quite a while back, I heard that foreign driver's licenses were accepted up to one month after getting to China. Was that not true, or is it not anymore? 2 months ago my wife had an accident with a German guy. When the police arrived the guy showed his international driver's license and told the same thing to the police but the police said that there wasn't such a rule and the insurance company couldn't pay us because he didn't have a driver's license. In order to avoid this guy getting arrested we agreed that he pays us the compensation and fortunately it was solved. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amandagmu Posted May 11, 2011 at 03:00 AM Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 at 03:00 AM Is it really that bad? Yes. Europe, one can drive without knowing the language. Judging from a few photos, China has standard European road sign pictograms, doesn't it? They don't follow the road rules.... No wait, let me re-phrase: they don't follow the "official" road rules. There's a set of unwritten rules for sure. Of course, destination signs are a problem, but if one knows the hanzi for the target city or place and has a good roadmap, it should be doable, no? Good luck finding a good road map, especially one that also has pinyin on it. (Suffice it to say that road maps are a recent thing in China.) Might I suggest you read Peter Hessler's Country Driving (2010) before coming here? It's quite well written and can answer some of your questions about the roads in China. There is also some witty banter regarding the driver's license exam... In the US, food courts and most services are often closed at night. How about ATMs, do they accept American debit cards? Do foodstores, restaurants, hotels etc. accept American credit cards? (Many online stores don't, so it's not obvious to me.) ATMs are not a problem, but I suggest going somewhere big like ICBC or Bank of China, mostly because they have more international partnerships. Down south there might also be HSBC, another good bank. Most expat places will take American credit cards (visa or mastercard) but don't count on it otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamon Posted May 11, 2011 at 07:45 AM Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 at 07:45 AM amandagmu> Good luck finding a good road map, especially one that also has pinyin on it. (Suffice it to say that road maps are a recent thing in China.) How about Google Maps? They look good and have Pinyin, only without tones. Although for some reason they don't match their own satellite images, as if they are a bit shifted. And Pleco will read the signs... amandagmu> Might I suggest you read Peter Hessler's Country Driving (2010) before coming here? Thank you for the book reference! Sounds like a great reading. Any tips on intercity travel by taxi? How about trains - are they tourist-friendly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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