Maren (finally) got his Chinese driving license!

Ididn’t have my Chinese driving license yet. Yes, I have a Dutch driving license and yes, I have done road trips in Norway, Spain, Japan and many countries in between and yes, you could even say I’m an excellent driver but that is no guarantee for passing the Chinese Driver Theory Exam. This is the most important exam for any foreigner that already has a (western) driver license and wants to obtain a Chinese driver license to be able to legally drive on the Chinese roads.

China’s car industry has been rapidly growing, in 1990 only 5.54 million vehicles were on the road while in 2013 this number exploded to 240 million vehicles. Also, at the moment more cars are being produced annually than there were on the road in the early ’90s, quite stunning stats! Already for a while, and encouraged by this road trip from China to Holland, I wanted to get my Chinese driver license. However, I have been postponing my exam till four weeks before departure causing a lot of stress especially for Rogier (Xiao Helan).

To be able to do the exam you first need to be registered. Step one involves having a certified translation of your, in my case, Dutch driver license. In a rather downtown location, on a non-descriptive 10th floor of a building, this is easily accommodated for in China. After paying 50 rmb the official translation is done. With this paper and the usual suspects of documents in China (passport, working permit, and house registration form) you go to the Vehicle Management Station on Hami Lu.

At the Vehicle Management Station the first thing that jumps into the eye is a compound with many guards trying to organise the car parking chaos in frenzy. Rather enjoying to see at the ‘Vehicle Management’ Station. The moment you step into building 1 you are not a person anymore but you become a number. This is quite normal in Chinese society actually. After being sent from counter to counter and with my best face of ‘my Chinese is very poor and I would appreciate it if you help me’, the next step is apparent: the health check.

The actual theory exam is the most interesting and frustrating part of the whole process Maren

Health check is a rather big word for running from counter to counter again, knowing you just need to get the red stamps while the actual ‘health-check’ is quite disputable. In the end it’s just a time consuming exercise that you need to go through.

The actual theory exam is the most interesting and frustrating part of the whole process. It’s a practise of your short term memory. How to remember 970 questions whereby a good 200 questions seem to have no logic and the other 770 questions do make some kind of sense if you have been driving for a while and have been living in China for a while.

A small selection:

1. If the driver feel tired when driving on an expressway, he should immediately stop to have a rest. Answer: WRONG
2. Traffic sign and traffic marking are not traffic signals. Answer: WRONG
3. When a vehicle goes downhill on a mountain road, it is not allowed to overtake. Answer: CORRECT

Despite questioning the theory exam and how helpful it might be to create a safe and comfortable traffic environment, and observing the rather laughable process to get your Chinese driver license, I am still rather impressed that this is all functioning and working after all. I mean, I am a foreigner in China, with very limited Chinese speaking and non-existing reading skills, that is able to apply for a driver license and be able to pass the exam and allowed to drive on the road in China. The exam is available in English, even French I discovered during the exam, and millions of Chinese are able to apply and be able to own and drive a vehicle that gives them the opportunity to explore their own country and the world.