Now, FOUR Years in China

I’m now an officially licensed driver in the People’s Republic of China! Now I get to shop for a car. In the attached photo is my friend Dylan’s Great Wall Safe. Look familiar? Great Wall Motor Co. licensed the design of the 4-Runner from Toyota. With leather and power-everything, a new one costs about $12K US. I will probably try to find a used one for around $6K. Repairs, tune-ups etc. that cost $300 in the US cost about $50 here. Same applies to tax, title, registration and insurance - maybe only $500 per year.

Owning a vehicle here may seem seem excessive to some, but I’m tired of waiting 30 minutes for a taxi or driver. Especially when you just want to zip down the street to Starbucks on a rainy or cold day. I’m also discovering an overwhelming need to get out of the pollution…especially today which was the worst this year. I will also need it for various mountain biking trips and to drive to the ski areas during the winter. While I thought I could survive by using a driver and cabs, I realized that my core-lifestyle of adventure sports and activities is not something I care to compromise.

I guess you can take the boy out of America but you can’t take the America out of the boy.

Take a moment to study this photo. I shot this from outside of Mrs. Shannen’s cafe in Shunyi. I love this photo because it seems to summarize China. The brand new BMW, the 3 wheel taxi and the sheep grazing in between. If I tried, I could probably get a more artistic shot in Beijing with a mule cart next to a convertible S-class Mercedes with the urban landscape in the background but the fact that this just happened in front of us while having dinner makes it more special.

China seems to be undergoing something akin to the 80s in the US. Conspicuous consumption seems to be alive and well. The housing development next door to this area markets itself with “Live Amongst the World’s Elite” and charges about $9000 / mo. for rent. Imports from Germany cost twice as much here as they do in the US and you rarely see expats driving much more than a Mini-van or an old Jeep Cherokee. A lot of Chinese businessmen are making some serious cash these days. By simple virtue of the population numbers here, a 1% representation of the upper class could represent a million millionaires.