Business Life: Beijing traffic

cctv.com 11-12-2003 16:19

Beijing now has more than 2 million vehicles, 70 percent of which are private cars. There is a total of 30 million vehicles nationwide, 90 percent of which were bought in the past five years. This amazing number not only shows the recent growth in car sales in China, but it has also contributed to car related services and businesses, especially involving entertainment, such as car clubs, car refit, car decoration and drive-in theater. In today's business life, we will look at how Chinese people entertain themselves with cars during their spare time, and introduce you the popular ways of car entertainment in China

Mr. Peng錛宮ember of a jeep club is coming to one of the biggest garage in western Beijing to refit his new jeep, for he's going to join the self-driving journey of his club to inner Menggu during the National Holiday.

A customer said, "I make my car refitted mainly for self-driving journey, to upgrade its mobility over unprepared terrain錛宼he chassis is stepped up by 2-3 inches, and I'm going to change the tyres into 31 inches, subjoin a carrier in order to take more luggage with me when traveling. I think it's worthwhile."

Mr. Peng is just one of many coming to refit cars everyday, this garage accepts dozens of cars each day, from off-road vehicle to minicar錛宼he missionaries reveals that they are especially busy before long holidays.

Dong Guang from Cadan Goblazer Club, said, "For holidays, especially May-Day holiday and National holiday's self-driving traveling, the refit is concentrated before the holidays, so we have a busy season before holidays, now our workload is very heavy."

"Most car owners make refits like chassis heightening, wheel hub replacing, and some others to raise the functionality, as backup tyre, fuel tank bracket, winch, baggage carrier which are all useful when traveling."

These seemingly unattractive parts here may not be of high cost, however after the workers' elaborate handcraft, the functionality and competitive form have been greatly improved, thus the total expending of the refit is not cheap any more. Car owners usually spend RMB from hundreds to thousands, even tens of thousand. What's more astonishing, the boss tells that the most expensive refit they have ever made costs twenty thousand RMB.

Dong Guang, Head of Cadan Goblazer Club, said, 鈥淧rivate car now is no longer just a merely vehicle to instead foot in people's traditional thought, in fact, more and more people consider it a toy, and even a commodity. He treats the car a tool, thus he may require more on his car. To those owners of off-road vehicles錛宼hey are likely to make refit; and to those small cars, owners always spend more on decoration, while for those who are crazy about speed, usually make their cars like a racing car. They all put their sentiment and culture into their cars.鈥

Just as Mr. Dong said, those functional refits are just adapted to those jeep fans; actually different car owners may choose different types of refit that suitable for their own cars. For most minicars錛宼hey are more likely to choose another form, that is, inner car decoration.

A car Owner said to our reporter, "Now there are many microbuses on the road, so I'm coming to make some decoration in pursuit of individuality."

Another said, "I paste a map of China on my car, and I mark the courses where I've been to."

Whether the well connected refit or elaborate inner decoration, after improving the functionality and appearance, the owners are finally stepping their feet on the way out, or known as long-distance self-driving traveling.

Li Yang, Journalist of Auto Fan Magazine, said, "The popularization of private cars into family first of all changes our way of life. People's living space is no longer of just several kilometers, while now it reaches scores or even hundreds. The extension of people's living space or living circle brings along the economy. Thus the new terms as holiday economy or private car traveling are emerging."

The bustling flows of cars are no longer rare in Beijing and other main cities in China. With 2 million cars in Beijing and 30 million in China, the startling growth of private car not only reveals the recent increase of prosperous car sale, but also brings us a new economy concept, known as, holiday economy, or private car traveling economy. Gas, catering, accommodation, and even shopping undoubtfully spur on the local and circumjacent areas of their trips.

Li also said, "It's no doubt that self-driving traveling brings along the economic growth of local and circumjacent areas, because we have many necessary spending, for instance, we pay for the traveling toll, we have meals, we inn, and we do lots of shopping during traveling, also we buy the tickets, all of which are most basic spending."

"Besides, we go to maintaining our cars after the long-distance driving, which undoubtedly bestow a big money to the garage."

Although full of novelty and stimulation, self-driving traveling maybe only enjoys two or three golden weeks every year, because both spare money and spare time are necessities for that, which now is still a luxury for the majority in China, so at the same time, another form of car recreation is now becoming popular in China, with less spending and of more convenience; drive-in theater welcomes more and more audience everyday.

Wang Qishun, GM of Feng Hua Yuan Automobile Cinema, said, "I think that the car is not just a vehicle, but it can change many things in our life. For instance, we combine car with movie, with catering, and to set up this drive-in theater."

"We can come with our lover, or friends, we can sit inside our cars, or we may watch the film by lying inside cars, it's cozy, and also a new experience of life."

Combining fishing, catering, accommodation, bar and movie, this drive-in theater attracts 70-80 cars in weekdays and more than 120 on weekend. Now it's 8 o'clock one day at the end of September, although it's raining now in Beijing, many audiences are still coming to enjoy the movies under the raindrop.

Audience said, "We heard of it from friends, I feel it's nice. The price is not expensive, and we will come again in the future."

Another audience said, "I feel it's almost the same to the movie theater, the surrounding is nice, and the air is fresh."

"You see its' a little bit raining today"

"It's romantic"

"On the brushing of the wiper, the feeling is so special compared to cinema."

Founded early in 1998, Feng Hua Yuan has been monopolized this industry in China for nearly five years, however after the outbreak of SARS in this spring, such drive-in theaters began to emerge in megacities as Shanghai and Guangzhou. The founder of this one has a very optimistic towards the future development.

Wang Qisun said, "It's still a long way to go for private car to be populized in China, so to my opinion this industry has a blossom of at least thirty years. While in the U.S., there were more than 20 thousand drive-in theaters on its blossom, thus I think this industry is of full vigor and vitality. "

Not just as a vehicle, private car now becomes more and more humanistic, owners tend to treat cars a way of life. Self-driving traveling, car refit and decoration, along with drive-in theater, all in all are new and vigorous economy concepts derived from car entertainment. As the astonishing increase of car sale in China, the car entertainment economy is also flourishing.

Editor:Zhang  Source:CCTV.com