Driving in China

Summary: When my friends and I went to China to teach STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) for a week, we spent 13 days there, including the three cities of Beijing, Dingzhou, and Wei Hai. We got to walk on the Great Wall of China and pick our own figs. It will always be a memorable trip and we are still in touch with many of our teacher and student friends from there on We Chat. There are a few fun things we learned on our trip.

Driving in China
We did not drive in China. Thank goodness! There are certain rules to follow when in the car in China. Don't look out the front window. Don't look out the back window. Don't look out the side windows. Use the time to talk to your friends or look through your photos on your phone. I will save multiple heart palpitations and  adrenaline rushes if you follow these guidelines.
No seriously! Here is what we learned about driving in China:

• Lines and lanes are optional, you just go where you need to go.
• If you need to turn left, just start turning left and the other cars will slow down and not hit you.
• Drivers seem to drive slower overall to prepare for these cars that suddenly need to turn.
• You will not see many cops driving the street. There are cameras on the streets and they are monitoring drivers. They will take pictures through out the freeways or streets and if you are not following the speed/rules after two pictures then you will get a ticket. 
• Park wherever you can. Double parking is fine. Just leave your phone number so people can call you to move your car.
• People do a lot of walking in China, so watch out for pedestrians!
• Scooters are so much fun! I totally want one. You don't need a license to drive an electric scooter, no helmets required, some of the cities have scooter lanes that are separate from the street. You have to be either 16 or 18 to drive a scooter (I can't remember what my students said) and we saw up to three kids piled onto the scooter with an adult. Scooter drivers do wear a cloth over their hands and the front of their bike to protect from the elements and bugs.