Currency to display:

1 Visiting China
2 Entering China with a Car or Motorbike
3 Driving in China
4 Gas and Diesel price in China
5 Safety and Security Considerations
6 Camping in China
7 Navigation
8 Special Overland Travel interests
9 Vehicle Maintenance
10 Buy or sell a car or motorbike in China
11 References
12 Helpful External links

Visiting China

Give a brief overview of what it's like to visit. How easy is the border, how safe is the country, are there great things to see and do, etc.

Entering China with a Car or Motorbike

Correct as of: April 2014

Required Paperwork

China is a difficult country for an Overlander to visit with their own vehicle.
It's mandatory to pay for a guide, Chinese Driver's license, etc. etc. and the costs can be very high.
Checkout http://www.xor.org.uk/silkroute/ to contact others who have done it, or people who might want to do it with you to share the costs.

Chinese agencies such as China Overland Europe and China Exploration specialize in arranging self drive holidays in China and will organize the required permits and licensing. These agencies can also arrange for individual travelers to join others for group travel and cost sharing.

Process at border

(To check if you need a travel Visa for China, application instructions and fees see: China Visa online application at VisaHQ.com)
Briefly describe the process at the border to enter with a vehicle

Cost of entry

Very expensive.
Expect to pay around $5,000.00 USD for all paperwork, permits, drivers license, road tax etc. This is for one car, if you travel with more cars the cost per car wil go down.

Permitted length of stay

State the permitted length of entry for the vehicle

Extension of stay

Describe the process to extend the permitted length of entry for the vehicle, if possible.

Storing a vehicle and temporarily leaving the country

Describe if/how a vehicle can be stored, and for how long.
Also mention if the owner / temporary importer can leave the country while the vehicle is in storage.

Exiting with a vehicle

Describe the paperwork requirements and process at the border to exit.

Driving in China

Insurance requirements

Yes or No if insurance is mandatory, and what kind is acceptable.

Cost of insurance

State the price of insurance and a time period.

Where to purchase insurance

Describe where insurance can be purchased.

Driving license

Chinese drivers license is needed. Usually you are supplied with a temporary one with all the other permits needed..

Driving side of road

Right.
RHD vehicles can be driven in China

Mandatory items in vehicle

State any mandatory items that must be carried in the vehicle. (i.e. safety triangle, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, etc.)

Roads

General Road quality

Road conditions vary from impressive large scale motorway developments to abysmal broken concrete country roads. Traffic levels were low on most motorways and usually required paying a toll. Traffic conditions on regional and country roads were often crowded and dangerous. Road quality in major cities is good with well maintained sealed roads and usually ring roads to facilitate transit around city hubs.

Road signs

Briefly describe the overall quality & existence of road signs for directions and hazards.

Toll roads

China has an extensive system off toll roads. Prices vary on length of road and size of car. With my truck I ended up paying about 元500.00 CNY from Pakistan to Laos..

Bribery in China

Briefly describe how common bribery is and whether it should be expected, and the best way to deal with it.

Checkpoints

Police checkpoints are infrequent and Police presence unobtrusive.

Traveling with pets

List the entry requirements and anything else required to travel with a pet.

Gas and Diesel price in China

Last updated: October 2012

Currency and unit to display:

Gasoline Grade	Price
Unleaded	€1.06 EUR per Liter^[1]
Diesel	€1.02 EUR per Liter^[1]

Gas and Diesel Availability / Frequency

China has a well developed fuel distribution network along major routes with fuel being sold from modern well equipped service areas.

Gas and Diesel Quality

China has mandated 350ppm sulphur levels (Euro III) nationwide at present time, with 50ppm and 10ppm available in several provinces including Shanghai and Beijing.

In February 2013, the State Council issued a timetable for its program to upgrade fuel quality nationwide. By the end of 2014, automotive diesel fuel sulfur will be set at 50 ppm (China IV or National IV) and by the end of 2017, sulfur limits for automotive gasoline and automotive diesel will be 10 ppm maximum (China V or National V). Diesel fuel standards for China V are required to be issued by July 2013. See http://www.dieselnet.com/standards/cn/ld.php for more information.

Safety and Security Considerations

Driving at night

Discuss driving at night and if it should it be avoided. Mention why.

Vehicle parking

Discuss if vehicles can be parked on the street, if they are considered "safe" at night. If vehicles can not be parked on the street, list the other options that exist.

Special driving considerations

A List of special things to be careful of (i.e. Unsigned speed bumps, abnormal road rules, people or animals on the road, etc.).
List any roads that are not recommended to drive for safety or other security reasons.

Security advisories and information

Camping in China

I do not know of any campsites in China and ended up in parking lots of hotels..
Camping in public car parks and attractions is also possible usually by paying a small fee to the operator. Free camping in rural areas is possible.

Camping guide books

List and link to books specifically for camping.

Drinking water

Describe if the regular tap water is safe to drink. If not, describe where safe water can be purchased and the approximate average price range.

Navigation

Reise Know-How maps proved accurate and reliable for eastern China; these can be ordered on-line from the producer, Reise, in Germany or through Omni Map in the USA.

GPS Maps of China

Review different GPS companies, quality and coverage (Tomtom, Garmin, OSM, Tracks4Africa). (with links to each).

GPS co-ordinates for camping, propane, gas, repairs, etc. in China

Link to sites that have a list of GPS co-ordinates (or directions) for camping locations (including "wild" campsites), propane filling, gas stations, repair shops, places of interest, etc.