Today in China

Do you have a scooter? a motorbike?

Then maybe you’ve noticed that recently, the police in Beijing is getting more inflexible on the illegal scooters, the ones without License Plate or with a License Plate from Hebei province.

I remember, when I bought my first scooter in Beijing 3 years ago for 2500 RMB (250 euros) + 400 RMB (40 euros) for a fake driving License and License Plate… :-S

But more and more people have noticed that gas stations around Beijing will just refuse to sell gas if you have a Hebei License Plate or no Plate at all.

So, should we all buy legal License Plates? I’m not so sure…

First, these License Plates cost a lot. But more than that, you would still face the risk of a dramatic change of the law, similar to the one experienced by people in GuangZhou. The authorities have just decided to ban any two-wheeler in the city. As you may see on the picture, they are stocking the motorbikes waiting to find a way to properly recycle them. The owner of the bike will get a compensation of 800 to 1600 RMB (80 to 160 euros) as well as job training for the ones that relied on their bikes to earn their lives.

So, will you take the risk of going to a jing-A License Plate?

Maybe that in the near future you will need a special authorization to make a movie such as JJ’s “Ride in DaShanZi”?

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3 Responses to “Do you have a scooter? a motorbike?”

Thierry Says:
January 17th, 2007 at 7:55 am
Does anybody know how much cost a real jing-A plate in Beijing? I heard about 10,000RMB… Is it true?
Chris Says:
January 18th, 2007 at 8:31 am
Salut Thierry!
1/ don\’t you need a company to sponsor your 京A plate???

2/ Imho I have to say that it might be good to stop \’the rise of the (2-wheel motorized) machines\’ before it\’s too late. Many shops in Beijing are promoting scooters and other polluting bikes rather than promoting electric bikes (like in ChengDu). Let\’s just imagine how Beijing would be (worse) if the number of motorbikes increases like it did in Thailand or Taiwan! Cheaper than a car and easier to ride in the jungle of cars packed in the jam: yes. But the pollution is higher, esp. because of the 2-stroke engines (not yours ).

Anyway, with 800RMB you can buy a very nice mountain-bike
Thierry Says:
January 18th, 2007 at 8:44 am
That’s an excellent idea! Let’s start a charity fund raising to finance not only my 京A License Plate but also a new motorbike!
I put 20RMB!