From the We Observe the World post "Driving Ambition:"
The automobile is fast becoming much more than just a mode of transport for modern Chinese youth and the numbers are staggering.
There was a 15-per cent sales surge last year in the world's second-largest motor-vehicle market, with 5.9 million new cars sold to happy new drivers.
The reasons for buying a car are personal rather than practical. "Getting a driving license is a must for my generation, just like getting a computer," says Shen Xi, a student at the Communication University of China in Beijing. "It's a part of you, suggesting who you are and how you're doing in this ruthless modern society."
The 19-year-old obtained his driving license at 18, the legal driving age in China.
"Nowadays, to a young urbanite, not knowing how to drive is like saying you don't know how to ride a bike. Most of my classmates have driving licences ready for a car soon after we graduate and land a job."
The cost of a driving licence ranges from 3,000 to 5,000 yuan (US$375-625) and includes compulsory lessons at a certified driving school. There are 102 driving schools in Beijing.
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