I have driven frequently in China's Greater Bay Area since March 2024, each time crossing over from Hong Kong. If you are new to or an old hand at driving in China, the following post of tips and observations may be of value to you.
A quick reminder about how this is possible as a non-Chinese permanent Hong Kong resident. You need an HK-plated car, HK driving license, a China multiple entry visa, China driving license, China and HK car insurance, and a Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) permit.
If you cross over the HZMB, your car just needs the Hong Kong plates and you can only drive in the Greater Bay Area, whereas your China driving license is valid for the entire country.
You must make sure you satisfy all the requirements and have the paperwork before you travel. Please check the relevant highways, transport, immigration and other websites for information.
Driving across the HZMB from Hong Kong requires a permit and pre-booking of 24 hours or more; you cannot just turn up because there is a quota system in practice. No booking required for the return journey from Macao or Zhuhai across the HZMB.
See this post about what's involved.
1. Distances
The first observation about driving in China are the distances involved.
For example, if you drive from Shek O to Tung Chung, the distance is approximately 50km and takes around 50 minutes on country roads, highways, across suspension bridges, and at speeds of 30kph to 110kph.
That's considered a long drive in Hong Kong.
If you are used to driving long distances, then it's easy to get mentally prepared.
The most I've driven on a single trip in China is 290 kilometres in one go. Getting used to the distances is one thing, experiencing driving at night in heavy rain on unlit highways is entirely different and requires a higher level of alertness and concentration.
Tips: Taking a break at a service station along the way or even coming off the highway for a pit stop is recommended. Plan for breaks, and take water and snacks. If you feel dozy, stop off at the nearest service station or toll exit for a rest. Sharing driving duties should also be considered. There are speed cameras at frequent intervals (like, every five to ten km on some roads).
2. China Highways
Chinese road builders are the best in the world. They've had so much practice in the last decade of building a vast and fast road network. There's simply no other comparison that can be made in any other country I've driven in since 2014.
According to a November 2023 China Daily article ("Domestic road network grew by over 1 million kilometers in past decade"), you can see how fast China has - ahem - motored along on road construction:
- China's expressway network was 177,000 kilometers by the end of 2022.
- The total road network in China expanded to 5.35 million kilometres, with an increase of 1.12 million over the past decade.
- National expressways with more than six lanes increased by 18,400 kilometers in the past decade.
- Notable infrastructure projects include the operational Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and over ten new bridges across the Yangtze River.
- In the previous month, there were 5.34 billion cross-regional passenger trips, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 50.2%.
Turn back the clock to 2008 when I first visited Shunde and went by coach from Diamond Hill. The journey took 5 hours. There weren't any highways. But there was evidence of road construction.
Six months later, a new highway was completed and the journey time was halved. Every six months, there was something new to see on that route. Maybe a new highway under construction crossing ours, or multiple bridges and tunnels, a high speed rail track being built; the speed and sheer scale was incredible, and this was just on the route to Shunde!
This means that traveling by road is now faster and more convenient than ever, making self-drive trips into the Greater Bay Area easier than ever before with far flung destinations within reach.
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3) China Highway Tolls
Most highways will require a toll. HK-plated cars need to use the far right lane at the toll plaza (orange neon sign), collect a plastic credit-card sized - but thicker - card (see above) from the manned or auto booth, and drive on.
When you need to exit, use the far right lane again, hand over the card or insert it into the machine, use your WeChat or Alipay QR code to pay.
Toll booths accept cash and make sure you bring a mix of denominations because, from what I've seen, 99.99% of tolls are paid via QR code.
For the HZMB toll, you can pay by cash, AliPay, WeChat, and AutoToll (5% discount as at October 2024).
Tips: Public holidays usually mean the highway tolls for private cars are free. This can lead to an increase in traffic and jams. Check your map app prior to departure for any delay and plan accordingly.
4) Car Parking
China highway service stations all follow a similar format; off-ramp leading to a wide open space with a central building with shops, toilets, hot water dispenser with uncovered car parking and a petrol station.
The Torch Service Station near the Zhongshan Bridge is a bigger than most I've been to with covered car parks, EV chargers, building with convenience stores, toilets, restaurants, and a big petrol station all nicely laid out.
In the cities, there is plenty of on and off-road parking. Shopping centres have underground car parks which are mostly dimly lit and low cost or free for a certain number of hour.
A growing number recognise the HK car plate, but most don't. So it's either a QR code scan or a number to call to get let in. When it comes to leaving, scanning the QR code and pay via WeChat / other app.
5) Greater Bay Area Petrol Stations
Every petrol station I've been to in the Greater Bay Area have pump attendants and all payments are made within the shop. I've never seen payments made possible at the pump.
Tell the pump attendant which grade (89, 92, 95 or 98), how much, and then pay inside by AliPay or WeChat. HSBC's PayMe app allows customers to make in-store payments by showing the UnionPay QR code on the app with the payment deducted from the wallet balance. Make sure the UnionPay sign is shown before attempting to pay this way.
In Hong Kong, you can expect to pay HK$19+ per litre whereas in China, it's HK$8.57 and, get this, prices vary little wherever you are in the country.
[HK Consumer Council has a list of fuel prices for Hong Kong. For China, I used this site.]
Like most petrol stations the world over, the payment kiosk offers car stuff, drinks and snacks.
6) Navigation
Baidu travel app is detailed and fully functional but the voice twitters on and on, and you need to write destinations in Chinese. There are others and it's matter of finding the one you like.
Tried Apple Maps once. That was a pleasant experience and in English too, but then I drove on a brand new highway that wasn't on the app and it stopped working resulting in a 100km detour to get back on track.
These GPS apps use a lot of juice, so an in-car charger is a must.
The apps say funny things like (if you're speeding), "I've got my golden eyes on you and you're speeding'. Or, 'If you go too fast, you may scare the little animals living near the road'.
7) Other
Lorries have their registration plate printed high up on the back. The highways are the cleanest I've ever seen. Take a rubbish bag for in-car litter. An ice bag for keeping drinks cool is a must, as is a front windshield sunshade when parked outdoors.
About Ivan Theodoulou
As the founder of Eight PR, a PR agency in Hong Kong, Ivan first visited China in 1987 by train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou and has since traveled extensively on the mainland and in the Greater Bay Area (GBA). He passed his China driving test in March 2024 and notched up his 20th GBA road trip in October.
Places visited in China (by car, plane, train, high speed train, ferry, coach, bus) include: Beijing, Beijou, Chengdu, Dali, Daya Bay, Dongguan, Ganzhou, Gaoming*, Guangzhou, Hainan, Hailing Island*, Heishan, Huizhou, Junan, Kunming, Lijang, Longjiang, Nanhai, Shanghai, Shanwei*, Shenzhen, Shilin Yi, Shunde*, Wuzhou, Xiamen, Xiqaio, Yingde*, Yinghe*, Zhuhai*, and Zhaoqing.
*Self-drive.
All information is for general purposes only.
Check out more posts and photos on Ivan's WeChat.
