Hi, is there anyone who can give me some information about obtaining a driver's licence for a local resident? What skills are required (e.g. how many characters are minimum to pass the test, how old, how expensive, health test required, etc.) for Yunnan. Are there different regulations concerning Chinese provinces where to complete the course? As data for people who possess a driver's licence are available on prefecture level in Yunnan Statistical Yearbooks, those information could help me to test for human capital. Looking forward to receiving information, wienerwald
As long as a local is over 18 and has the cash for driving school and can pass the theory test and the practical test then they can get a licence.
The medical test is very basic and I doubt any people would fail it.
If you see the general level of driving you will understand how easy it is to get a licence in China.
You can fail the medical test if you are color blind. But besides that, it's pretty much as Yuantongsi described. Most of the regulations are national.
@wienerwald
There's a BOOK to study - that'll help with the written and resolve the "how many characters" issue. As noted - the tests are national standards - but how it's practiced in Kunming et al is best described as "unenforceable".
Thanks for the comments, but can I inference that a person who possesses a driver's licence is literate? Meaning that this person has attended secondary school and uses more than 1500 characters?
The original question seems too vague.
If you have a specific purpose for your enquiry, you should state what it is. That will save a lot of wasted posting.
The best source of information would be a Chinese expert in this field, not a foreigner. I suggest that a good first place to check would be a Chinese driving school.
If a person only knows a limited number, then as long as they know those that will appear in the theory test, and any documentation or forms they fill in, then they should be OK. The characters not known, can be learned.
tigertiger, thank you for this hint. Isn't there a Chinese expert in the "gokunming" community? No driving school teacher *g*??? Nevertheless, best wishes form Germany wienerwald
It also makes a difference if you have an overseas drivers license. I converted mine from back home a few years ago (not sure how much this has changed in the meantime) and it cost me about RMB 180 and didn't really need to know any Chinese.
Test comprised of an eye exam and a few other basic physical tests, then a 100 question multi-guess computerised exam in English. I recommend studying before hand. The questions get a little weird in places, but you could make a few mistakes a still pass. I think the only Chinese characters I had to deal with were 慢 and 停.
Doubt that if you took the driving test it would require much more Chinese than that... though you would probably need to be able to understand the examiners instructions in Chinese. It's not like you would normally be reading a book while driving.
The time taken to convert is also very short. I think the whole thing took about 1.5 days including studying the material, translating/certifying documents and taking the test. Would certainly recommend that route over taking the entire training and testing in China.
