Freshmen drive cars to campus?

By He Na (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-17 09:23

As for the price, according to the Xinhuaxin survey, most of the student cars come under the less than 150,000-yuan category. Of those surveyed, 14.1 percent chose prices of less than 80,000 yuan; 25.2 percent favored 80,000 yuan to 120,000 yuan; and 16.5 percent went for cars over 120,000 yuan.

Since most students bought cars for transport convenience, brands such as Santana, Jetta, Bora, Fit, and Vios were popular choices.

But luxury cars can also frequently be seen on campuses, for some students find it below their dignity to be seen driving economical cars. Dai Yuhuan of Shenzhen is one of them.

Dai drives a Mercedes S500, which costs more than 1.5 million yuan. It is a gift from his parents.

The school Dai attends is considered an "aristocratic" one that attracts students from wealthy families in the Pearl River Delta area in Guangdong province.

"Students who have cars are very common there, and quite a few of the cars are luxury brands. There's nothing alarming about it," Dai says.

"Though I overhear some people say I am flaunting my wealth, I don't care. What matters to me is the comfort of driving. An expensive car not only looks good but also performs well, which is really pretty cool," he adds.

Most universities, though, take a dim view of cars on campus.

In Shanghai Fudan University, for example, student cars are not allowed to enter the campus; even working professionals who head back to school for an MBA have to park outside.

What's more, most of the roads outside campus are designed to be one way, dealing a blow to many students' car dreams.

According to Ji Kaifeng, a teacher at Shanghai Jiaotong University, the number of registered student cars stands at less than 10, and includes an Audi A6. The car owners are all post-graduate and doctoral students.

"We offer a free shuttle-bus and bicycle rental service on campus. Our students don't really need to drive cars," he adds.

According to Liu Ping, a professor from Shenyang Normal University, although many families can afford a car now, it is still a luxury item.

"It will definitely prompt comparison among studentsand can have quite a bad influence on students from poor families," he says.

The flaunting has indeed triggered off some hatred.

A college student in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan province, who often showed off in front of others and drove his Buick to school, was kidnapped by his schoolmate.

The attitude of parents is a major factor in whether or not students own cars. The majority still oppose the idea of giving a car to their children as they enter college.

"Private cars are not yet that common in China. It will not help students integrate into student life. Even if I can afford it, I won't buy one for my daughter," says 46-year-old Zhao Zhili, whose daughter is a second-year college student in Dalian.

Safety is also a big concern with student drivers. "Youngsters like driving very fast. And most students are new drivers who lack driving skills and this raises the risk of accidents," says Meng Kunyu, of the Xuanwu traffic police station in Beijing.

(China Daily 09/17/2009 page20)

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