Yeah I know its a stretch.. but any members in Bejing etc. Have scored a trip over there and will have 10 days to explore etc...
Holy crap. Did you just throw gasoline on the fire? I just need to decide if I should stick around for the explosion or run like hell.
Yeah, this will get the racists and jingoists all spun up. Enjoy yourself in China; you'll find a nation of ambitious, hardworking people.
Well the racist guys can just think what they want but dont bother posting, Hot rodding is a universal language and Im thinking with that many people there must be some like minded folks, maybe even an underground trad scene in its infancy, bit like Japan 10 years ago.
Toured through China in Sept. i had a blast!! what city's will you be visiting? sorry but you will not be finding any hot rods in China (i searched high and low), but you will see some pretty interesting cars and stuff!
I have from Dec 20-30 from Bejing. At this stage completely open in respect to where I go/do Obvious places are the terracota soldiers, the little brick wall Tiernamen Square, etc
hit some manufacturing plants. you will be surprised. don't forget to check into your country's embassy because if you disapear at least they will be looking for you.
Well, they seem to have pretty much invented everything else of any real worth about 3000 years ago, so wouldn't be surprised if they had some hot rods there somewhere. They make a lot of parts there. Would seem the next step to have full cars. Maybe take your car there with you and see what happens. Or, just go to some metal fab shop and ask to have a '32 Bonneville coupe made up for you. Give a good pic to them and they will have it done in about 5 days. I took a crazy full suspension mountain bike with me on a trip to Russia back in '97. I got some pretty crazy looks and pretty much avoided me when I was riding it. After a bit, I realized they probably were all afraid I was a gangster and would kill them if they looked at me wrong.
Hot rods were no where to be found, my friends band toured 12 cities in 14 days and all were major cities. hanging out with people i showed them pictures of old hot rods and customs and they were in awe. the people just don't have the $$$ to import classic cars. closest i found was hanging with our guides friend, she was pretty well off and said she has only seen 2 harley davidsons her whole life and that the owners rarely drive them cause of the price of gas. humidity is a killer, be prepared. i had tons of fun and hope to visit again. the people i encountered were all very humble and friendly. have a blast!! i visited Tienamen Square, and the great wall. both were awesome. just EXPLORE! suprises are around every corner!!! and if you see a punk band called NO NAME or Demerit playing while your in town go support them.
I am actually in China right now for an 8 day trip for work. This is my 3rd time here and havent seen anything remote to a custom car or hot rod
A quick tip - hire a bicycle for a couple of days in beijing - it's a flat city, built for cyclists. Also, the terracotta warriors are a long way fron there.
Well said,Pete.I wouldn't be surprised if there are signs of a scene emerging.Especially as China has been more open to Western influences in the last few years. Remember to take the Tardel/Bishop book and a couple of Montgomery books and spread the word! Have a great trip! Look forward to an up-date when you get back. Cheers, Mark
I had a buddy on here from Puckett Thailand had a yellow T bucket he drove all over asia. I can't find him I forgot his user name but he's rodded thousands of miles over there. HEY I FOUND HIM..."full house Mouse" he's still on the HAMB
This is the closest I have heard of to any custom car culture in China (or, C*C*C*C*). Chinese Drift Truck
Back in the early 90s I worked in China a couple of times, stayed in a city called Chan Chung north of Bejing up by Mongolia. Interesting country, it was primitive up there back then but I assume they've progressed.
Get home safe. Traveling and seeing another country is cool. Made my 1st trip to Europe this past summer. Never thought I would go. Now I cant wait to save enough $ to make another trip. Best part... coming home to the USA. Slim
This is an interesting post. It would not surprise me to see a China man post up here. Who will be the first one. I wonder if we could search users locations and see if anyone is registered in China? pretty cool Wil www.sakowskimotors.com home of the new Sakowski Motors Hot Rod School
I guess I'm confused with the first couple of posts.....whos going to get upset he is visiting China and why would they? maybe I missed something in the news the last couple of days
China is great - been there several times enjoy your stay! BTW: There a classic car museum close to Beijing now http://www.laoyeche.org/ (sorry - link only in Chinese) located in Yangsongzhen/Huairou
Most likely, this is simply because many ignorant (or possibly arrogant) people like to fallaciously denounce every last semblance of merit the very rich Chinese culture has. Typically, the root of which lies in some false nationalistic pride for American companies that have their parts outsourced to China. Unfortunately, I don't think I've ever heard of any major Hot Rodding going on in China. But if you were going on a trip for Hot Rods, I'd come here. Instead, I'd just enjoy the thousands of years of culture China has to offer.
"just EXPLORE! suprises are around every corner!!! and if you see a punk band called NO NAME or Demerit playing while your in town go support them. " x2
G'day Pete I got to go to China also last year, and travelled from Beijing , Shanghai and down towards Hong Kong for business. Mainly business stuff, always on the go. Great place, great people and the culture thats another thing altogether. In the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai is smallish car museum and transport history from the early years of european trade dominance. Very interesting. PM me I will tell you other stories. Have a great trip you will be amazed. oz40 (Tom)
I lived in China (Xiamen) for three years to set up a new operation for my former employer. Wife and daughter were with me. We came back to the US in 2002. A great experience. Beijing's climate is virtually identical to Chicago. It just doesn't have the snow. I was in Beijing once when it snowed about 4 inches -- that just paralyzed traffic. Bring warm clothing this time of year.
I travel twice a year; take warm clothes for Beijing! You will freeze your ball bearings off if you don't! Great people, culture AND food. As said above the Terra Cotta soldiers are in Xi'An, a long ways from Beijing. You will love your visit. I've seen a few Harleys, but not much else in the way of Hot Rods.
Just because some of us choose not to use Chinese parts on our Hotrods does not mean we don't like the Chinese people. Just some mostly American suit's business practices is all. So speak for yourself. By the way, have a great trip.
Maybe some hot rodding seeds could be spread around over there. Its not like they don't have access to parts!!
Well, personally I am glad to see that this thread hasn't blown up into the typical anti-Chinese rants we typically get when anyone mentions new parts, Harbor Freight and all that stuff. I was expecting the typical bile we get. Pleasantly surprised it hasn't and let's keep it that way. I highly encourage Americans to travel anywhere outside the US and learning new things and spreading positive images of us. Traditional hot rodding is very positive as far as I am concerned, and would be cool to share as much as possible with them. I don't think there is a lot of older cars in China and they are likely a very forward future thinking country as they have always been. Probably not a huge market for traditional hot rodding there, but given the shear numbers of people, if only a small percentage were it would still be a large number over all. Good luck with it, let us know what you find and spread the positive word when you can. Maybe you can help be the start of it over there.
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