Nation’s driving ambition that saw car become king in Beijing
Print Edition
Eighteen years ago, Jean-Paul Vittot had no idea the quiet streets of Beijing would one day be the stage for a rising car kingdom.
When Vittot first came to the Chinese capital as an exchange student in 1995, the city only operated two Metro lines, while bicycles dominated the streets as cars were far beyond the means of most residents.
“There were few motor vehicles on the roads, and most were minivans,” the 41-year-old French national said.
Now a financial controller with French automotive component maker Valeo, Vittot recalled the past in his office in Beijing’s Chaoyang District, where high-rises and fancy shopping malls have replaced bungalows and farmers’ markets that had once sprawled across the area in the 1990s.
“It is rarely seen in world history that reforms can bring such great changes to a country and affect the lives of so many people,” he said.
China adopted policies to initiate reform and opening up to the world in 1978. Having stayed in Beijing for over a decade, Vittot has witnessed how this historic move transformed the city into a modernized metropolis.
Vittot said what drove him to study the Chinese language in China was his curiosity about the country’s changing society under the reform and opening up policy.
“China was a great country gradually opening up after a period of isolation.”
In his first years in Beijing, Vittot noted the city’s lack of internationalization. He was among the few white faces on the streets, often attracting curious glances from locals.
“Many people were very hospitable and interested in talking with me,” Vittot said. “But sometimes I was questioned by administrative staff, who seemed anxious about my presence here.”
But Beijing was in the midst of a campaign to improve its traffic infrastructure, and 1995 saw the building of a major expressway. The impact of reform was also palpable in other social and economic fields. China in the 1990s saw the privatization of the country’s housing sector, remolding of state-owned enterprises and less restriction on foreigners and foreign companies in the country.
Demand for cars
Unprecedented wealth amassed in the private sector pushed up demand for cars.
Many foreign car companies ventured into China in the 1990s, including Vittot’s employer Valeo, which now has factories in provinces including Hubei, Hunan and Jilin.
By the end of last year, Beijing registered 5.2 million automobiles. But downsides are problems like air pollution.
Vittot suggests Beijing place more focus on developing green energy and preserving the city’s cultural roots.
“As a foreigner, I feel comfortable in an internationalized Beijing, but I don’t know if locals feel the same,” Vittot said. “Old Beijing has its charm, and there are many things that must be preserved.”
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