(PCC) Program on Chinese Cities – Thoughts on Overseas Travels Series
Authors: Qingxi Wang,
Ph.D. in Business Administration, Associate Professor at the School of Economics and Trade Management, Zhejiang University of Technology; research areas include corporate strategic management, entrepreneurship management, industrial organization, marketing, industrial clusters, and regional economic development. 1831638542@qq.com
America is a nation on wheels, a feeling that intensified after my arrival. Back home, a two-hour drive on the highway was exhausting, but in North Carolina, I could drive for three to four hours without a problem. In the QQ group of visiting scholars, one often sees advertisements for car sales, frequently boasting trips to Great Smoky Mountains, Washington, and Orlando to highlight the car’s long-distance capabilities. Do not underestimate these distances; it’s about 260 miles (approximately 420 km) from Chapel Hill to the Great Smoky Mountains, requiring around five hours including the time to get on and off the highway; to Washington it’s about 270 miles, taking roughly five and a half hours; and to Orlando, it’s even more daunting at 620 miles, nearly nine hours of continuous driving.
American highways are expansive and clear, free from the nuisance of traffic jams, offering scenic views that can make driving a pleasure rather than a chore. I once saw an elderly couple with silver hair driving an antique car, towing a trailer likely packed with luggage. The car was meticulously maintained, gleaming, and the old man drove leisurely with one hand on his cheek and the other on the steering wheel—a true depiction of life!
Highways shrink distances. For instance, the Mebane Outlets, a must-visit for scholars, are over 30 km from Chapel Hill, yet a trip there feels as easy as a visit to a local supermarket, taking less than half an hour by car. Watching an NBA game in Charlotte is just over two hours away. In my hometown of Hangzhou, it’s only 20 km from west to east, but with bad luck in traffic, it could take two hours!
China’s highways are also highly developed, so why don’t they match the efficiency of American highways? Several factors limit them.
- Firstly, the notorious highway tolls. I’ve wanted to drive home to Hunan from Hangzhou during the Chinese New Year, but the tolls are prohibitively expensive. Does America charge for highways? Yes, but rarely, and when they do, it’s just a few dollars—practically nothing.
- Secondly, driving in China is strenuous, always needing to watch in all directions, while in America, driving is more orderly, with less random lane changes and if you’re not in a hurry, you can just follow a car leisurely. The roads are wide and straight, often lined with forests and open fields, making driving less taxing.
- Thirdly, gas prices are high and stations are scarce in China. In contrast, U.S. highways are lined with frequent gas stations offering affordable fuel.
- Finally, traffic jams are common in China, even outside of holidays, while in the U.S., even busy sections maintain speeds around 100 km/h. The Americans don’t worry about sudden stops or low-speed blockages caused by phone usage, nor do they weave through traffic due to a car being “too slow.” Driving slower is actually seen as more dangerous in the U.S.; a compatriot was once stopped by the police for driving only 40 mph on a highway with a usual speed limit of 60-75 mph. Even more extreme, a friend during a driving test was cautioned for driving under 20 mph in a 25 mph zone, deemed “unreasonably slow” by the examiner.
However, U.S. highways are not entirely without rules; if you speed, a police officer might suddenly appear to catch you, and car accidents are more dangerous than tigers, so caution is always advised. For very long journeys, it is best to carpool, taking turns driving. I heard about a brave female teacher who drove alone to Florida, dozed off, but luckily the highway’s wide grass margins allowed her to return safely to the road—an unlikely scenario on China’s highways!
At this point, I recall a question I couldn’t figure out before leaving for the U.S.: With China’s high-speed rail booming, why is the U.S. so “behind”? Some say it’s due to high land acquisition costs. Yet, considering the extravagance of American highways and the huge parking lots even for small businesses, it doesn’t seem like they lack land. It’s probably because they simply don’t feel the need. For short trips, Americans drive; for longer ones, they fly and rent a car as easily as renting a bicycle in a Chinese city, plus the population density makes high-speed rail less advantageous. Moreover, high-speed rail construction is costly, involves many stakeholders, and requires complex public decision-making processes. Former President Obama couldn’t even sort out healthcare; high-speed rail can wait.