Travelling in a changing China - Marc van der Chijs

Marc van der Chijs by Fantake via Flickr

In our book A Changing China, a large group of the speakers of the China Speakers Bureau recall the changes they have seen in China. Marc van der Chijs, co-founder of the video hosting service Tudou, and now CEO of the gaming company Spil group Asia, recalls how China looked like, when he arrived.

If you drive the 1200 kilometers from Shanghai to Beijing, you have 6-to-8-lane expressways the entire way. All these roads have tolls and are therefore less crowded than most other roads in China. A few years ago no one in his right mind would consider driving this distance by car, but now you can do it within ten hours.
There are recreation areas with basic restaurants and gas stations about every 100 kilometers along the whole stretch, and so there is no need to exit the highway while driving.
Not just Beijing and Shanghai are connected like this. China has been actively building out its highway network, and the total length is currently about 55,000
kilometers. All major cities are now connected by highways and expressways, and you can find some of the best stretches of asphalt in the most remote parts of China.

Read his full story in A Changing China

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Marc van der Chijs is speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. When you need him at your conference, do get in touch.