Car and driver, the most useful thing money buys here
Most of the good things in this file are an hour or three outside a city and start before the public does. A car on call at 05:30, waiting at a trailhead, carrying luggage between two hotels, is what makes early access and dawn light possible at all.
Picture your day
A car with a licensed Chinese driver, booked by the day or for a whole itinerary, usually separate from the guide. It is the default for serious travel in China for a simple legal reason: mainland China does not recognise the International Driving Permit, and a foreign licence alone does not let you drive. A short-stay visitor can get a temporary permit, valid up to 90 days and never longer than the visa, for around CNY 10, with a notarised translation of the licence, a passport, proof of address which can be a hotel, and two photographs, with no exam and often issued within the hour at a vehicle management office or at Beijing Capital Airport.
The access, explained
No exclusivity involved, which is why it is reliable. What varies enormously is quality: whether the driver has the permits for intercity and interprovincial work, whether the vehicle is insured for passengers, and whether the company will put a named driver and plate in your booking. We could not find any source describing how chauffeur companies themselves are licensed in China, so the practical test is documentary: ask for the operating licence, the plate and the driver's licence class before you pay a deposit.
Planning the details
How to arrange it. Through a hotel concierge or a provincial operator, by the day with a stated hour count and overtime rate, and in writing on who pays tolls, parking and the driver's meals. For a multi-city trip, high-speed rail between cities plus a local car and driver in each is almost always better than one car driven across the country.
Ask for written confirmation of the date, duration, guide language, transport, admission and cancellation terms. Any restricted access must be confirmed by the venue.
The setting, in pictures & film
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Good to know
Be realistic about drivers' English, which is usually none, and keep your destinations written in Chinese. Do not let an agency bundle guide and driver into one person unless you have met them, because a guide who is also driving is a tired guide on a long day. And if you were thinking of self-driving, the temporary permit is cheap and easy but Chinese city traffic, parking and camera enforcement make a driver the better purchase almost every time.