An increasing number of Chinese are now adopting caravaning and heading out on the highways to enjoy their leisure

Konstantin Abert, along with a group of 40 Europeans, was excited to arrive in Beijing after a two-month drive from Dusseldorf, Germany. The visitors, all in recreational vehicles, were just in time to visit All in Caravaning 2017, China's largest exhibition of RVs and motor homes, which was recently held in Beijing.

More than 650 exhibitors from home and abroad showed products there, ranging from RVs to accessories.

"China is a safe country for caravaning, but the procedures are complicated for foreigners. I like China's beautiful landscapes. such as deserts and mountains. and its delicious food," says 50-year-old Abert, who has regularly traveled to China in his RV since 2006.

The group - comprising Germans, Swiss and French between age 50 and 65 - traveled through nine countries along the Silk Road.

"The Chinese are very friendly and helped us when we were in need," he says.

Meanwhile, just like Westerners, an increasing number of Chinese are adopting caravaning as a leisure pursuit.

There were about 21,000 caravan parks on the Chinese mainland in 2016. The government announced plans last year to build another 2,000 by 2020.

Speaking about the future, Axel Bartkus, managing director of Messe Dusseldorf China Ltd, a co-organizer of the exhibition, says: "The Chinese market has great potential. And we've been working on the legal side to ensure more vehicles on the road and more RV campsites.

"Also, we have to do a lot of education on RVs in China."

Commenting on caravaning, Ge Minwei, 49, who works for a TV station in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, says: "A caravan is like a mobile home and you enjoy the scenery the instant you open the windows.

"It doesn't matter where the destination is, as long as you can feel happiness and relax."

Ge often travels around with his wife and their dog in his spacious 8-meter-long trailer.

Speaking about how things have improved for caravaning, he says that in 2015, the Traffic Management Bureau of the Public Security Ministry allowed travel trailers to use the roads in China.

"It's not a legal clause, but it's big progress for China's RVs industry. Now, you only need to get a special license for your trailer.

"In the early years, I had to explain to traffic police what a trailer is and argue with them that it can be run on the road. Now they are not surprised to see them."

Explaining how caravaning works, he says RV lovers typically frequent places that have no water, electricity or toilets.

When they get together, they obey an unwritten rule that each one carries his own chair and food.

Ge says that when he first went camping, he felt relaxed after enjoying a barbecue, drinking and chatting.

Before that, he had thought of camping as tedious.

"When I woke up by the lake the next day, I realized I wanted this kind of life," he says.

"You can take off your 'mask' and be yourself while hanging out with friends.

"You don't label them in accordance with their social status. The only thing that counts is whether you share something in common," he says.

After that, he fell in love with camping and then started to go caravaning.

Now, domestic and overseas corporations are eyeing the Chinese market.

Zhu Jun, vice-general manager of Beijing-based company RV International, the Chinese agent for German trailer brands Hobby and Fendt, says: "As more Chinese go for RVs, the imported brands are catering to the demands of Chinese customers."

Separately, China International Travel Service (HK) Holding Ltd will soon unveil a mobile app, allowing users to rent RVs and book from a network of 100 campsites in Yunnan province. It is planning to expand the service to Hainan Guizhou provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Giving details of the program, Lan Chunhong, general manager of the company's capital operation department, says: "You don't have to spend money to buy a caravan. You only have to rent one to experience a road trip by RV.

And we want to promote it (the service) as an affordable way of traveling in China."

He says renting a caravan costs around 1,200 yuan ($178; 153 euros; ￡137) per day, and campsites cost between 50 and 100 yuan per day. A caravan is sufficient for a family of between four and six.

Tourists can now get a caravan at the airport at Kunming and return it in Dali, Lijiang and Xishuangbanna. Each campsite is around 50 kilometers from the next one, so it is convenient to drive from one to the other.

Lan also says that in China, a caravan campsite is often like a destination, with dining places and entertainment activities. "But our campsites are different. They only offer water and electricity supplies. So, after touring around in the daytime, travelers can stay there at night as all campsites are close to scenic spots."

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(China Daily European Weekly 07/28/2017 page18)