Author: Tycho de Feijter

A Horse-drawn Carriage With Fruit In Beijing

Horse-drawn Carriage

A horse-drawn carriage in Beijing. Until about 2010 it was quite normal to see these in the capital in summer, bringing in fruit and vegetables from the nearby countryside and selling it straight from the cart. On warm these in the weekends you could see them on many a street corner.

And they came all they way to within the Second Ring Road! This picture was taken near Dongsi Shitiao in 2009. Sadly, today horse carts are no longer allowed inside the capital. Note the Changan-Ford Fiesta sedan in the background!

Citroen Elysee VIP Long-wheelbase Taxi In Nanjing

Citroen Elysee VIP
Citroen Elysee VIP

A green Citroen Elysee VIP taxi, seen in the great city of Nanjing in Jiangsu province in China. The Elysee VIP was a long-wheelbase variant of the Citroen Elysee series, which was an updated Citroen Fukang, which was based on the Citroen ZX.

The Elysee VIP was made from 2005 until 2010 by Dongfeng-PSA. It was extended by 16 centimeters and powered by a 105 hp 1.6 liter four-cylinder petrol engine. The VIP version was a popular taxi due to the extra space in the back. When I visited Nanjing way back in 2012 these long Citroen limousines were all over the place!

Volkswagen Citi Golf Is Wine Red In China

Volkswagen Citi Golf
Volkswagen Citi Golf

This little wine red beauty is a Volkswagen Citi Golf. The great VW was in good shape. Sure is was dusty, but was is not in the capital? The Volkswagen badge up front was made of metal and thus a bit rusty.

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Beijing-Hyundai Sonata GLS V6 Gold In White

Hyundai Sonata GLS V6 Gold
Hyundai Sonata GLS V6 Gold

A white Hyundai Sonata sedan on the streets of Beijing, right after a nasty dust storm, covered in dirt from the endless steppes of Inner Mongolia and Mongolia. Happily, it was in a very good shape.

And it isn’t just any other Sonata. This is the Sonata GLS V6 Gold, the top-trim level Sonata made by the Beijing-Hyundai joint venture. It had a special grille with horizontal bars and it was equipped with loads of luxury.

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A Peugeot Double In China

Peugeot 505 and 307
Peugeot 505 and 307

Two pretty French sedans at sunset in the mountains to the north of Beijing. To the left a gray Guangzhou-Peugeot 505 SX2 with very early 京·A license plates and classy darkened windows. The 505 was made in China from 1990 until 1997, powered by a 105 hp 2.0 liter petrol engine.

On the left a far more modern Dongfeng-PSA Peugeot 307 sedan, painted in a dark green shade. The 307 sedan was made here from 2002 until 2014, a very long run that saw various facelifts and new variants. Power come from 108 hp 1.6 and 138 hp 2.0 engines.

The Peugeot 505 has sadly largely disappeared from the roads in China. But happily the 307 sedan is still all over the place, as it was a very popular car.

A Changan-Suzuki Alto Party In Beijing

Changan-Suzuki Alto
Changan-Suzuki Alto happy Prince

I have always been, and I will always be, a big fan of the Changan-Suzuki Alto. It is one of the coolest cars ever made in China. In fact, when I arrived in China in 2003 I seriously considered buying one but it was just a tad too small for my needs.

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