CRI听力: Auto Detailing Popular in China

As the auto boom in China continues, more and more people have their own cars. Proud car owners increasingly like to personalize their cars with various accessories and elaborate upholstery, however, others say you should never risk your safety just to show personality.

Zhang Wan has the story.

We may all be familiar with this scenario: you are walking down the street, and a dazzling and uniquely decorated car flashes by you with a sharp sound. Or, when passing through the parking lot of your neighborhood community, you find dozens of private cars decorated with all kinds of accessories and toys.

Some of the cars look like a dollhouse, and others have obviously undergone elaborate upholstering.

With private car ownership booming, car detailing has been getting more and more popular in China, especially among young people. The chief editor of Sohu.com's auto page talks about this current trend.

"What they prefer for car detailing nowadays is car air fresheners, cushions, bumper stickers and hanging toys of popular cartoon images. Most of them are young people who have just gotten their first car and wish to decorate the car as their second house."

If young people in China treat their cars like a second home, what about people in other countries - how do they decorate their cars? Zhang Quan, who often drives his car in America, says:

"I think most people when they modify their cars, it's about the paint job. Or maybe they modify some functions of the car. They get new paint job, maybe get a different color, maybe they paint some flames on the side. I guess now as the transformers movie has been coming out, people are painting their cars, just to look like the robots. I have seen others they put those UV lights at the bottom of the cars, and they turn them on at night. They look very unique."

He adds many people in America also have an ornament hanging inside their car - maybe a cross if they're Christian or a cartoon they like. Others put a bobble head, or a doll whose head bobs around, on the dashboard.

Detailing a car is about making it look as good as possible, sometimes even better than new. Many people believe although detailing is time-consuming, the results are always worth the effort because proper detailing brings your personality into your car.

However, some people have different opinions when it comes to hanging accessories in front of the windshield.

"To me, I am against hanging accessories inside a car. Because when it shakes from side to side, it might hurt people in the car, especially the one who's on the passenger seat. Furthermore, it'll distract and impair the vision of the driver. I never have accessories in my car - the only thing I put inside the car is a pack of tissues."

Zhang Quan says when he drives in America, the small vehicle registration sticker on the bottom corner of the windshield is the only thing blocking his view of the road.

I didn't really prefer any accessories inside my car. Something (hanging accessories) on the windshield, probably not, maybe I'll put that in the corner, because I want to be able to see as much as possible out of the windshield.

For China Drive, I am Zhang Wan. (www.hXen.com)

Editor's note:

Auto detailing is the performance of an extremely thorough cleaning, polishing and waxing of an automobile, both inside and out, to produce a show-quality level of detail.

It can be practiced for personal satisfaction, improving the appearance of cars, detailing helps to preserve the car, and thus, increases resale value.

Exterior detailing involves cleaning and bringing a shine to the car's paint, chrome trim, windows, wheels, and even tires.

Interior detailing involves cleaning the passenger compartment of the car, decoration and so on.