This is a dated post but in the interest of NEW PEOPLE from 2013 and beyond asking this question....I can offer the following:
1) You cannot drive in China on your international DL or a home country DL. Driving in China without a valid DL issued in China = 15 days in jail.
2) You need to study from about 1700 questions. Out of those....100 are chosen by the computer and you have 45-minutes to answer them on a computer. The test room is monitored by traffic police and civilian aides who observe you via cameras at the desk, behind you, and over head. You need a 90 or better out of 100 in order to pass. If you score an 88 or better and FAIL you can re-take the test TODAY. If you fail that....there is always next week and after the 2nd attempt...you get to pay the fees again....The fees are less than 100 RMB.
3) You do NOT need to take a driving test if you bring with you, your current valid DL from your own country. In my case, it did not need to be notarized.
4) The test can be taken in several languages. HOWEVER.....with translation....it sucks to be you because nothing makes sense so if you can read, write, and speak Chinese...it is 100 times easier.
If you pass the Chinese DL is issued on the same day.
You need several photos 1 by 1 inch I believe, at least mine were.
They will fingerprint you. (Likely a good idea in case of a death.)
The actual Chinese DL itself is a 2 piece document. One portion has your photo, address, DOB, and nationality on it and the other is the golf score sheet of 12 points...and watch out for the damn orange lights since you will be cited and lose 3 points if the camera catches you in the middle of an intersection on a caution light....EVEN THOUGH the exam says it is okay to proceed...NOT.
My wife and I have a car.
I have 2 kids and live here full-time and we still use taxis and the subway for anything in the city. Parking is a pain in the ass. Traffic congestion is nothing short of psychotic. Many road signs are not clearly marked or they conflict with maps. A GPS is a must in China.
I was a bit excited to be able to drive again and when I got my Chinese DL...it was exciting for about....15-minutes and then it was like sitting in the front seat of a roller coaster with the HOLLY SHIT factor on the last click before the drop. Driving in China is DANGEROUS. You can EASILY be killed and I have a professional driving background and even with over 30+ years of experience....its not fun.
Highway driving is a breeze. There are very few cars.
In the city....forget about it.
Here is a link for a video I made about driving in China.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB6TMCJqQuI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB6TMCJqQuI[/ame]