Liu Sheng and the car he has just completed.	Fellow villagers are always ready to offer help when Liu has too much at hand.	Replicas of vintage cars made by Liu Sheng on display in an automobile museum.

Liu Sheng, a peasant of Shenyang in Liaoning Province, has been fond of cars since his youth. He got a job at a local brewery just so he could get the chance to drive. Later he drove the first taxi and set up the first auto transport team in his hometown. Not content with just driving, for the past 10 years he has been making his own cars.

It was a 1992 trip to Shanghai that inspired him to make his first vehicle. He chanced upon two old-timers watching the motorcade of the then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin. The old men were wondering why China no longer made its own cars. Liu asked the same question. In talking to the two seniors, he learnt they were formerly workers at the Shanghai Vehicle Manufacturing Factory, which once produced the old "Shanghai" model. They suggested that a Chinese-made vehicle incorporating advanced overseas technology would be a first-class product. Upon hearing this, Liu wondered if he could make a car himself.

In 1996, Liu set about making a car based on the old "Shanghai". Although he had no data or information, he made most of the parts by hand, naming his first vehicle "Oriental Pearl A". After donating his first effort to China's National Children's Center, he produced his second car, "Oriental Pearl B", the following year.

Liu spent all his money making cars, until his financial situation forced him to start making vehicles as props for stage and screen. He concentrated on producing modern versions of vintage models. Now he has made eight fuel-efficient 'vintage' cars, which can attain speeds of up to 100 km/h. To his delight, all these cars have been sold and an Italian manufacturer has now placed an order.

1. Liu Sheng with one of his recently completed cars.

2. Liu expounds on his ambitions in his office.

3. Discussing a design issue with a senior technician.

4. Fellow villagers are always ready to help when Liu cannot manage the work by himself.

5. Collecting old models of Chinese-made vehicles is another of Liu’s hobbies.

6. Replicas of vintage cars made by Liu Sheng on display in an automobile museum.