Author: life-china

While Beijing's public transit system allows residents to get by handily without a car, those who do commute by driving may have noticed that streetside parking spaces designated by solid white lines and orange signs with rates posted no longer need to pay at the time of parking. If you are left wondering how to make your parking payment online, these fee payments can be made via the Beijing Transport app, or the Beijing Transport WeChat account, which is accessible through the public services/city service portal in WeChat and Alipay. Moreover, parking fees must be paid within 30 days after leaving the...

Despite its appearance as a paradise for smokers, over the years Beijing has joined a number of Chinese cities in attempting to ban the act of lighting up indoors, imposing strict regulations and laws to mitigate its damage to the environment and public health. Part of that effort came in 2015 when the Beijing Tobacco Control Association launched a service on its official WeChat account allowing people to instantly report offenders and even upload photos of the incident. Once confirmed, the names and locations of alleged violators are forwarded to the Beijing Municipal Government and volunteers are dispatched to handle the situation. In the service's first year alone, a whopping 1,245...