Author: life-china

Foreign cards for use the digital RMB wallet is update!

Recently, the Digital RMB App has launched the "recharge first and then use" function for foreign cards to better provide safe and convenient payment services for overseas people coming to China. Through this function, overseas visitors to China can directly use overseas mobile phone numbers to register and open a digital RMB wallet, recharge the wallet through overseas cards, and make payments. In the past two days, Mingchen, an international student who just arrived in China, successfully opened a digital RMB wallet, which can be completed in a few minutes. Eating, shopping, and taking the subway can all be paid with digital RMB. Ming Chen, an international student at Zhejiang Sci-Tech University: You just need to park it at the cash register and you can pay immediately, which is very convenient and fast. It has become an integral part of my daily life. After the "recharge first and use later" function of the foreign card of digital renminbi is launched, overseas people coming to China can directly use their overseas mobile phone number to register and open a digital renminbi wallet, recharge the wallet through overseas cards, and make payments. Ming Xiaofei, deputy director of the Digital Currency Office of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China: It does not require using a domestic mobile phone number, nor does it need to go to our branches or counters to handle it. It is purely online. It is very convenient to open this wallet. After opening the wallet, he can use his own foreign card to bind the wallet and recharge money into the wallet. In addition, digital RMB foreign card payment not only has a more favorable exchange rate, but also eliminates exchange fees. Ming Xiaofei, deputy director of the Digital Currency Office of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China: What is deducted from our overseas cards is foreign currency, but this money is charged to our overseas wallet of digital currency (digital renminbi), which is digital renminbi. There will be an automatic exchange rate conversion, and our ICBC currently has a discount on this exchange rate. ICBC is now waiving the conversion fee. In addition to using digital renminbi apps, overseas visitors to China can also apply for digital renminbi hard wallets for daily payments. Ming Xiaofei, deputy director of the Digital Currency Office of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China: This hard wallet can be used for payment without network or electricity, which is very convenient. This is the Asian Games-themed digital RMB hard wallet launched by our Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. Reporter: It is actually equivalent to a bracelet, very convenient to wear, right? Ming Xiaofei, deputy director of the Digital Currency Office of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China: Yes, it is a bracelet that can be worn on your hand during normal times and can be used for payment by touching it. If the money added to the digital RMB wallet by an overseas person is not spent while in China, the balance can also be deposited back to the overseas card. Currently, digital RMB can be used in 26 pilot areas in 17 provinces (municipalities).     READ MORE: CAN CHINA’S NEW E-RMB ATTAIN DIGITAL...

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This is how to have fun in Shanghai during the Golden Week!

During the 8 day long holiday, Shanghai firmly ranks first among the most popular tourist destinations in China. Judging from the keywords searched and customized by tourists, during this year’s long holiday, tourists have more diverse ways to play in Shanghai, and their preferences have become more personalized: cultural museums and art exhibitions, riverside walks, City walks on the small roads under the parasol trees, talk show theaters, and stadium viewing Games, immersive experiences, etc. have all been included in tourists’ must-do lists when traveling to Shanghai. In Shanghai, which embraces all rivers, the gameplay can be ever-changing. Combining the suggestions of tourism professionals, we have sorted out the needs of different groups of people. For those visiting Shanghai for the first time, check-in sightseeing is essential. Recommended spots include Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street - The Bund - Waibaidu Bridge Suzhou River - Oriental Pearl Tower - Lujiazui Overpass - Pudong Riverside - Pudong Art Museum - City God Temple. If there are too many people in the Oriental Pearl Tower, you can turn to the Shanghai Center and Jin Mao Tower to climb up. The light and shadow show in the large damper area of ​​the Shanghai Center is very popular. Among these check-in spots, most open scenic spots do not require reservations. It is recommended to purchase tickets in advance through the official WeChat or online travel platform such as the Oriental Pearl Tower, Pudong Museum of Art, and Shanghai Center. Shanghai's rail transportation is well developed, and these points can be easily reached by subway, or can also be connected through city sightseeing buses. Shanghai's city sightseeing buses have stops near the Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower, and Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street. Tickets can be purchased on-site or in advance through online platforms such as Ctrip and Meituan. Shanghai Disneyland, Huangpu River Tour and Suzhou River Tour are also worth experiencing. Among them, tickets for Shanghai Disneyland and Huangpu River tours can be booked through online travel platforms such as Ctrip. Tickets for Suzhou River tours must be purchased with real names through the "Youyou Suzhou River" applet. The system will open for reservations at 10 a.m. two days before the cruise date. The ferry line from Jinling East Road Pier on the Bund to Pudong can be an "alternative" for sightseeing on the Huangpu River. The ferry fare is 2 yuan. It should be noted that the last train from Jinling East Road to Pudong is at 18:30 every day. Visitors who prefer night views should reserve time in advance. If you are a tourist or local resident who has visited Shanghai many times and wants to experience some more unique places, there are countless places worth exploring in Shanghai. For food lovers, you can go to the Green Wave Corridor of the Chenghuang Temple for a snack, have a coffee at the Peace Hotel and watch the people coming and going on the Bund, the buffet at the Ruijin Intercontinental Hotel, the coffee at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, and the Magnolia Plaza facing the Lujiazui Quad in Pudong. You can experience Spanish restaurants in large high-rise buildings. The common feature of these places is that they have beautiful views and delicious food, and the cost is within an acceptable range. For sports and hiking experts who want to measure their feet in Shanghai, there are many places worth recommending. Whether you are walking or cycling, the Yangpu Riverside, Pudong North Section and Qiantan Section of Shanghai are relatively beautiful places with few people during the festival. In addition to tracing the historical development of Shanghai, there are also many delicious restaurants, fashionable shops, bookstores and cafes along the riverside for exploration. In fact, as long as you are 2-3 kilometers away from a well-known public attraction, you usually don’t have to worry about crowds. Literary and art lovers will be even more dazzled when they come to Shanghai. The Shanghai Tourism Festival, which is being held recently, has launched hundreds of cultural and tourism activities in five major sections: "Viewing Cultural Exhibitions", "Watching Art Exhibitions", "Appreciating Good Dramas", "Listening to Songs" and "Coming to Haihai for Examination", covering the period before and after the National Day Golden Week. Reporters have learned from many sources that some large art venues have large enough capacity that no reservation is required even during Golden Week. For example, among the four exhibitions currently being held at the China Art Palace in the Pudong World Expo area, several exhibitions tell the history and present of Shanghai respectively, which is a good place to learn more about Shanghai. The Long Museum and Yuz Museum on the riverside in Xuhui, the Modern Art Museum on the riverside in Huangpu, the Jiushi Art Museum on the Bund, and the Hao Art Museum in Zhangjiang are rarely fully saturated and can be included in the visit plan. As for the City Walk along Wukang Road and Anfu Road, those who don't mind "conforming" can go and experience it. It is also a special festive scene. For parents and children visiting Shanghai, in addition to Disney, Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park, Shanghai Museum of Natural History, Shanghai Planetarium, China Maritime Museum, etc. are all worth visiting. Among these venues, most of them will be crowded or difficult to make reservations during the holidays. The China Maritime Museum is a large venue with rich exhibits and relatively low passenger flow, so it is highly recommended....

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Travel Gossip: Updates to China Customs Health Declaration

Traveling can be an exciting adventure... but dealing with customs and health declarations a tedious task.  For those who frequently cross the borders of the Chinese mainland, the Health Declaration Code process is a familiar (wearisome) ritual, requiring travelers – both Chinese citizens and foreigners alike – to provide a plethora of information. This typically includes details about the traveler's residence history over the past 14 days, their health condition, flight information, and – until recently – a pre-departure COVID test result.  READ MORE: China Scraps COVID Tests for Inbound Travelers However, a significant update on September 16, has simplified this process...

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China to Release New Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card

  The National Immigration Administration of China (NIA) recently announced a significant development in its services for foreigners residing in the country. During a press conference held in Beijing on September 15, the NIA unveiled the new version of the Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card of the People's Republic of China, set to be officially issued and put into use from December 1, 2023. This revamped ID card is poised to improve the experiences of foreign permanent residents in China, offering enhanced features and functionalities while ensuring compliance with the country's high standards of opening up and information technology...

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Shanghai is ready to increase the ease of payment for foreigners

Break through the blocking points of card swiping and mobile payment, and form a good payment environment as soon as possible. "Shanghai snacks are rich and delicious, but you have to scan the QR code to pay when entering any store. It's so inconvenient!" When Egyptian tourist Abin talked about his recent trip to Shanghai, he was full of praise for the attractions and restaurants, but the scored for pay is negative. As the epidemic subsides and the economy recovers, Shanghai's exchanges with the world are gradually resuming, and overseas tourists are gradually increasing. However, "convenient consumption and payment" is still a major pain point that hinders international tourists from entering the country for consumption. Recently, WeChat and Alipay have successively announced comprehensive upgrades of international bank card user services and the launch of new international versions. However, there are still foreign tourists who are less accepting of mobile payments due to differences in payment habits and security and privacy concepts. How to alleviate payment pain points and improve the convenience of payment services? Recently, the municipal government’s counselor’s research group conducted a survey on improving the convenience of domestic payment for inbound travelers. The counselors suggested that government departments and various market entities should be promoted to work together to break the bottlenecks of credit card and mobile payment, so as to form a good payment environment as soon as possible. Business has shrunk, and many wild card POS machines have withdrawn from the market. Before Japanese tourist Sato came to Shanghai, he exchanged RMB cash early and brought two VISA cards, but he still encountered obstacles. “Many merchants did not have credit card swiping machines, so I could only use cash, and some merchants could not give change. Sato said with a smile. Because of the inconvenience of payment, it helped him save a lot of money, but it also left him with regrets. "I fell in love with a set of porcelain. When I paid for it, I found that the POS machine was still an old version and my credit card couldn't be used. I didn't have enough cash with me, so I had to give it up." Gu Xiaomin, counselor of the municipal government and leader of the research team, said that currently, our country is at the forefront of the world in the field of third-party mobile payment, and mobile payment is the main channel for daily consumer payment....

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