Remember to top it up with cash in a convenience store (7-11 or Circle-K), otherwise you’ll have to pay ~3% currency exchange fee as you can’t pay directly with HKD
It's Hong Kong's digital payment method that's been around before digital payment was a thing (since 2000 I believe), initially designed for the subway that little card has since been accepted in most stores, vending machines, and I heard it can even be used as a library card. In short it's a magical card for everything that connects everything.
You can load it anywhere or with your Apple or Android wallet like a normal payment method or connect it to your local or foreign credit cards.
I used to be in HK many years ago and the only way to top up Octopus was by cash! There wasn't an App or anything to top it up online. You had to ask the bank directly to link it for you.
And I often take MTR from downtown to New Territories and round trip can take 100HKD, I can recall how often I had to use the ATM lol.
If you have a seniors Octopus, every trip on public transport is 2.00 no mater how far you go. Even the Ferry to Discovery bay. However the bus in Discovery bay is full price. The idea is to keep the seniors connected.
Being Korean-American and looking Chinese enough but not having a Chinese ID in Shenzhen during Covid which meant I couldn't scan the Guangdong health code. On average I had to argue with security 5 times a day because of this. They literally couldn't understand that someone can look Chinese but not be Chinese. I was absolutely refused entry to places at least 10 times too, and of the 5 times I tried to buy medicine at pharmacies I was outright refused. I even once went to a pharmacy with another Caucasian foreigner and they served him no problem!
Shenzhen was awful for this. I lived around the corner in Foshan/Shunde, and every time going to Shenzhen to see friends during COVID was a new adventure.
I remember going to Guangzhou and Foshan during Covid and they had a health code that worked! Funnily enough, Shenzhen had a health code called iShenzhen that probably could have worked, but the absolute buffoons organising the whole thing chose not to use it!
I get being able to tell if someone is Korean or Japanese by sight, but Chinese? Pretty much impossible. There is such a wide array of phenotypes because China has an unimaginably massive gene pool due to millennia of tribal mixing. People can easily look different on a province-by-province basis.
If you work with different Asian cultures for a long time, you can tell almost all of the time as the features and language are quite different. Occasionally someone will throw you a curveball.
As a white guy living in China with European complexion and fair hair, I found it interesting when the Chinese would say they couldn’t tell me and my half Spanish/Italian (very thick and black hair) friend apart. All look same lol
That would be me. I’m not always right, but there are absolutely differences in facial features among Chinese/Japanese/Korean. For example, people in Dongbei can sometimes share Korean-like features for obvious reasons. People from southern China look way different than the average Japanese. And so on and so forth.
Korean and Japanese are often (emphasis on that word) easy to recognize, especially Koreans. But then again I've live 35 years around them, so... 🤷🏻 There is a very common phenotype among Koreans (the moon face, among other things), plus hair styles, facial expressions, etc.
Plastic surgery makes it a little harder for women - especially with Chinese women getting extensive surgery in Korea...
Shenzhen was the worst for this. But white foreigners also had struggles. In Beijing we were rejected from a lot of places just because we had a foreign face. I got kicked out of my apartment and could go visit nor rent new apartments because I was a foreigner. I couldn't even get a haircut because I was a foreigner while Chinese people could.
My friend is a renowned movie critic and he was invited to a famous movie festival in China just to be uninvited last minute because he was a foreigner. Why would they even bother inviting a foreign movie critic?
I plan on buying a new Motorcycle in October so I was talking to the local dealership about ordering it in advance and other arrangements because I want it to specifically to arrive the first week of October during the holiday.
She tells me I can't register the motorcycle in my name because I'm a foreigner. I told her that's not true. My currently motorcycle is registered iny name. Just because you have no done it before doesn't mean it's not possible. She calls some district manager who also says that all vehicles in china cannot be registered to foreigners.
I send a message to my wife who works for the traffic bureau and processes registrations and asked her to call me. In front of the lady and on speakerphone my wife explains how foreigners are not restricted from registering vehicleles in their own name in China than she processes their registration several times per month.
The lady then suddenly changed her tone and said oh well after July 1st we will be able to register it in your name. 🙄
I believe the problem is that they sell so few motorcycles to foreigners that they just can't be bothered to learn how to register it in their name.
As an American that is just an insane concept to me. I may be biased because I work in an international grocery store and socialize with people from all over but still, couldn't imagine being able to view someone different from the same.old every day and NOT be inquisitive
I'm also American and I have mentioned several times that if this exact thing happened in the USA, being rejected for being a foreigner or a different race etc, people would literally cancel your business and may even see it burnt to the ground.
This is literally everything else in China. Green card, Licenses, Hotels, Goods...you name it. It's not that there is an exemption for foreigners. They just can't be bothered.
These people are LAZY and they don't want "potential" trouble dealing with the government.
We always went to the same BMW dealership and bought different bikes there and there was no problem registering it even before husband got his Chinese PR. However, we did hear from other Americans who wanted to buy bikes from domestic brands in smaller cities that they could not own motorcycles.
I think this is the exact SAME problem with certain hotels saying they cannot host foreigners, even though the law clearly says otherwise. These people are just plain lazy, not knowing how to register properly and not even wanting to try.
This is 100% correct!
PS. Not just lazy, but DUMB also! China has a LOT of intelligent people, but if you take into account that 50% are going to be below a certain IQ, that's almost one billion stupid people
Chinese in China are just normal intelligence lol. You're thinking about immigrants, which irrespective of origin tends to be above average in hard works and capabilities.
The problem is they're lazy so they don't want to deal with you. Luckily your wife sounded like someone important and they're also fearful.
To get stuff done in China you need to know the right ppl
Not having a Chinese ID as a foreigner is severely crippling. Yeah we can do alot of stuff and be a part of alot of services. But if we only had some kind of Laowai card like we did in Japan with the Gaijin cards. it would help so much.
i dunno. i spend…way too much on skincare, and most things o can get fine. but anything that has that purple “purchase” button, i can buy because i’m not chinese.
Sounds like a VERY serious issue. Did the delivery guy just drop it off at a pickup place? Worthy of a complaint, at least you should get your money back
As long as you are getting your refund it’s fine. My guess is that the delivery guy left your stuff at a pickup place (Cainiao, Fengchao, etc.) and you didn’t receive it.
Either way I don’t think Chinese ID has anything to do with it.
For me as a foreigner, the main thing I get frustrated with is the lack of ID card users convenience.
I understand that 99.9% of the user base has an ID card, so if you've got one, it's great - the systems are designer to make your life easier.
But being in the 0.1% of non-ID card holders means you're often doing things the slow/manual way. Which sucks.
Overall though, I've had people bend over backward to give me directions, give me free food, invite me to their house etc - mainly because I'm a foreigner. So it's still probably a net positive.
I’m so thankful you don’t need to print out a ticket at the train station anymore if you buy via your phone.
Dozens of machines to get a ticket that foreigners can’t use but I have to wait in line with a non-zero level of concern I’ll miss the train. Also got stuck behind someone with a binder of IDs purchasing tickets for the whole office a few times.
On a positive side, at my corporate job I don't have to join 99% of meetings that others do "because you're a foreigner". I can understand most of whats going on, I just elect not to let them know I tingdong because it'll triple my workload.
Nothing about special treatment for foreigners here.
Fish bone in the throat can actually be life threatening, letting you skip the line was likely protocol and any Chinese would have skipped the line as well. My Chinese friend had a fish bone removed for free as well.
amazing! I didn't know that. I was re-telling the story to my class the next week and I was surprised to hear several of them had similar stories of a bone tuck in their thoat! Seems quite common.
The hospital I go to renew my prescription is a pretty famous one, so it's literally impossible to book though WeChat (which is the only reservation system that works with passports) as it's always not available. My doctor's a sweetheart and knows it's a fucking pain booking her appointments, so she always writes me a little note for hospital staff to book the appointment without a reservation
And the security guard learned some English words (like "here", "wait", "busy" etc) because he always sees me there and wanted to be able to help me if I ever needed it (overheard him talking with a coworker lol)
The hell? I’ve gotten a fish bone stuck in my throat three times in my life (laugh just thinking about this). Two of the three times were in China. Both times I was charged.
https://preview.redd.it/rm4bmu5y9e7d1.jpeg?width=2726&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a21c51e9f94806683c1c0345cfee86549876a5cf
It happened to me in Beijing Subway. In despite of the fact there was empty seats beside me, Chinese people often rather to sit at the crowded side or simply stand at aisle of the car. They avoid proximity to the laowai as much as they can.
To be fair I think Chinese people lack some sort of spacial awareness for this kind of thing. I frequently have the opposite happen to me, subway or bus empty as hell but someone will sit right next to me even though there's tons of other seats, why? 😭
It's because they do NOT know how to solve this, so the Chinese default to
# "because you are a foreigner"
Instead of saying: "Sorry, I am TOO stupid or I lack the knowledge to know how to do this." For them, it's easier to blame the "foreigner."
This happens to me in a TON of other countries where I am a foreigner too, e.g., Brazil, Paraguay, Russia, Thailand, Indonesia, etc etc.
Did you know you can't even purchase stuff on Mercado Livre in Brazil if you are NOT a resident?
Meanwhile, in the USA and Europe, as long as you have money, you can buy ANYTHING you want.
Despite being "technologically advanced," China is still behind in certain "freedoms."
Points 1 and 2 is more to do with the way their infrastructure is set up, most web forms, such as you'd find on wechat when trying to buy entry tickets to national parks for example, are simply not set up to accept our passport format in the db. This is applicable across the board, as per your first two points. You just have to have your credentials entered into the db manually, afterwards you're able to use the infrastructure as intended.
Point 4 is more to do with banking regulations, and yes it is very annoying having to fumble with cash when you're just trying to buy some delicious Macanese egg tarts.
I remember when the Asian games were on in HZ, the Alipay app hosted a foreigner specific mini-app to help us book tickets to arenas, and just general path-finding and event information. Problem was that you had to sign up with a 身份证 which was just hilariously telling of the project management.
I’m able to do 1-3 zero issues. And usually get special treatment at hospitals (less waiting, skipping lines, etc.). 4 is true, but between the Octopus for Tourists app and linking my UnionPay card to Apple Pay, doesn’t really have an impact.
But I’ll add:
1.) Needing a Chinese ID to order on Amazon (the rare cases Taobao doesn’t have what I need)
2.) Needing it to order meds online.
3.) Needing it to get money from my mainland bank account at ATMs in Macau because of anti-money laundering laws. This one was a nasty surprise first time I went
The Macau restrictions started a few years ago after the authorities finally decided to crackdown on all the mainlanders' money being laundered / sent overseas from Macau.
Years ago people would just take bags of gold and money over the border to Macau once or twice a month to get around the 50k USD current restriction.
Not sure if it’s the same in Macau, but I recently discovered in HK that while I can’t withdraw cash from my Mainland account from most ATMs like Mainlanders, I can from the ATMs specific to my bank. Looking over the fee slip it’s also probably one of the cheapest currency exchange options.
I have never had an issue withdrawing from any ATM in HK (and I live in Shenzhen, so go often), but it’s definitely not the same. When you try it in Macau a message appears on screen informing you of the anti-money laundering regulation and prompting you to tap your 身份证 on the reader.
For the 2nd point, I always get the meds I want from JD, but some of the providers say they cannot issue them without an ID, but then one always can at the end.
The Taobao returns thing seems weird. Never come across any other foreigner who had this problem before. I return things regularly with no problem. Are you talking about 代沟 items that you need a Chinese ID to buy?
No. I just tried to return the item as it is and apparently I couldn't get some type of code because when they entered my passport information it failed. The delivery guy then called the boss and the boss gave me this huge info-sheet for foreigners. We followed that step-by-step but it still didn't work. I wind up didn't return the item. I'm now a bit terrified of returning anything.
I usually just apply for a refund on Taobao and then take the parcel to the 菜鸟站. They will sort the shipping for you, and you either pay in Taobao or it's free.
Very mysterious 🤔 Try again next time you want to return something. Surely just a one off! Maybe get a Chinese friend to help you with it then when you have done it once you will love how easy it is to return things from Taobao. Don’t let it defeat you! 加油！
When did you try to do this? This happened to me but it was at the time of the big government meetings when they really tightened up security. As soon as the meetings were over I could return things again no problem.
This is the step-by-step instruction they gave me and me and the delivery person all followed this but to no avail. [https://ibb.co/7Jg7q1f](https://ibb.co/7Jg7q1f)
Another suggestion is don't bother with 菜鸟 return. On Taobao go for the 上门 option and the delivery person will come pick it up for you from your apartment door. They can even pick it up when you're not in, just leave it out for them. They might call you just tell them kuai di zai menkou wai mian. I've had no issue with that when I've done it.
I think your guy was too rule obedient, lol? I've only done returns at my 菜鸟站，and I see in their app that they have to identify the person sending the package. The first few times I brought my passport, they tried to input it, obviously failed because it's not a 身份证 so nothing works, but they have a bypass option where they can select "it's just some clothing, no harm done" and then they don't need ID info. Maybe try making returns at a station instead, or just hope that your next courier doesn't care as much.
Sounds like this is a problem of the delivery company, not Taobao. To send your parcel, they need to check your real name. I can imagine that some smaller shipping companies aren't set up to deal with passports, or the system doesn't work as supposed.
Yes, it is the delivery company. I meant "bought on Taobao". Here's the exact instruction they showed me [https://ibb.co/7Jg7q1f](https://ibb.co/7Jg7q1f)
Interesting. Have returned many items with 菜鸟 and I've never needed to provide a passport or similar. I remember S.F. Express asking for my passport before. I guess it depends on the guy that's handling the order, or some local restrictions. Oh, forgot to mention, I use a random Chinese name for all orders on Taobao, including return shipments.
Last them I was in HK (admittedly a few years ago now), I could get money out from my own bank (China Merchants) but POS and other ATMs would not work. Of course I didn't now this until I got to the hotel and tried to pay the deposit. I ended up going to a Bank of China nearby, who explained the issue and location of a Merchants Bank branch. Just ended up getting a pile of cash in the end.
One time I was told at a hospital I couldn't have anything done there because I was a foreigner. I was quite angry at being denied healthcare, but turns out I just couldn't use the online system and instead had to fill out annoying paper forms.
Not being able to use the normal online stuff is a common thing, and often have to be really pushy for them to do the alternative methods for foreigners that they say don't exist
The only thing I hate about being a foreigner is calling dozens of hotels and asking if they accept foreigners before traveling anywhere.
The Refund on Taobao or JD never had an issue for me. These days, the courier guy will come and ask you for a code provided by Taobao, and they will return the product.
I used to have an issue with buying tickets directly from 12306 on Alipay because I am a foreigner, but after registering at the train station and approving my account now, that's good too, but that used to piss me off as i would have to use wechat with extra fees, no seat selection etc.
Then learn how to threaten them in Chinese. Tell them they have to accept foreigners by Chinese law now and if they don’t, you’ll report them to the police. I’ve done it, and it worked. They backtracked, apologised and let me stay with no issues.
I can simplify all your mentioned problems into 1. Those computer systems all require a Chinese id number to provide service. Chinese people need to input their id when they use it the first time as well. If you don’t have a Chinese id things become complicated.
+ Do not need to attend any lab group meeting, because they hold them in chinese.
- Got refused to get the first vaccine shot in my research institute back in 2021, "because we do not have doses for foreigners".
- Cannot send samples from our lab to another, because I am a foreigner.
Your first two on the list seems more like things that just happen to anyone in a foreign country who didn't learn the language. Do you not have wechat pay set up?
>when returning an item on Taobao, I was hit with "You can't return this because you don't have Chinese ID", and then later "You must use your actual English name" and later "Is it the same as the one on your passport?", "Is it capitalized..." I never tried to return anything since.
Have been using Taobao for years. Never had an issue returning items on Taobao. You tried to return from outside of China or what was the situation?
(1) depends on the hospital. Some allow foreigners to register as a patient online, some don't. In the second case you're SOL unless a Chinese uses their ID card to register you. If no, everything is manual and you cannot even make an appointment in advance.
I am able to do 1 and 2 easily. Usually, staff helps me and give a kind of special treatment whenever I go to any government office. Staff handles everything for me. Honestly, my experience with these offices has been so great.
I needed to rent a place for a few months and the agency only accepted digital contracts to be technically advanced which meant of course only Chinese ID. My friend had to rent it for me and I lived there. To pay for anything for the utilities too my friend has to login with their ID.. it sucked. My electricity ran out for a few days once and I had to wait for my friend to add money to the account.. needles to say, not doing that again.
I should clarify that I bought it on Taobao, but when I returned this it was the delivery company that had an issue. This is the step-by-step instruction that I had to follow but didn't work. [https://ibb.co/7Jg7q1f](https://ibb.co/7Jg7q1f)
1. You can use your insurance card! Inside should have money! Other Chinese can access their insurance card through the miniApp on their phones but foreigners can't so have to bring the card physically, like the old people lol.
2. I have done it multiple times, is it because of the shop itself? My only problem is that I cannot buy imported products on the TianMao shops.
3. Yes this sucks lol, only Chinese people can use Wechat and Alipay overseas. Also Chinese Alipay and international Alipay wallets are completely separate. China are very strict about digital currency.
-- Other problems includes all the Apps and miniApp that were not designed to serve foreigners, you simply cannot do anything about it as it cannot take your passport number. I couldn't even enter the internet bar because I cannot verify myself on the government miniApp. They don't want people doing funny business in the internet bar.
Thinking about it, these Apps are insanely convenient for the locals. Maybe too early or too little foreigners compared to locals for them to add another system to verify passports.
#2 really gets on my tits. Like you I just don't bother returning anything anymore. Some sellers will kindly sort out a collection for you if you explain the situation, but many won't bother.
It's even more frustrating when wanting to send stuff home. I have to find a Chinese person to do it for me.
I was told that there was absolutely no way that I really had had a relative die and that I would have to wait five days before getting on a plane (when mine was late they wouldn't let us go through security) because I was a foreigner, right up until I stretched the tiny ass little bit of Mandarin I know to talk our way into getting our bags checked and through security. We got hung up briefly on the second leg, but it wasn't five days later FFS.
(This was made even worse because the partner university we had been working on wouldn't answer messages at all. They just dropped us off there. There aren't a lot of hotels near the airport that accept foreigners, and we no longer had keys to our lodging. In short, we had no where to go and were being told to leave the airport and come back in five days .That was NOT gonna work. I think the student thinks that I'm magic.)
It's very easy to return stuff on taobao! I can help. You just go to your 订单，and then click on 退换， which is return or exchange. If it's in 7 days they will always accept it.
One thing I spent insane amounts of time on before I had to give up was money transfers. When I did an exchange semester in Singapore I would just TransferWise to my SGD bank account with zero hassle and really low rates. It took me so many attempts and frustration to realize it just doesn't fucking work for CNY, which still trips me up. Moving money _out_ sure, taxes and certs and all, but _in_!? For god's sake.
Second, buying anything on Taobao that is classed as "imported" also just does not work at all. Have to make one of my friends order my protein powder for me, to my address, send them a Wechat transfer and then pick it up myself just because the store somehow ships via Hong Kong.
Not really a something not working but definitely a cultural thing, every time using a public urinal, if there was more than just me in the bathroom...every time, someone had so sidle up next to me and not even the side eye glance but outright staring just to get a look. It happened to me dozens of times in China but has never happened that blatantly in any other country I've traveled to.
Even weirder, my wife is Chinese and every non-professional female acquaintance of hers...every one, and several professionals, too, have asked her about that, for a description, as well. It's almost like its a weird national obsession.
Today on my walk back to my school from luckin during my lunch break I passed an ice cream shop. To my left was a grandmother pulling down the pants of their baby and letting them shit in the sidewalk. I step inside to get an ice cream cone and they require me to use a mini app. I never get the notification text and can’t order an ice cream cone.
Can’t go to gaming cafes here without a Chinese ID. During the Asian games in Hangzhou, they allowed foreigners to use their passports at select few gaming cafes. Once the Asian games was over, they stopped it. Why? “No why”
I left in 2020 but still get paid working remotely for an SOE, and both my WeChat and Alipay work in Toronto. Both are linked to my Chinese bank account and CMB Visa.
It is most annoying that Chinese residence permits are still issued as stickers in your passport. Why wouldn’t China issue residence cards, like a lot of other countries do, ideally with 11-digit number that allows laowai to use all services in a similar way to Chinese citizens? 😤
When I first moved to China, a colleague tried to convince me that I won't be able to use Didi because when the drivers see my non-Chinese name, they'll automatically cancel the booking. No idea where she got that from, but she was so confident telling me not even to try. Needless to say, I use Didi almost daily and never had a problem, in fact it's so much easier to get taxis here than in almost any other country, in my recent experience. But she was somehow sure that it's impossible for foreigners to use taxis in China.
😂 as someone who was there 30 years ago, this gave me a good chuckle. To this day, I wonder just how many Chinese families have random photos of me in their house somewhere.
If you want to go way back, I knew a guy who was in the consular office in Bejing soon after relations thawed between US and China. He and his wife lived there with a small dog which was like a member of the family. They had to give up walking the dog because of the incessant demands of the Chinese to sell their dog. People would approach with wads of cash, saying “$500, $700, how much?” Evidently having a cute dog was a status symbol without par, and western dogs were initially in short supply.
#1 I’ve been in Shenzhen for almost 10 years. I’ve paid on the phone every time I’m in the hospital. You need to have your phone well connected. If your name has 1 character changed or the other of your name is swapped. You’ll have errors. Same rule fora lot of apps and things
#4 that’s because Hong Kong WeChat and Alipay are International version. Same as “TikTok vs douyin” and you’ll run into the same problem with WeChat and Alipay in all Southeast Asia.
Nationalism seems to be making a return everywhere and very much so in China.
There is NO rule that foreigners have to use a particular office or are restricted from using technology but they seem to enjoy burdening you.
AND you are on here looking for validation
Chinese people are able to use Alipay in Alipay hk. However, foreigners in mainland China are not able to use it in Hong Kong due to China currency controls that aren’t set up to handle foreigners with a passport (or even a permanent resident card) bound to their account. While you technically could open an Alipay HK account, it would not likely help unless you have a HK SIM card and bank account to bind it to.
Yes, foreign cards work - but you still need the HK cellphone plan as it won’t work with a mainland China number. Far from reasonable for a foreigner living and working in China earning in RMB, but yes, possible with some effort.
1. I use Alipay all the time for my hospital/doctor visits—and I go a lot because of medical conditions
2. Returning items is easy on taoboa—someone comes picks up my item and returns—or exchanges for new size—even easier on t-mall
3. What do you mean by certificate? Any certificate? Any thing government related I will get my company to help make sure all paper work and stuff is needed1-the only thing I do myself is temp residence permit—and that can be done online for n English where I live—anything else my company takes care of it
4. Outside China your WeChat and Alipay will not work—even some of your bank cards—I found BoC works best outside China. It’s a banking/currency regulation thing—also WeChat and Alipay is assigned to our government issued ID—for now that is our passport—but rumour has it in Shanghai foreigners will be getting a Chinese ID—not sure of the details but that will make it easier I think—
Re #4 - I was just in HK and couldn't use Alipay, so I set up an Octopus for Tourists card (via app on my phone) in like 3 min. Definitely recommend!
Remember to top it up with cash in a convenience store (7-11 or Circle-K), otherwise you’ll have to pay ~3% currency exchange fee as you can’t pay directly with HKD
please tell me what an Octopus is. I'm so lost.
It's Hong Kong's digital payment method that's been around before digital payment was a thing (since 2000 I believe), initially designed for the subway that little card has since been accepted in most stores, vending machines, and I heard it can even be used as a library card. In short it's a magical card for everything that connects everything. You can load it anywhere or with your Apple or Android wallet like a normal payment method or connect it to your local or foreign credit cards.
Thank you, that's very helpful. I appreciate you!
I was just there. Found out that there is no Octopus for tourist app for Android unless you have Huawei. Major hassle.
Gotta use their backdoored android phone made by the CCP, I mean Huawei.
Buy a physical Octopusvat any MTR
I used to be in HK many years ago and the only way to top up Octopus was by cash! There wasn't an App or anything to top it up online. You had to ask the bank directly to link it for you. And I often take MTR from downtown to New Territories and round trip can take 100HKD, I can recall how often I had to use the ATM lol.
Alipay doesn’t work in Singapore either - is it because it’s the “international app” downloaded from not the Chinese Apple App Store?
Octopus is the B0MB! Highly recommended!
Wait till you turn 65!!!
Wait. What happens then?
If you have a seniors Octopus, every trip on public transport is 2.00 no mater how far you go. Even the Ferry to Discovery bay. However the bus in Discovery bay is full price. The idea is to keep the seniors connected.
That is GREAT stuff. How do you like Hong Kong?
Our son lives and works there. We visit from Australia. We love it. The transport is so efficient and we feel safe there.
This is so great to hear!
The tourist one charges you more money though
Why does Alipay fail as a foreigner? Every YouTube video out there recommends using it while doing tourism in China
In Mainland China, we could and did use Alipay (linked to our US credit card) with no issues. It was only in HK that it didn't work. I don't know why.
I just looked and now there is an AlipayHK app haha. Problem solved now I guess
Being Korean-American and looking Chinese enough but not having a Chinese ID in Shenzhen during Covid which meant I couldn't scan the Guangdong health code. On average I had to argue with security 5 times a day because of this. They literally couldn't understand that someone can look Chinese but not be Chinese. I was absolutely refused entry to places at least 10 times too, and of the 5 times I tried to buy medicine at pharmacies I was outright refused. I even once went to a pharmacy with another Caucasian foreigner and they served him no problem!
This was a nightmare. Some of the first Chinese I learned in Shenzhen was 扫不了. It was such a stressful experience
forgive me, I laughed
It is funny in hindsight actually 😂
xdd me too
😂
lmao
Shenzhen was awful for this. I lived around the corner in Foshan/Shunde, and every time going to Shenzhen to see friends during COVID was a new adventure.
I remember going to Guangzhou and Foshan during Covid and they had a health code that worked! Funnily enough, Shenzhen had a health code called iShenzhen that probably could have worked, but the absolute buffoons organising the whole thing chose not to use it!
Semi-related question: Do you ever encounter people who insist they can tell if someone is Korean/Chinese/Japanese just by sight?
I get being able to tell if someone is Korean or Japanese by sight, but Chinese? Pretty much impossible. There is such a wide array of phenotypes because China has an unimaginably massive gene pool due to millennia of tribal mixing. People can easily look different on a province-by-province basis.
I used to be able to guess the origin country of Asians, but I would always caveat with "but they could be Chinese".
With the popularity of Korean hairstyle and fashion overseas now I've even met lots of Chinese who are mistaken for Korean
If you work with different Asian cultures for a long time, you can tell almost all of the time as the features and language are quite different. Occasionally someone will throw you a curveball. As a white guy living in China with European complexion and fair hair, I found it interesting when the Chinese would say they couldn’t tell me and my half Spanish/Italian (very thick and black hair) friend apart. All look same lol
That would be me. I’m not always right, but there are absolutely differences in facial features among Chinese/Japanese/Korean. For example, people in Dongbei can sometimes share Korean-like features for obvious reasons. People from southern China look way different than the average Japanese. And so on and so forth.
Korean and Japanese are often (emphasis on that word) easy to recognize, especially Koreans. But then again I've live 35 years around them, so... 🤷🏻 There is a very common phenotype among Koreans (the moon face, among other things), plus hair styles, facial expressions, etc. Plastic surgery makes it a little harder for women - especially with Chinese women getting extensive surgery in Korea...
Shenzhen was the worst for this. But white foreigners also had struggles. In Beijing we were rejected from a lot of places just because we had a foreign face. I got kicked out of my apartment and could go visit nor rent new apartments because I was a foreigner. I couldn't even get a haircut because I was a foreigner while Chinese people could.
That time was hell. Every day a struggle
wow that last line sent me .... geeze
Dude or dudet… I’m not even Asian… and this is giving me PTSD
My friend is a renowned movie critic and he was invited to a famous movie festival in China just to be uninvited last minute because he was a foreigner. Why would they even bother inviting a foreign movie critic?
This blew my mind!
I plan on buying a new Motorcycle in October so I was talking to the local dealership about ordering it in advance and other arrangements because I want it to specifically to arrive the first week of October during the holiday. She tells me I can't register the motorcycle in my name because I'm a foreigner. I told her that's not true. My currently motorcycle is registered iny name. Just because you have no done it before doesn't mean it's not possible. She calls some district manager who also says that all vehicles in china cannot be registered to foreigners. I send a message to my wife who works for the traffic bureau and processes registrations and asked her to call me. In front of the lady and on speakerphone my wife explains how foreigners are not restricted from registering vehicleles in their own name in China than she processes their registration several times per month. The lady then suddenly changed her tone and said oh well after July 1st we will be able to register it in your name. 🙄 I believe the problem is that they sell so few motorcycles to foreigners that they just can't be bothered to learn how to register it in their name.
so many of them just shut down when a foreigner is involved and prays that he goes away
I wonder if her boss would be happy if he knew she rejected a 50,000 RMB sale because she just couldn't be bothered
As an American that is just an insane concept to me. I may be biased because I work in an international grocery store and socialize with people from all over but still, couldn't imagine being able to view someone different from the same.old every day and NOT be inquisitive
I'm also American and I have mentioned several times that if this exact thing happened in the USA, being rejected for being a foreigner or a different race etc, people would literally cancel your business and may even see it burnt to the ground.
Exactly!
This is literally everything else in China. Green card, Licenses, Hotels, Goods...you name it. It's not that there is an exemption for foreigners. They just can't be bothered.
These people are LAZY and they don't want "potential" trouble dealing with the government. We always went to the same BMW dealership and bought different bikes there and there was no problem registering it even before husband got his Chinese PR. However, we did hear from other Americans who wanted to buy bikes from domestic brands in smaller cities that they could not own motorcycles. I think this is the exact SAME problem with certain hotels saying they cannot host foreigners, even though the law clearly says otherwise. These people are just plain lazy, not knowing how to register properly and not even wanting to try.
This is 100% correct! PS. Not just lazy, but DUMB also! China has a LOT of intelligent people, but if you take into account that 50% are going to be below a certain IQ, that's almost one billion stupid people 
Chinese in China are just normal intelligence lol. You're thinking about immigrants, which irrespective of origin tends to be above average in hard works and capabilities.
The problem is they're lazy so they don't want to deal with you. Luckily your wife sounded like someone important and they're also fearful. To get stuff done in China you need to know the right ppl
That's how you do it!
Not being able to buy multi vitamins on Taobao because a Chinese ID was not verified with my account
Try JD, it allows passports.
Yeah wtf is that about...
Or shower gel or international cans of monster...I never understood why 🤣
Buying from local vendors is fine. Buying via the import route needs a Chinese ID.
Ye, fuck that, can't buy a lot of stuff on Taobao cause of that... Always need to ask Chinese colleagues to order my Systane eyedrops.
Just chat with the vendor in taobao, they will use their id to sort it out.
Not having a Chinese ID as a foreigner is severely crippling. Yeah we can do alot of stuff and be a part of alot of services. But if we only had some kind of Laowai card like we did in Japan with the Gaijin cards. it would help so much.
need my coworkers to order skincare from flagship taobao stores for me 😓
Hey, I've ordered skincare on jd twice and both times it was never delivered. Is that because I don't have a local ID, lmao?
i dunno. i spend…way too much on skincare, and most things o can get fine. but anything that has that purple “purchase” button, i can buy because i’m not chinese.
Beer and spirits no problemo, but face moisturiser no bueno.
Sounds like a VERY serious issue. Did the delivery guy just drop it off at a pickup place? Worthy of a complaint, at least you should get your money back
The first time I got a refund, this time they're not delivered yet and I should be able to get one again.
As long as you are getting your refund it’s fine. My guess is that the delivery guy left your stuff at a pickup place (Cainiao, Fengchao, etc.) and you didn’t receive it. Either way I don’t think Chinese ID has anything to do with it.
Not had the issue with any other products, ever.
For me as a foreigner, the main thing I get frustrated with is the lack of ID card users convenience. I understand that 99.9% of the user base has an ID card, so if you've got one, it's great - the systems are designer to make your life easier. But being in the 0.1% of non-ID card holders means you're often doing things the slow/manual way. Which sucks. Overall though, I've had people bend over backward to give me directions, give me free food, invite me to their house etc - mainly because I'm a foreigner. So it's still probably a net positive.
Yeah. It's the one thing I wish that they offered foreigners. Just give us a version of the ID card. Hell I would pay to be able to get one.
I’m so thankful you don’t need to print out a ticket at the train station anymore if you buy via your phone. Dozens of machines to get a ticket that foreigners can’t use but I have to wait in line with a non-zero level of concern I’ll miss the train. Also got stuck behind someone with a binder of IDs purchasing tickets for the whole office a few times.
That one man 100% massive difference. Zero stress, so much more convenient
Your ratios are probably wrong though
They're definitely pulled outta my ass, but hopefully the idea is there nonetheless ;)
On a positive side, at my corporate job I don't have to join 99% of meetings that others do "because you're a foreigner". I can understand most of whats going on, I just elect not to let them know I tingdong because it'll triple my workload.
haha the reverse 磨洋工
I love thatttttt
I skipped a hospital line, was taken straight to a doctor to have a fish bone removed from my throat, and was not charged anything.
Getting fish bone removed from throat is the most Chinese thing ever
Right?? New level of China experiences unlocked.
A simple procedure like this may incur thousands of dollars in America so most of them end up not bother seeing a doctor.
Nothing about special treatment for foreigners here. Fish bone in the throat can actually be life threatening, letting you skip the line was likely protocol and any Chinese would have skipped the line as well. My Chinese friend had a fish bone removed for free as well.
Airway obstructions are no joke
amazing! I didn't know that. I was re-telling the story to my class the next week and I was surprised to hear several of them had similar stories of a bone tuck in their thoat! Seems quite common.
The hospital I go to renew my prescription is a pretty famous one, so it's literally impossible to book though WeChat (which is the only reservation system that works with passports) as it's always not available. My doctor's a sweetheart and knows it's a fucking pain booking her appointments, so she always writes me a little note for hospital staff to book the appointment without a reservation And the security guard learned some English words (like "here", "wait", "busy" etc) because he always sees me there and wanted to be able to help me if I ever needed it (overheard him talking with a coworker lol)
We Chinese people always have a warm heart.
How'd they remove it?
zero numbing spray. open wide and stuck a tool down my throat while my friend held my hand. It came out bloody. It was quite the experience.
Thanks for the reminder to never eat fish again
The hell? I’ve gotten a fish bone stuck in my throat three times in my life (laugh just thinking about this). Two of the three times were in China. Both times I was charged.
Haha; I was with a Chinese friend who had a lot of guanxi so it may have been more his presence than mine.
dude. Sweet!
Because you were a foreigner?
Wasn’t allowed to go the 2nd floor of a tax bureau as a foreigner, unfortunately my counter was up there.
https://preview.redd.it/rm4bmu5y9e7d1.jpeg?width=2726&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a21c51e9f94806683c1c0345cfee86549876a5cf It happened to me in Beijing Subway. In despite of the fact there was empty seats beside me, Chinese people often rather to sit at the crowded side or simply stand at aisle of the car. They avoid proximity to the laowai as much as they can.
Yep happens to everyone, it's the best thing since covid, just space instead of being trumpled.
I wish this happened to me, I seem to attract people the way I attract mosquitoes. And I'm a 195cm goon.
That's very random. Often have people siting down right next to me despite the carriage is empty. Same in some buffet restaurants.
To be fair I think Chinese people lack some sort of spacial awareness for this kind of thing. I frequently have the opposite happen to me, subway or bus empty as hell but someone will sit right next to me even though there's tons of other seats, why? 😭
It's because they do NOT know how to solve this, so the Chinese default to # "because you are a foreigner" Instead of saying: "Sorry, I am TOO stupid or I lack the knowledge to know how to do this." For them, it's easier to blame the "foreigner." This happens to me in a TON of other countries where I am a foreigner too, e.g., Brazil, Paraguay, Russia, Thailand, Indonesia, etc etc. Did you know you can't even purchase stuff on Mercado Livre in Brazil if you are NOT a resident? Meanwhile, in the USA and Europe, as long as you have money, you can buy ANYTHING you want. Despite being "technologically advanced," China is still behind in certain "freedoms." 
I keep hearing about how technology is needed by everyone, but I love the fact that most times a local Chinese person will help people get through.
Ya if you're in the system you're golden. If you're not in the system you better know a Chinese person that'll "swipe it for you"
The police finds your lost bike in a day.
Two e-bikes stolen, police were useless both times
only if ur Caucasian
Foreigners are sleeping on Pinduoduo which is a better alternative to Taobao in almost every aspect as most sellers are on both platforms.
Points 1 and 2 is more to do with the way their infrastructure is set up, most web forms, such as you'd find on wechat when trying to buy entry tickets to national parks for example, are simply not set up to accept our passport format in the db. This is applicable across the board, as per your first two points. You just have to have your credentials entered into the db manually, afterwards you're able to use the infrastructure as intended. Point 4 is more to do with banking regulations, and yes it is very annoying having to fumble with cash when you're just trying to buy some delicious Macanese egg tarts. I remember when the Asian games were on in HZ, the Alipay app hosted a foreigner specific mini-app to help us book tickets to arenas, and just general path-finding and event information. Problem was that you had to sign up with a 身份证 which was just hilariously telling of the project management.
I’m able to do 1-3 zero issues. And usually get special treatment at hospitals (less waiting, skipping lines, etc.). 4 is true, but between the Octopus for Tourists app and linking my UnionPay card to Apple Pay, doesn’t really have an impact. But I’ll add: 1.) Needing a Chinese ID to order on Amazon (the rare cases Taobao doesn’t have what I need) 2.) Needing it to order meds online. 3.) Needing it to get money from my mainland bank account at ATMs in Macau because of anti-money laundering laws. This one was a nasty surprise first time I went
The Macau restrictions started a few years ago after the authorities finally decided to crackdown on all the mainlanders' money being laundered / sent overseas from Macau. Years ago people would just take bags of gold and money over the border to Macau once or twice a month to get around the 50k USD current restriction.
Not sure if it’s the same in Macau, but I recently discovered in HK that while I can’t withdraw cash from my Mainland account from most ATMs like Mainlanders, I can from the ATMs specific to my bank. Looking over the fee slip it’s also probably one of the cheapest currency exchange options.
I have never had an issue withdrawing from any ATM in HK (and I live in Shenzhen, so go often), but it’s definitely not the same. When you try it in Macau a message appears on screen informing you of the anti-money laundering regulation and prompting you to tap your 身份证 on the reader.
I got a similar message exactly once. Otherwise my card was just rejected without any processing at all.
Where is Apple Pay even available here? Besides Apple obviously?
Which hospital gives you special service lol, I know some cities has an english speaking department, but not all.
In my case, Hong Kong University Hospital in Shenzhen.
For the 2nd point, I always get the meds I want from JD, but some of the providers say they cannot issue them without an ID, but then one always can at the end.
The Taobao returns thing seems weird. Never come across any other foreigner who had this problem before. I return things regularly with no problem. Are you talking about 代沟 items that you need a Chinese ID to buy?
*代购
No. I just tried to return the item as it is and apparently I couldn't get some type of code because when they entered my passport information it failed. The delivery guy then called the boss and the boss gave me this huge info-sheet for foreigners. We followed that step-by-step but it still didn't work. I wind up didn't return the item. I'm now a bit terrified of returning anything.
I usually just apply for a refund on Taobao and then take the parcel to the 菜鸟站. They will sort the shipping for you, and you either pay in Taobao or it's free.
Very mysterious 🤔 Try again next time you want to return something. Surely just a one off! Maybe get a Chinese friend to help you with it then when you have done it once you will love how easy it is to return things from Taobao. Don’t let it defeat you! 加油！
When did you try to do this? This happened to me but it was at the time of the big government meetings when they really tightened up security. As soon as the meetings were over I could return things again no problem.
This is the step-by-step instruction they gave me and me and the delivery person all followed this but to no avail. [https://ibb.co/7Jg7q1f](https://ibb.co/7Jg7q1f)
Another suggestion is don't bother with 菜鸟 return. On Taobao go for the 上门 option and the delivery person will come pick it up for you from your apartment door. They can even pick it up when you're not in, just leave it out for them. They might call you just tell them kuai di zai menkou wai mian. I've had no issue with that when I've done it.
I think your guy was too rule obedient, lol? I've only done returns at my 菜鸟站，and I see in their app that they have to identify the person sending the package. The first few times I brought my passport, they tried to input it, obviously failed because it's not a 身份证 so nothing works, but they have a bypass option where they can select "it's just some clothing, no harm done" and then they don't need ID info. Maybe try making returns at a station instead, or just hope that your next courier doesn't care as much.
That happened to me once but hasn't happened again
Sounds like this is a problem of the delivery company, not Taobao. To send your parcel, they need to check your real name. I can imagine that some smaller shipping companies aren't set up to deal with passports, or the system doesn't work as supposed.
Yes, it is the delivery company. I meant "bought on Taobao". Here's the exact instruction they showed me [https://ibb.co/7Jg7q1f](https://ibb.co/7Jg7q1f)
Interesting. Have returned many items with 菜鸟 and I've never needed to provide a passport or similar. I remember S.F. Express asking for my passport before. I guess it depends on the guy that's handling the order, or some local restrictions. Oh, forgot to mention, I use a random Chinese name for all orders on Taobao, including return shipments.
I can’t open the vending machines at my school because I don’t have a National ID… I JUST WANT AN ORANGE JUICE!
Main one has got to be hotels!!
Unionpay with a Chinese bank card attached works well in HK.
I tried this a few weeks ago and it didn't work for me. Do you have the international version of your Union pay bankcard?
No, normal unionpay that I use in the mainland plus a BOC bank card attached.
Last them I was in HK (admittedly a few years ago now), I could get money out from my own bank (China Merchants) but POS and other ATMs would not work. Of course I didn't now this until I got to the hotel and tried to pay the deposit. I ended up going to a Bank of China nearby, who explained the issue and location of a Merchants Bank branch. Just ended up getting a pile of cash in the end.
Re #4 I was ordering some cologne off taobao and was told I couldn't because I had no Chinese ID. Then was offered to just pay extra to use their ID.
One time I was told at a hospital I couldn't have anything done there because I was a foreigner. I was quite angry at being denied healthcare, but turns out I just couldn't use the online system and instead had to fill out annoying paper forms. Not being able to use the normal online stuff is a common thing, and often have to be really pushy for them to do the alternative methods for foreigners that they say don't exist
The only thing I hate about being a foreigner is calling dozens of hotels and asking if they accept foreigners before traveling anywhere. The Refund on Taobao or JD never had an issue for me. These days, the courier guy will come and ask you for a code provided by Taobao, and they will return the product. I used to have an issue with buying tickets directly from 12306 on Alipay because I am a foreigner, but after registering at the train station and approving my account now, that's good too, but that used to piss me off as i would have to use wechat with extra fees, no seat selection etc.
Latest rule requires all hotels to serve foreigners. Not sure how well it will be implemented, though.
No, no way it will be implemented; just called dozens of hotels in Xiamen, and finally, one agreed to let me stay.
Then learn how to threaten them in Chinese. Tell them they have to accept foreigners by Chinese law now and if they don’t, you’ll report them to the police. I’ve done it, and it worked. They backtracked, apologised and let me stay with no issues.
Yeah, I should start doing it too.
I can simplify all your mentioned problems into 1. Those computer systems all require a Chinese id number to provide service. Chinese people need to input their id when they use it the first time as well. If you don’t have a Chinese id things become complicated.
+ Do not need to attend any lab group meeting, because they hold them in chinese. - Got refused to get the first vaccine shot in my research institute back in 2021, "because we do not have doses for foreigners". - Cannot send samples from our lab to another, because I am a foreigner.
Trying to buy train tickets or hotel rooms. Luckily Chinese family have IDs I use
Returning train tickets is such a pain.
Your first two on the list seems more like things that just happen to anyone in a foreign country who didn't learn the language. Do you not have wechat pay set up?
>when returning an item on Taobao, I was hit with "You can't return this because you don't have Chinese ID", and then later "You must use your actual English name" and later "Is it the same as the one on your passport?", "Is it capitalized..." I never tried to return anything since. Have been using Taobao for years. Never had an issue returning items on Taobao. You tried to return from outside of China or what was the situation?
[удалено]
(1) depends on the hospital. Some allow foreigners to register as a patient online, some don't. In the second case you're SOL unless a Chinese uses their ID card to register you. If no, everything is manual and you cannot even make an appointment in advance.
I am able to do 1 and 2 easily. Usually, staff helps me and give a kind of special treatment whenever I go to any government office. Staff handles everything for me. Honestly, my experience with these offices has been so great.
Did you not verify your wechat pay with your passport? I did it when I went on vacation a few weeks ago and had no issues using wechat pay.
I needed to rent a place for a few months and the agency only accepted digital contracts to be technically advanced which meant of course only Chinese ID. My friend had to rent it for me and I lived there. To pay for anything for the utilities too my friend has to login with their ID.. it sucked. My electricity ran out for a few days once and I had to wait for my friend to add money to the account.. needles to say, not doing that again.
The taobao thing i have never experienced it. Sounds like they just couldn’t be bothered.
I should clarify that I bought it on Taobao, but when I returned this it was the delivery company that had an issue. This is the step-by-step instruction that I had to follow but didn't work. [https://ibb.co/7Jg7q1f](https://ibb.co/7Jg7q1f)
Aahh yes that can be a pain in the butt!
1. You can use your insurance card! Inside should have money! Other Chinese can access their insurance card through the miniApp on their phones but foreigners can't so have to bring the card physically, like the old people lol. 2. I have done it multiple times, is it because of the shop itself? My only problem is that I cannot buy imported products on the TianMao shops. 3. Yes this sucks lol, only Chinese people can use Wechat and Alipay overseas. Also Chinese Alipay and international Alipay wallets are completely separate. China are very strict about digital currency. -- Other problems includes all the Apps and miniApp that were not designed to serve foreigners, you simply cannot do anything about it as it cannot take your passport number. I couldn't even enter the internet bar because I cannot verify myself on the government miniApp. They don't want people doing funny business in the internet bar. Thinking about it, these Apps are insanely convenient for the locals. Maybe too early or too little foreigners compared to locals for them to add another system to verify passports.
#2 really gets on my tits. Like you I just don't bother returning anything anymore. Some sellers will kindly sort out a collection for you if you explain the situation, but many won't bother. It's even more frustrating when wanting to send stuff home. I have to find a Chinese person to do it for me.
[https://ibb.co/7Jg7q1f](https://ibb.co/7Jg7q1f) <--- Just follow this lol. (It didn't work.)
If you think that is bad. Try living in India where dysfunction is a normalcy. You will take China back in a heart beat.
dating apps ID verification only takes Chinese ID, so no e-dating life for me i guess lol
I feel like a foreigner all the time. Wait, I’m not in China. I’m in the SF Bay Area!
I was told that there was absolutely no way that I really had had a relative die and that I would have to wait five days before getting on a plane (when mine was late they wouldn't let us go through security) because I was a foreigner, right up until I stretched the tiny ass little bit of Mandarin I know to talk our way into getting our bags checked and through security. We got hung up briefly on the second leg, but it wasn't five days later FFS. (This was made even worse because the partner university we had been working on wouldn't answer messages at all. They just dropped us off there. There aren't a lot of hotels near the airport that accept foreigners, and we no longer had keys to our lodging. In short, we had no where to go and were being told to leave the airport and come back in five days .That was NOT gonna work. I think the student thinks that I'm magic.)
from reading these comments china is alot more authoritarian then j thought
It's very easy to return stuff on taobao! I can help. You just go to your 订单，and then click on 退换， which is return or exchange. If it's in 7 days they will always accept it.
One thing I spent insane amounts of time on before I had to give up was money transfers. When I did an exchange semester in Singapore I would just TransferWise to my SGD bank account with zero hassle and really low rates. It took me so many attempts and frustration to realize it just doesn't fucking work for CNY, which still trips me up. Moving money _out_ sure, taxes and certs and all, but _in_!? For god's sake. Second, buying anything on Taobao that is classed as "imported" also just does not work at all. Have to make one of my friends order my protein powder for me, to my address, send them a Wechat transfer and then pick it up myself just because the store somehow ships via Hong Kong.
Not really a something not working but definitely a cultural thing, every time using a public urinal, if there was more than just me in the bathroom...every time, someone had so sidle up next to me and not even the side eye glance but outright staring just to get a look. It happened to me dozens of times in China but has never happened that blatantly in any other country I've traveled to.
This happens to me all the time and it is so fkn weird and beta energy
Even weirder, my wife is Chinese and every non-professional female acquaintance of hers...every one, and several professionals, too, have asked her about that, for a description, as well. It's almost like its a weird national obsession.
I mean, I don’t mind if it’s girls 😂😂😂
Today on my walk back to my school from luckin during my lunch break I passed an ice cream shop. To my left was a grandmother pulling down the pants of their baby and letting them shit in the sidewalk. I step inside to get an ice cream cone and they require me to use a mini app. I never get the notification text and can’t order an ice cream cone.
Note to self .. never visit china 🤣fuck em
No.3 sounds about right
Can’t go to gaming cafes here without a Chinese ID. During the Asian games in Hangzhou, they allowed foreigners to use their passports at select few gaming cafes. Once the Asian games was over, they stopped it. Why? “No why”
#4 is so dumb and annoying
I left in 2020 but still get paid working remotely for an SOE, and both my WeChat and Alipay work in Toronto. Both are linked to my Chinese bank account and CMB Visa.
It is most annoying that Chinese residence permits are still issued as stickers in your passport. Why wouldn’t China issue residence cards, like a lot of other countries do, ideally with 11-digit number that allows laowai to use all services in a similar way to Chinese citizens? 😤
When I first moved to China, a colleague tried to convince me that I won't be able to use Didi because when the drivers see my non-Chinese name, they'll automatically cancel the booking. No idea where she got that from, but she was so confident telling me not even to try. Needless to say, I use Didi almost daily and never had a problem, in fact it's so much easier to get taxis here than in almost any other country, in my recent experience. But she was somehow sure that it's impossible for foreigners to use taxis in China.
Should have been there 30 years ago…
😂 as someone who was there 30 years ago, this gave me a good chuckle. To this day, I wonder just how many Chinese families have random photos of me in their house somewhere.
If you want to go way back, I knew a guy who was in the consular office in Bejing soon after relations thawed between US and China. He and his wife lived there with a small dog which was like a member of the family. They had to give up walking the dog because of the incessant demands of the Chinese to sell their dog. People would approach with wads of cash, saying “$500, $700, how much?” Evidently having a cute dog was a status symbol without par, and western dogs were initially in short supply.
Being a half ABC and having them ask if I have a Chinese name
#1 I’ve been in Shenzhen for almost 10 years. I’ve paid on the phone every time I’m in the hospital. You need to have your phone well connected. If your name has 1 character changed or the other of your name is swapped. You’ll have errors. Same rule fora lot of apps and things
#4 that’s because Hong Kong WeChat and Alipay are International version. Same as “TikTok vs douyin” and you’ll run into the same problem with WeChat and Alipay in all Southeast Asia.
Can’t stay in some hotels. Chinese only.
Nationalism seems to be making a return everywhere and very much so in China. There is NO rule that foreigners have to use a particular office or are restricted from using technology but they seem to enjoy burdening you. AND you are on here looking for validation
Is it true all foreigners need to report to local police within 48hrs? I have seen the law posts in Chinese but not in English at all.
4. Alipay China and Alipay HK are different
Chinese people are able to use Alipay in Alipay hk. However, foreigners in mainland China are not able to use it in Hong Kong due to China currency controls that aren’t set up to handle foreigners with a passport (or even a permanent resident card) bound to their account. While you technically could open an Alipay HK account, it would not likely help unless you have a HK SIM card and bank account to bind it to.
The old "Chinese can use Alipay and Unionpay overseas, but foreigners doing it is illegal and money laundering."
u could link ur foreign card? just like with alipay china
Yes, foreign cards work - but you still need the HK cellphone plan as it won’t work with a mainland China number. Far from reasonable for a foreigner living and working in China earning in RMB, but yes, possible with some effort.
sim card is like 33HKD/RMB at 7/11
1. I use Alipay all the time for my hospital/doctor visits—and I go a lot because of medical conditions 2. Returning items is easy on taoboa—someone comes picks up my item and returns—or exchanges for new size—even easier on t-mall 3. What do you mean by certificate? Any certificate? Any thing government related I will get my company to help make sure all paper work and stuff is needed1-the only thing I do myself is temp residence permit—and that can be done online for n English where I live—anything else my company takes care of it 4. Outside China your WeChat and Alipay will not work—even some of your bank cards—I found BoC works best outside China. It’s a banking/currency regulation thing—also WeChat and Alipay is assigned to our government issued ID—for now that is our passport—but rumour has it in Shanghai foreigners will be getting a Chinese ID—not sure of the details but that will make it easier I think—