Saturday 27 October – Another sunny day in Shanghai.  We have been very lucky with the weather so far on this trip.

We were expecting Autumn type weather in Beijing, but during the day it was sunny and quite warm with temperatures in the low 60s, although it did get cold in the evening and overnight.

Its been very sunny and warm in Shanghai with temperatures ranging from upper 60s to mid 70s.  Surprisingly it has not been that humid which was something we were expecting. And as yet no rain, long may that continue.

Smog is a real issue in China and it has been a constant in both Beijing and Shanghai.  We have not had a really bad day but rarely can you see into the distance.  We did bring face masks but have not as yet had to wear them.  Pity as Sue has a pretty masks with Panda’s on!!

WeChat Pay – In China you rarely see people paying for things in cash or with a credit or debit card.  They pay using WeChat pay.

WeChat is China’s equivalent to Facebook.  It is a multi-purpose messaging, social media app with over 1 billion monthly active users.

A feature on WeChat is WeChat pay.  Every shop ranging from the largest Department Stores to the smallest little shop in some back street or rural hamlet has QR Code (a matrix barcode) reader linked to the till on their counter. To pay all the customer does is point their phone camera at the code and that’s it, the money is charged to the customers bank account or credit card.  Its like using a contactless bank card but its on your phone.

Its that wide spread in China that even beggars have QR card readers round their necks, so you can give them money using your phone!!