I am a Chinese that have learn English when I live in the United States, but when I returned to China a few months back, I have seen English to Chinese translation pretty funny. I am kind of tickled at the fact that some of them are not being checked for accuracy.
Happy B-day pal. Looking forward to that video. Thank you for all these instructional video's they are most helpful to me!! I just need to get over the culture shock when i get there, as i have never been anywhere like that before
Ah! A Leo. Should have guessed. Only Leo's have such confidence and charisma. Hey! We can't help it if we're on top of our game. Love your videos.... always!
While in Xiamen last month my friends were able to use their american debit cards to withdrawal with extreme ease, but besides that I had no experience with the chinese banking . Thanks for the video !
Really helpful and informative, I'm visiting Hangzhou in Sept from the UK, I hope the atms have multilanguage option like the one you used for your demo. So it seems I should not only rely on the credit card option. Cheers.
FWIW, in December 2016 I had no problems opening an account with ICBC in Guangzhou with just a foreign passport and a Chinese cell phone number. No need for a temporary residence card. They knew I was just visiting China and did not ask for my foreign address. Took about 1/2 an hour (although the process is not very well integrated so I had to enter the same information, especially PINs and passwords, multiple times. But, hey, this is China and don't expect the process to be ultra efficient or make sense). This was at ICBC's Shamian Island branch where there are lots of tourist and, not surprisingly, the bank assistant spoke English. I am partial to ICBC because I have never had a problem using my foreign ATM cards in their ATMs (unlike some other banks) and there are plenty of ICBC branches and ATMs around. I understand that ICBC charges ATM fee in cities other than the city where the account is based. One word of caution. Unlike the ATMs in my home country, ICBC ATMs (and maybe those for other Chinese banks as well ?) do not spit out your card at the end of the transaction. Need to push the button to get it back. I have forgotten to do that a couple of times and had to go back to the bank the next day to retrieve my card. So, why get a Chinese bank account if you are just a visitor (albeit a frequent visitor) ? Two reasons: (1) Back up for foreign ATM cards. At least you know the Union Pay is going to work. (2) Easy to link into WeChat wallet for top ups. In turn this then makes it easy to pay for stuff especially cell phone recharge.
awesome series btw. you are very easy to listen to. a friend on liveleak sent me this way. I would also like to know how the Chinese shop online, ie what do they buy where etc. Cheers!
NOW this is a seriously USEFUL vid! Oh yes, Happy B-day and be glad you don't have to work around the ineptitude of South Africa at this stage (tragic that such potential is being wasted) and rather operating in a system that aspires to improve. BTW - any other banks where opening only needs your passport besides "China Construction Bank"
Thanks for the info, yes its a cellphone sim card i was looking for. I'm planning to travel to hangzhou, first time in china and looking forward to it. It would work out too expensive for me to use my uk no.
One thing that is worth mentioning is to check money you withdraw from an ATM. I once recieved 4 counterfeit 100 yuan bills from a withdrawal at a bank of china ATM here in Beijing.
In another video you said hotels can give you a temporary residence permit, so does that mean a normal tourist visiting for two weeks (or whatever it may be) could open their own Chinese bank account?
We don't swipe our card in Canada either, but the machine automatically spit out the card once we're done, but sometime you forget and leave before the card is spitted out. It happened to me once.
nice ride! ahah.. only messing, I've found your videos very interesting. I've watched a lot in a day the plan is be in china within a month. where do you get the smaller change from?
I worked in several fuel filling stations here in the U.K. I used to love those jobs as I am quite claustrophobic so having such big windows looking out over my forecourt and beyond, was good for my health too. I loved helping customers with directions and general travel queries and the only reason I quit working in the fuel supply industry was due to becoming a Mum and the ever increasing amount of filling stations getting held up at gunpoint and robbed. I knew I wouldn’t be the person to do as we were told, which is to hand money over and think of self preservation. I would never hand over money without a fight but being a Mum, it wasn’t worth it. My husband was employed in the steel industry and bringing in good money so I didn’t need to work.
For the guy who wants to go to Chengdu, I was born and live in Chengdu, Chengdu dialect in fact is a subset of Mandarin, if you speak putonghua, people will understand you, since it's a universal communicating tool in China, and I think it's easy to understand Chengdu dialect too, it's pretty similar, my classmates from other provinces understand it very quick. Besides if you speak putonghua, we young people will just speak putonghua with you too.
Hey Serp, :) could you maybe do a video about Chinese car repair shops? Like where to go either a small repair place or an actual dealer? Also, can you include what to look or pay attention to when getting a quote on insurance or an estimate for your repairs? Xie Xie & Keep your awesome videos coming!! :D
Any of you people who are new to Serpentza's channel, if you will look at his previous videos you will find that he's already done a video answering most of your questions.
Hey man, great clips. I've watched all of them and value what your thoughts are on Chengdu as a place to live for an expat? Seems like the only negative there for me is for my learning Mandarin as they will be talking the local dialect.
Hi Winston, First of all: happy birthday! Great video. Maybe you can also tell a little bit about electronic banking in China. For example if your want to transfer money from your bank to let's say an acc. at HSBC: is it possible and how much do they charge you? Thanks! Marcel
Construction Bank, Merchant Bank, Agricultural Bank ... seems like target group focused based on professions. Could explain why the Construction Bank is so uncomplicated, if they are mainly for construction workers.
Wow. I converted what I assume is liters (34) to gallons (9) and figure it to be around $4 / gallon there. A bit expensive, but I think we were paying $4 / gal. in 2012 as well (In the U.S.). Thankfully that didn't last too long.
You are in one of the FEW states where that is the case. Oregon is one of the others (Its fun to jump out and begin to pump your own in Oregon - especially when they are lackadaisical & slow - they become apoplectic!). Everywhere else has been self serve for 40+ years.
No, based on personal experience, in the US all you do is swipe your debit card, and you can put the card back into your wallet and go on with your transaction. On the other hand in China, the ATMs will keep your card inside the machine until you are done with the transaction. (At least with those ATMs from ABC, ICBC, and a few others)
I had accounts at China Merchants and Bank of China. BOC was a pain because if I needed to go inside to ask a question, most branches near my home had a long line of people waiting and only about 3 tellers. And because each person at the teller had a special case, each customer took forever. I estimate 90% of the people got tired of waiting and left without being served! Because I knew what to expect, I would take my laptop in, sit down and begin working. About an hour later, my number would come up and I would finally be served. Using an ATM was always preferred for normal transactions, but sometimes there would be a line there too, and a business person (or four!) would do multiple transactions using 4-8 different bank cards, taking up to 10 minutes! Very rude, I thought. And very frustrating to wait so long at an ATM, which is supposed to be quick!
yes, here in the states they call it direct deposit. I get retirement pay from being in the Army. So I would want it to go to a local bank. Thank You for your response.
OMG, I'm glad to see this video, however, My friend has a checking account with BOC, now she needs help closing the account remotely from the US. What is the best route to expedite this process? Attempts to contact the bank has been unsuccessful. US branches have no connection to the mainland system. Any info is appreciated.
if u deposit 100000 or more in Bank of China, u will get a vip card which means no fee at all and enjoy all the other benefits like no need to wait in the lane u get vip service whenever u go the bank u get the service before who have been waiting for hours etc.. its not bad. in fact its awsome
A small thing that was a problem for me using ATMS in China was that money is dispensed before the card comes out. It's the other way round in the UK so on many occasions, I left my card in the machine out of habit which gets frustrating. But that's just me being an idiot.
I shared the same experience! Banking in the US is way more complicate than in China, but one thing I do appreciate is, you only need to insert your card then pull it out very quickly to allow the ATMs to address your account, there are not a chance for you to left the card in the machine or been eaten by the ATM
Makes me feel a bit better to learn I am not the only one :) Happened twice now. Too busy stuffing the notes away and thinking about how I am going to spend them than remembering to retrieve the card. Both times I got the card back from the bank. But it would be a major problem if I was leaving town that day or the next.
My banking in China experience is that it is very easy to get cash through ATM even if you have an foreign bank account. I don't bother to go to the foreign exchange in China anymore, just get RMB cash on ATM from my Bank of America account (small fee, good exchange rate). However, it is very difficult to get cash oversea form Chinese account due to Chinese regulations.
very informative, thank you! on the note of money. how much is a good amount of money to move to china with? i am almost done with a teaching english certification and i'm trying to find a position in china. it would be very helpful to know how much is a good amount to move there with so i can start saving. thank you for your videos!
Hi Winston, I'm planning to buy a 150cc scooter. Which chinese brand has the best quality or do you recommend Japanese scooter which is twice or tribble expensive? Thanks in advance
I noticed that you have a 6-digit pin number (I think you also mentioned it in another video - yet here in the UK our pin numbers only have 4 digits, - would our UK debit cards work in China ?
Hey Winston, although this video was back in 2012, you should do an updated one, since Wechat pay and Ali pay has taken off, as I am remember going back to china last year and everyone was paying with the phone, when I tired to register it wont let me as I don't have a China ID, being an Australian Born Chinese
Do the banks offer merchant services to let businesses acquire change for tills and the like or are those 50 and 10 notes/coins distributed by some other system?
Haha actually credit cards are becoming more and more popular now in China, especially in big cities like Shenzhen. And you can use your credit card wherever you can use your debit card (if it's a Union Pay card). Visa, Master & AE cards' usability is indeed limited in China though.
Thank you for your effort on these valuable informations. Is wearing a safety seat belt mandatory in China? As wild as you are on you bike,I can't see why you'll buckle up on your own. The area you were at is nice. Can you show us riding a bus sometime.
also: chinese banks tend to have roaming fee so that whenever you exit from the city where you open the account, make withdrawals, deposits, or transfers in another cities, they will charge you, even on same bank network.
Chengdu by itself is a nice city, famous for its leisure way of life, sichuan food, and many tourist spots within and around, from this perspective it's good, but what really matters I think is the university you go.
wow that was a close one then! i almost got hsbc to link my account to a bank in china.....bad choice i think! and i need to pay like £14 a month to keep it going....ridiculous! and bank of china i almost thought of going for....so i think construction bank would be better as i saw alot of them when i was in china last time. THANKS! FOR THE ADVICE!!
Happy Birthday! sorry I'm 4 years late
it's soon he s birthday
Im 9yrs late☠
I am a Chinese that have learn English when I live in the United States, but when I returned to China a few months back, I have seen English to Chinese translation pretty funny. I am kind of tickled at the fact that some of them are not being checked for accuracy.
tickled
These are very informative videos, the best uploads about China on YT. Thank you.
Thanks for all your videos; I've now been to China twice (two short visits), and your videos were a great introduction in so many ways!
Fantastic series Winston. I just happened on your vlogs and i found them fascinating. Keep up the great work.
Serpentza your videos are awesome. Thank you so much for making them. Also, Happy Birthday!
you are on a roll now keep them coming
These are great videos mate! Very useful and insightful! Cheers!
Hey mate, great job. I'm addicted to your videos now. LOL
Happy B-day pal. Looking forward to that video. Thank you for all these instructional video's they are most helpful to me!! I just need to get over the culture shock when i get there, as i have never been anywhere like that before
Happy b-day mate. I really love your videos.
happy b-day, love your videos!
Happy B-day and hey, pretty interesting as always!
Thanks! That was helpful!
Ah! A Leo. Should have guessed. Only Leo's have such confidence and charisma. Hey! We can't help it if we're on top of our game.
Love your videos.... always!
Great advice as usual ,and your correct about Bank of China ,I have many problems with them .i don’t use them now .
Good videos, thanx Amigo!
we used to have those ATMs that required envelopes for cash too, older ATMs, most banks have upgraded to machines that work more like that one.
While in Xiamen last month my friends were able to use their american debit cards to withdrawal with extreme ease, but besides that I had no experience with the chinese banking . Thanks for the video !
Excellent! thanks a ton mate :)
Really helpful and informative, I'm visiting Hangzhou in Sept from the UK, I hope the atms have multilanguage option like the one you used for your demo. So it seems I should not only rely on the credit card option. Cheers.
very helpful, i was about to head to Bank of China.
Thanks for the info.
FWIW, in December 2016 I had no problems opening an account with ICBC in Guangzhou with just a foreign passport and a Chinese cell phone number. No need for a temporary residence card. They knew I was just visiting China and did not ask for my foreign address. Took about 1/2 an hour (although the process is not very well integrated so I had to enter the same information, especially PINs and passwords, multiple times. But, hey, this is China and don't expect the process to be ultra efficient or make sense). This was at ICBC's Shamian Island branch where there are lots of tourist and, not surprisingly, the bank assistant spoke English.
I am partial to ICBC because I have never had a problem using my foreign ATM cards in their ATMs (unlike some other banks) and there are plenty of ICBC branches and ATMs around. I understand that ICBC charges ATM fee in cities other than the city where the account is based.
One word of caution. Unlike the ATMs in my home country, ICBC ATMs (and maybe those for other Chinese banks as well ?) do not spit out your card at the end of the transaction. Need to push the button to get it back. I have forgotten to do that a couple of times and had to go back to the bank the next day to retrieve my card.
So, why get a Chinese bank account if you are just a visitor (albeit a frequent visitor) ? Two reasons:
(1) Back up for foreign ATM cards. At least you know the Union Pay is going to work.
(2) Easy to link into WeChat wallet for top ups. In turn this then makes it easy to pay for stuff especially cell phone recharge.
Happy Birthday, mate! ;-)
awesome series btw. you are very easy to listen to. a friend on liveleak sent me this way. I would also like to know how the Chinese shop online, ie what do they buy where etc.
Cheers!
NOW this is a seriously USEFUL vid! Oh yes, Happy B-day and be glad you don't have to work around the ineptitude of South Africa at this stage (tragic that such potential is being wasted) and rather operating in a system that aspires to improve. BTW - any other banks where opening only needs your passport besides "China Construction Bank"
Thanks for the info, yes its a cellphone sim card i was looking for. I'm planning to travel to hangzhou, first time in china and looking forward to it. It would work out too expensive for me to use my uk no.
You are so right. Korea is exactly that way. IIRC, Japan also was that way (been a longtime since I been to Japan).
One thing that is worth mentioning is to check money you withdraw from an ATM. I once recieved 4 counterfeit 100 yuan bills from a withdrawal at a bank of china ATM here in Beijing.
Very good-hearted person
Great insight to life in China
Happy Birthday Serp!
In another video you said hotels can give you a temporary residence permit, so does that mean a normal tourist visiting for two weeks (or whatever it may be) could open their own Chinese bank account?
We still have full service stations in Western New York, only a few left though.
Wow opened my eyes. So easy to open up a bank account with Chase in U.S
We don't swipe our card in Canada either, but the machine automatically spit out the card once we're done, but sometime you forget and leave before the card is spitted out. It happened to me once.
nice ride! ahah.. only messing, I've found your videos very interesting. I've watched a lot in a day the plan is be in china within a month. where do you get the smaller change from?
I worked in several fuel filling stations here in the U.K. I used to love those jobs as I am quite claustrophobic so having such big windows looking out over my forecourt and beyond, was good for my health too. I loved helping customers with directions and general travel queries and the only reason I quit working in the fuel supply industry was due to becoming a Mum and the ever increasing amount of filling stations getting held up at gunpoint and robbed. I knew I wouldn’t be the person to do as we were told, which is to hand money over and think of self preservation. I would never hand over money without a fight but being a Mum, it wasn’t worth it. My husband was employed in the steel industry and bringing in good money so I didn’t need to work.
happy burth day man wish u good luck
The PIN is optional for the credit cards, but there is a 5000RMB cap in no-pin purchases.
happy belated birthday Serp :)
For the guy who wants to go to Chengdu, I was born and live in Chengdu, Chengdu dialect in fact is a subset of Mandarin, if you speak putonghua, people will understand you, since it's a universal communicating tool in China, and I think it's easy to understand Chengdu dialect too, it's pretty similar, my classmates from other provinces understand it very quick. Besides if you speak putonghua, we young people will just speak putonghua with you too.
A delayed Happy Birthday, Winston.
Hey Serp, :) could you maybe do a video about Chinese car repair shops? Like where to go either a small repair place or an actual dealer? Also, can you include what to look or pay attention to when getting a quote on insurance or an estimate for your repairs? Xie Xie & Keep your awesome videos coming!! :D
Any of you people who are new to Serpentza's channel, if you will look at his previous videos you will find that he's already done a video answering most of your questions.
Nice video, seems so easy.
China most be better in many ways then most country but still is highly underrated
Hey man, great clips. I've watched all of them and value what your thoughts are on Chengdu as a place to live for an expat? Seems like the only negative there for me is for my learning Mandarin as they will be talking the local dialect.
Hi Winston,
First of all: happy birthday! Great video. Maybe you can also tell a little bit about electronic banking in China. For example if your want to transfer money from your bank to let's say an acc. at HSBC: is it possible and how much do they charge you?
Thanks!
Marcel
Has the situation evolved? Are China construction bank and Merchant bank still the best ones?
Yes chinese language tips and your personal story etc.. That would be awsome if you want to Serpentza!
happy birthday ! feliz cumpleaños ! my best wishes for you and your future.
Happy birthday dude
Pretty similar how USA ATM works. We can deposit checks and cash at our bank's ATM.
i find it scary to put the hand so far IN the ATM.... hahaha... nice vid man..
Construction Bank, Merchant Bank, Agricultural Bank ... seems like target group focused based on professions. Could explain why the Construction Bank is so uncomplicated, if they are mainly for construction workers.
HSBC is the bank I used and probably the one MOST foreigners should use because it's the only one that online banking is reasonable across borders.
Wow. I converted what I assume is liters (34) to gallons (9) and figure it to be around $4 / gallon there. A bit expensive, but I think we were paying $4 / gal. in 2012 as well (In the U.S.). Thankfully that didn't last too long.
You are in one of the FEW states where that is the case. Oregon is one of the others (Its fun to jump out and begin to pump your own in Oregon - especially when they are lackadaisical & slow - they become apoplectic!).
Everywhere else has been self serve for 40+ years.
No, based on personal experience, in the US all you do is swipe your debit card, and you can put the card back into your wallet and go on with your transaction. On the other hand in China, the ATMs will keep your card inside the machine until you are done with the transaction. (At least with those ATMs from ABC, ICBC, and a few others)
I had accounts at China Merchants and Bank of China. BOC was a pain because if I needed to go inside to ask a question, most branches near my home had a long line of people waiting and only about 3 tellers. And because each person at the teller had a special case, each customer took forever. I estimate 90% of the people got tired of waiting and left without being served! Because I knew what to expect, I would take my laptop in, sit down and begin working. About an hour later, my number would come up and I would finally be served. Using an ATM was always preferred for normal transactions, but sometimes there would be a line there too, and a business person (or four!) would do multiple transactions using 4-8 different bank cards, taking up to 10 minutes! Very rude, I thought. And very frustrating to wait so long at an ATM, which is supposed to be quick!
Awesome^_^^_^
yes, here in the states they call it direct deposit. I get retirement pay from being in the Army. So I would want it to go to a local bank. Thank You for your response.
we usually do not use checks here.Maybe in big city some place could accept it.
All your videos are quite educational about China.
The Chinese government should give you some payments for these teachings :)
OMG, I'm glad to see this video, however, My friend has a checking account with BOC, now she needs help closing the account remotely from the US. What is the best route to expedite this process? Attempts to contact the bank has been unsuccessful. US branches have no connection to the mainland system. Any info is appreciated.
3:57 he said i will explain to you guys in a second and then asks a minute to unlock the car ahhahahahahaha that was so funny
and happy birthday by the way! :-)
Nice video! Just wondering who taught you how to upload video to CZcams from China~~ :p
In New Jersey it is illegal to pump your own gas (due to being flammable/explosive).
So every gas station in the the state is Full serve.
Advice on best way to sending money home ex-England would be great
Happy Birthday!!!
$4.3792 per gallon in china,but it contain lots of tax in it.which is used to fix road,something like that.
Belated Happy Birthday !!
if u deposit 100000 or more in Bank of China, u will get a vip card which means no fee at all and enjoy all the other benefits like no need to wait in the lane u get vip service whenever u go the bank u get the service before who have been waiting for hours etc.. its not bad. in fact its awsome
A small thing that was a problem for me using ATMS in China was that money is dispensed before the card comes out. It's the other way round in the UK so on many occasions, I left my card in the machine out of habit which gets frustrating. But that's just me being an idiot.
I shared the same experience! Banking in the US is way more complicate than in China, but one thing I do appreciate is, you only need to insert your card then pull it out very quickly to allow the ATMs to address your account, there are not a chance for you to left the card in the machine or been eaten by the ATM
Through My Eyes Yes, make sure you take your card when finishing, otherwise it will drive you crazy some times.
Gareth Golder xd, I took my card and left the money there one time in UK,
+shipeng LI lol...
Makes me feel a bit better to learn I am not the only one :)
Happened twice now. Too busy stuffing the notes away and thinking about how I am going to spend them than remembering to retrieve the card. Both times I got the card back from the bank. But it would be a major problem if I was leaving town that day or the next.
My banking in China experience is that it is very easy to get cash through ATM even if you have an foreign bank account. I don't bother to go to the foreign exchange in China anymore, just get RMB cash on ATM from my Bank of America account (small fee, good exchange rate). However, it is very difficult to get cash oversea form Chinese account due to Chinese regulations.
Yes, Immediately.
@serpentza What about sending money Home?
very informative, thank you! on the note of money. how much is a good amount of money to move to china with? i am almost done with a teaching english certification and i'm trying to find a position in china. it would be very helpful to know how much is a good amount to move there with so i can start saving. thank you for your videos!
you are nice.
Hi Winston,
I'm planning to buy a 150cc scooter. Which chinese brand has the best quality or do you recommend Japanese scooter which is twice or tribble expensive? Thanks in advance
no, only RMB accepted, and you can sell or buy USD/EUR in any bank there.
I noticed that you have a 6-digit pin number (I think you also mentioned it in another video - yet here in the UK our pin numbers only have 4 digits, - would our UK debit cards work in China ?
Shenzhen Development Bank is the former name of Ping An Bank, since it was acquired by ping an insurance company.
Seems simple enough :-)
Hi. Nice job doing those videos. I just want to say that i think you are a bit tough towards BOC(Bank of China).
Hey Winston, although this video was back in 2012, you should do an updated one, since Wechat pay and Ali pay has taken off, as I am remember going back to china last year and everyone was paying with the phone, when I tired to register it wont let me as I don't have a China ID, being an Australian Born Chinese
happy birthday, just had mine on the 13th aug.
Do the banks offer merchant services to let businesses acquire change for tills and the like or are those 50 and 10 notes/coins distributed by some other system?
Haha actually credit cards are becoming more and more popular now in China, especially in big cities like Shenzhen. And you can use your credit card wherever you can use your debit card (if it's a Union Pay card). Visa, Master & AE cards' usability is indeed limited in China though.
Thank you for your effort on these valuable informations. Is wearing a safety seat belt mandatory in China? As wild as you are on you bike,I can't see why you'll buckle up on your own. The area you were at is nice. Can you show us riding a bus sometime.
Hey,,, there are some interesting commercials showing up in front of your vid,,, at least this one,, thought that was "interesting"
happy Birthday too :) my Birthday is on 16th August xd
Dude, I used to fill gasoline in the same gas station
also:
chinese banks tend to have roaming fee so that whenever you exit from the city where you open the account, make withdrawals, deposits, or transfers in another cities, they will charge you, even on same bank network.
Chengdu by itself is a nice city, famous for its leisure way of life, sichuan food, and many tourist spots within and around, from this perspective it's good, but what really matters I think is the university you go.
You didn't put a link to the visa video at 2:12
wow that was a close one then! i almost got hsbc to link my account to a bank in china.....bad choice i think! and i need to pay like £14 a month to keep it going....ridiculous!
and bank of china i almost thought of going for....so i think construction bank would be better as i saw alot of them when i was in china last time.
THANKS! FOR THE ADVICE!!
It's the same here in Sweden =D