{"id":653,"date":"2010-04-22T03:58:43","date_gmt":"2010-04-22T03:58:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=653"},"modified":"2017-12-21T11:25:31","modified_gmt":"2017-12-21T15:25:31","slug":"urban-transport-in-china-pt-2-smart-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/urban-transport-in-china-pt-2-smart-cards\/","title":{"rendered":"Urban Transport in China pt. 2 Smart Cards"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you’re riding public transport in China, you may go some time without seeing people using \u73b0\u91d1<\/strong> (xian4jin1 – cash), opting instead for their \u667a\u80fd\u5361<\/strong> (zhi4neng2ka3 – smart card), maybe just \u5237<\/strong> (shua1 – swipe) their \u94b1\u5305<\/strong> (qian2bao1 – wallets) without even taking the card out.
\nWhere can you get these cards?\u00a0 In cities that use these cards (so far I’ve seen them in Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau- I’m saving Shanghai for when I go to visit the World Expo), you generally look for a booth at a subway station that says \u552e\u5361<\/strong> (shou4ka3 – cards for sale).\u00a0 You can sometimes also purchase these cards outside stations, but be careful that you don’t accidentally buy a \u5145\u503c\u5361<\/strong> (chong1zhi2ka3 – charge card) for your cellphone.<\/p>\n

The cards go by different names depending on where you are.\u00a0 Beijing uses \u4e00\u5361\u901a<\/strong> (yi1ka3tong1 – all-in-one card), while Guangzhou uses \u7f8a\u57ce\u901a<\/strong> (yang2cheng2tong1 – Guangzhou connect), Hong Kong still uses \u516b\u8fbe\u901a<\/strong> (ba1da2tong1 – Octopus card [lit. 8 directions connect]).\u00a0 Although cards cannot be used interchangeably, the Hong Kong Octopus card may allow RMB deposits in the future.\u00a0 The best part about these cards is not that they can sometimes offer a \u6298\u6263<\/strong> (zhe2kou4 – discount) compared to the cash fare, but that they can also be used in \u4fbf\u5229\u5e97<\/strong> (bian4li4dian4 – convenience stores), \u8d85\u5e02<\/strong> (chao1shi4), and other places as well- including McDonalds!<\/p>\n

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When you’re riding public transport in China, you may go some time without seeing people using \u73b0\u91d1 (xian4jin1 – cash), opting instead for their \u667a\u80fd\u5361 (zhi4neng2ka3 – smart card), maybe just \u5237 (shua1 – swipe) their \u94b1\u5305 (qian2bao1 – wallets) without even taking the card out. Where can you get these cards?\u00a0 In cities that…<\/p>\n

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