I agree with the OP. WeChat and alipay are accepted pretty much everywhere (restaurants, stores, taxis, and even the smallest convenience stores). And, payment honestly takes less than 2 seconds.

Getting a bank account can be a bit of a time suck, but passport, local address (I can lend you mine), and phone number are the key requirements. Just juice it with 1000 to start. There are many of us in the FT WeChat group who can help you boost WeChat or alipay if you pay us back.

Be sure to get a bank account that supports passport numbers. This list is growing, but I can confirm ICBC, merchants, and CITIC work for now.