Originally Posted by
JPDM
Regarding the original question "For how much longer will foreigners be second class technological citizens in China?" - if you are just a tourist, no point bothering with the technology. If you live there or are a regular traveler then you should have a local SIM and a Chinese bank account so you can do most of it.
I agree that this is the case -- for now. It's conceivable that some vendors just won't accept cash in the not too distant future. Especially since the modes of payment accepted are very difficult for foreign tourists to access, this will be a problem for the foreign tourist who wants to go off the beaten path (I would expect the overpriced water sellers on the GW to still accept cash!).
tb