Things do change, but in the past at least you couldn't put money in a wallet until you had been identified successfully. Note that some banks can only verify Chinese ID cards not passports. And name matching can be problematical.

A couple of weeks ago I was in a Chinese fast food place that had closed its cashier: it was all scan and pay online. Then went to a nearby museum where entry was only by free ticket from a Weixin scan; no English no ticket office, just a guard and a turnstyle to scan your code.

Not to say problems can't be overcome but be prepared for difficulties.

Also, as an aftermath of Covid, lots of eateries (and other small places) have closed. Unless you're in the area where they congregate, finding a place to stop for lunch when you're strolling around can be difficult.