If it works more than once the whole time I'd consider it a miracle. Will probably depend on where you are. In places frequented by lots of Westerners you'll have a better chance, as somebody may have already fought the battle for you. As a rule the Chinese are pretty mistrustful of credit cards, and I can't see their going for it just because you have a piece of paper that says they should. Nice thought, though.

One time in Irkutsk I was in a bank that had a logo for Citibank Travelers checks on the cashiers window where I was standing. I had exactly those instruments, so I thought I was in luck. Nope. To this day I don't understand what the logo was supposed to convey.