5% is a lot if you spend (ten)thousands of RMB.

For the average tourist who might only spend a few hundred RMB at corner stores and markets (meals being included in their tour group arrangements), it's nothing compared to the convenience you get.

Spending 1000 RMB means 5% is 50 RMB, around 8$ or 6.50€. And that will buy you a lot, unless you decide to "splurge" (and then, most "splurge" places for tourists will happily take credit cards..)

So yeah, charging 5% but giving you the full convenience is a good deal. Obviously 0% (or something near it) is a better deal, but why spending much time if a quick and easy fix exists?

Are you moondog’s second account?

LMAO! :D

An update to my earlier question regarding ringtones / alerts for WeChat on iPhones ........

Following the latest iOS updated version 8.0.8 released yesterday you can now change alert sounds (limited) and ringtones (mostly Chinese artists).

After updating, go to your WeChat settings / new message notification / alert tone and ringer.

For me, will make such a difference having a more unique tone rather than the same as xxx millions of others!

I really wish people in China would turn off their alert ringtones. Riding on the train is such a miserable experience hearing your BS tones all day.

I don’t think I’ve let my phone ring since high school. Vibrate only.

All of my wx alerts are set to silent (i.e. Even vibrate is annoying). I check messages at least once an hour when I'm awake. I do keep my ringer on vibrate though because if someone actually bothers to call me, it might be time sensitive.

Let's work on the watching movies without headphones problem first, then move on to ringtones. Incremental improvements.

But this is an argument for flying over the train.

Might not be on topic but you got me started.

Back when phone makers included 3.5mm headphone jacks, it was a reasonable expectation for people to carry them along. I even nicked a dozen pairs of JAL dom Y headphones during my JGC修行 to hand out on HK buses.

Nowadays with the "brave" (greedy) abolition of headphone jacks by phone makers, all I can do is put carry around my noise cancelling set and put them on.

Wait, I thought you can get WiFi on the plane these days, no?

You forgot to mention crowding. Try taking the Guangzhou subway during rush hour...

​​​​​​there is another thread here on ground transportation.

yeah but Wi-Fi-equipped flights generally have a rule somewhere specifically stating something about noise - no voice calls, at the very least
(whether such a rule is followed is a different consideration that I am not commenting on here)

I've never seen that rule in print or heard it from cabin crews, but I haven't witnessed many WeChat calls from airplanes...maybe in part because the bandwidth is often limited. I listen in on conference calls (with earphones) sometimes; the quality is usually (just) okay. I imagine an actual voice conversation would be frustrating.

Depends what ports Wechat uses. JAL blocks those used by Skype call https://www.jal.co.jp/en/inter/servi.../qa/index.html

Not an issue for those of us in China because we all have VPNs :)

A few years ago I was talking on wechat over wifi on a transpacific Delta flight. Was told by crew that's a no-no.

Next time, maybe try to cover your mouth as you're on the phone and talk when there's no flight attendant nearby.

I was complained about by a local passenger for trying to call CX call centre in the aisle even after doors open on a JAL domestic flight (they didn't know I was doing a Hail Mary on my next connection).

I wouldn't dream of calling in-flight. However, they block Youtube on the same ports as well (half the time, inconsistent settings between equipment).

Or you could just not make calls on the plane and avoid bothering everyone around you.

You remind me of a tpac flight I took out of Beijing about 10 years ago. I had a GPS unit on me and the guy sitting next to me asked me what it was. The plane was just leaving the terminal and getting in line for take-off. I explained to him what it was, but either the guy didn't believe me or thought something was wrong because he called the flight attendant and complain. She kindly asked me to put it away. Since I was still in China, I decided it wasn't worth putting up a fight.

Sometimes an emergency requires a call to be made...

Nope

I remember my first CI flight in or around 2007 as an adult where I tried to do some reading on my O2 XDA in flight mode and the Taiwanese passenger glared at me and took out the no phones use at all statement in the safety card. I complied, but the statement was removed by the next time I flew with them.

It's so weird that nowadays nobody really cares what you do on your phone unless you're distracting them. Flight mode is largely useless as nobody checks to make sure the phone is in that state. I don't even remember how I was able to survive intercontinental flights without a smartphone or an MP3 player.

I habitually turn back on data over HK airspace (crew are usually seated by that time) and failed to crash any planes before the pandemic.

I made calls from an aeroplane (AA IIRC) during the last millennium.

New We Chat registrations in China “temporarily” halted.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/t...de-2021-07-27/

The past week has been a master class in how to destroy an industry in as few days as possible.

They already have our phone numbers (which are connected to our IDs), our bank accounts, our contacts, our follower counts (assuming you use timeline/moments), and our chats. What else could they possibly want?

That said, I agree with the guy in the article who said the market overreacted to this latest news. Government/Tencent spying was been priced into the stock for a long time.

I just read that there is a Chinese stock selloff on Wall Street. Seems like heavy handed tactic from the Chinese government.

It's pretty easy to call or video chat using WeChat in the Lav during flights if wi-fi is good. ;)

Tell that to Ant Financial, Didi, or… New Oriental Education lol.

China is crazy.

Whilst seemingly crazy to 'outsiders', maybe the phrase 'market realignment' can be used with an element of truth.

Technology stocks will regain their strength long term - maybe not the educational centres.

However, everything in China is planned with a very long term view.

Restrictions in educational pressure and costs? - Encourage people to have 2nd & 3rd children - at present put off by the costs?

Restricting teenagers to 1 hour gaming a day / week / weekend? How many western parents would love something like that?

Revisit all of this in a few years and see what 'decline' their has been in stock values........

Is there any easy way to forward an e-mail message to a WeChat conversation?

Do you have something in the email message where copy and paste does not work?

In WeChat message from contact:

1. Select individual message
2. At bottom of screen - right hand side ... (3 dots) select
3. Click 'add to e-mail'

No--I'm talking the other way around. Take a message I received in e-mail and send it to WeChat.

Not sure I follow the logic here. China has been encouraging citizen to have more children (and earlier) for years now. The country is still aging rapidly.

What happened to Japan? Terrible monetary policy? Sure. Rapidly aging population? Yes! What does that sound like to you?

In what aspect of technology is China globally competitive? Software? Outside of ByteDance, what software companies have seen considerable success in foreign markets where the Chinese protectionist government isn’t propping them up? China’s core tech advantage has always been in hardware (Huawei, Xiaomi, DJI, even Anker, etc). It’s no coincidence that many of China’s globally competitive firms are in hardware and not software.

For education, I don’t really understand. Chinese education is superior to western education in many respects. However, there are many fundamental issues that limit the ability for an average Chinese worker to be hired by global firms. Very difficult to discuss this without painting a group with broad strokes.

There’s a reason the founders of New Oriental Education sent their children to the US for university.

I learned something new (to me) today; what triggers tickles? It's actually very simple... double clicking profile photos. So, if you're curious about someone in any chat session and don't want to be perceived as a stalker, just click once.

Surprised you only learned this now :D

WeChat is indeed very useful, but internet censorship is annoying. Pro tip: WeChat groups are considered public places, so please be careful, your messages will be censored. I know this because my WeChat account has been banned. Since WeChat does not have human customer service, I am unable to withdraw my WeChat balance (my linked bank card has expired).