- We can now use Alipay by linking our US credit card. For example, we scan our Alipay-generated QR code at the Shanghai Metro turnstile entrance and exit, and a 5 RMB subway ride shows up as a $0.70 transaction on our Capital One card. We too, can manage living cashless.
- Almost all admission tickets are individually linked to a name and an ID number. This may be a leftover from COVID and remains unchanged. Of course, local people do this online. We had to do this at ticket windows by showing our passports. There was never an option of simply handing over cash and receiving a ticket in return. Anonymity, which was never a thing, now lies completely in the wayside of progress.
- The subway is not as crowded as before. Over the last five years, the system grew by 20%, totaling ~800kms and ~500 stations..
- There are many more public toilets: very clean with moving air, free, and with plenty of toilet paper.
- At least twenty-five percent of the cars on the road have batteries (electrics and hybrids) and are easily spotted by their green license plates, with BYD and Tesla just two of many manufacturers.
Look closely at the photo below taken on our favorite stretch of West Nanjing Road. Every car license plate in the shot is green.
BYD (1st below) and Tesla (2nd below)
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