BUSINESS TECH

CHINA’S OLFACTORY ECONOMY

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Take Stock P22 China Highlights P23

Galley Gadgets

As the rest of the world says, “Lockdowns are so 2020,” China is still persisting that they are in the ‘in thing’, just like your mom with leopard print or those guys still rocking double denim. Well, as the Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen That’s offices all experienced the glory of working from home due to COVID-19 this year, there’s one thing we’ve learned… our home offices suck. Here is a selection of gizmos that will spruce up your workspace and hopefully make the daily grind a little easier.

Don’t forget to use the Taobao APP to scan the QR codes and check out these galley gadgets.

DESK POTATO

A desk potato gets its name because it is shaped like a potato, but it’s simply a mouse mat. Clip the potato to your desk, put your mouse on top and just like that you’ve saved a whole heap of desk space that you can use for the awesome gadgets we’ve listed below! There’s a load of desk potatoes on the market, but the one we’ve listed retails at RMB99.

KEYBOARD CLEANING GEL

Keyboards are gross. They get full of dust and crumbs and are laced with your chicken wing finger grease. Stop saying you’ll clean it and clean it! Digital Clean cleaning gel is as satisfying as popping bubble wrap and its malleability means it can reach into the tiniest nooks and crannies. One pot of the stuff will cost you a measly RMB20!

DIGITAL NOTEBOOK

Despite it actually being proven that people who keep digital notes, digital to-do lists and have a digital diary are much more efficient in life, some people still argue that paper is best. Be honest with yourself, you’re afraid of change. Well, a digital notebook might be just what you need to make the transition. The NEWYES digital notebook isn’t actually digital, it’s paper, but the pen and the APP it comes with are. Simply sync the two and watch your notes appear on your phone or tablet in realtime, as you write! Prices range from RMB368-498.

CHARGING STATION

Rather than buying a multi-socket adapter to plug all your chargers into, buy a charging station that plugs into the wall and has a series of USB ports that you can plug your devices into. The beauty of these bad boys is that they don’t add more wires to the occasion and you can charge multiple devices at once, so they’re great for traveling too. Prices range from RMB99-189, depending on the number of ports you opt for.

HIGHS AND LOWS

Highs

• Luckin Coffee announced that its bankruptcy reorganization has been completed and that they no longer face the threat of going under. Luckin CEO and Chairman Guo Jinyi said he is “confident that Luckin Coffee is well-positioned for long term growth and creation of stakeholder value.”

• The sale of refrigerators, freezers and other white goods surged throughout April as several cities in China were forced into COVID-19 lockdowns. In southern China, Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhaoqing and other cities in the Guangdong province saw a combined 156% year-on-year increase from April 7-9. Demand for refrigerators and freezers in Shanghai also jumped, despite constant complaints from residents about a lack of food.

• COVID sells… The virus has allowed many health companies to profit by selling tests and medicines to governments around the world. Take iHealth for example, they produce Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) and over the first quarter of this financial year, they announced estimated profits of RMB14-16 billion, a staggering year-on-year increase of over 36,500%.

Lows

• Tourism spending was down by 30% during China’s Qingming Festival compared to last year. The lack of spending came as Shanghai and other cities endured a COVID-19 lockdown during the three-day festival. Qingming Festival or Tomb Sweeping Day is a time when Chinese people usually visit graves and pay respect to those they have lost.

• Non-executive director of Meituan, Shen Nanpeng reduced his stake in the popular waimai APP from 4.68% to 3.98%, pocketing a cool USD770 million in the process. Shen began selling his shares at the end of March and sales were reported on April 7 and 13. The announcement caused stocks in Meituan to fall on both days by 2.8% and 3.7% respectively.

• Shanghai’s lockdown has hit the Chinese economy hard, as unemployment rose and spending fell. Retail sales in the city fell by 3.5% compared to March, while joblessness rose by 5.8%, its highest level since May 2020.

CHINA HIGHLIGHTS

Game Licenses Re-approved

Rumors that China will implement further crackdowns on the technology industry were alleviated slightly after China resumed game-license approval.

The suspension on the approval of video game licenses was lifted in April and had been in place since July 2021.

When the ban was lifted, 45 games from companies such as Baidu, XD Inc, Youzu and Lilith were among the companies to get their games licensed. However, gaming giants Tencent and Netease are two notable gaming giants that are yet to have anything approved.

Premier Urges Support for Businesses

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called for a quicker rollout of financial aid to help businesses suffering from COVID-19-related issues.

Li noted that some companies are at a crucial point in their battle for survival as the country wrestles with several COVID-19 outbreaks.

The remarks were made when Li visited business leaders, farmers and construction workers in Jiangxi.

The Premier went on to remark that more should be done within varying industries to help start businesses, find jobs and stabilize production prices. He also reiterated that businesses should stabilize their payroll to help workers.

WeChat Pay to Offer Digital RMB Payment Options

WeChat announced that users can pay with China’s digital currency using the WeChat pay function.

The function is available for use in 23 regions where the digital RMB is being trialed, including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

To use WeChat’s digital currency, you need to apply for an account with Tencent’s WeBank. Alibaba has been testing digital currency through Alipay since May 2021.

China Stocks Plummet to 2 Year Low

On Monday, April 25, fears of further lockdowns saw China’s benchmark share index record its biggest drop since February 2020.

The CSI 300 index, which shows the performance of the top 300 stocks traded on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchange, fell by 4.9% to hit its lowest level since May 2020.

Panic over widening restrictions were sparked as parts of Beijing went into lockdown after officials discovered COVID-19 had been spreading undetected, with more than 40 cases recorded over a three-day period.

The Beijing outbreak was discovered in Chaoyang, the city’s largest district by population.

Raw material producers, technology companies and industrial groups were the worst affected on the index, as lockdown measures will undoubtedly hit them hard.

Outside of China, London’s FTSE 100 share index, which includes the stocks of oil and mining companies, fell by 1.8% by the end of the day.

Bent crude oil prices fell by 4.7% to USD101.41 per barrel, as the industry predicts a fall in demand due to the new infections in Beijing.

Plane Crash Rumours Quashed

The China Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) had to dispel rumors that the analysis of data from the black boxes of Flight MU5735 has been completed and that the co-pilot was responsible.

CAAC said that rumors started by people falsely using the name of government bodies and public security bureaus online were fake.

Aside from blaming the co-pilot for the crash and stating that the data from the black boxes had already been extracted, the rumours also stated that the CAAC had called for pilots to take psychological health assessments.

Flight MU5735 departed from Kunming and was due to land in Guangzhou but it crashed into the mountains of Guangxi Province, killing all 132 people on board.

China to Regulate ‘Incorrect and Non-Standard’ Fonts

As one area of Chinese culture gets a relaxation of regulations (Game Licenses Re-approved), another one is in the crosshairs and this time it’s a peculiar one… fonts.

The National Press and Publication Administration and the National Radio and Television Administration launched a campaign calling for companies to prohibit the use of weird fonts in books, posters, packaging and on TV, in films and on radio on April 6.

They went on to add that the campaign seeks to rectify problems of incorrect and non-standard use of Chinese characters. What’s the Chinese version of Comic Sans?

China’s Olfactory Economy

Insiders Look Through the Lens at the Blooming Perfume Industry

By Li Bowen

Wan Yifeng, a perfume blogger with more than 23,000 followers on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu Ten years ago, social media influencer Wan Yifeng bought his first-ever cologne, today, the perfume blogger keeps more than 500 bottles worth a total of RMB500,000 in his apartment in Beijing.

On a chilly Saturday morning in March, we meet Wan at a coffee shop in Sanlitun, in Beijing’s Chaoyang district. It takes less than 5 minutes to walk from the coffee shop to Taikoo Li, a popular shopping complex with renowned international perfume stores like Atelier Cologne, Byredo and Diptyque.

“For me, cologne is the last piece of an outfit that I’ll put on before going out,” Wan says. “I feel something’s missing if I don’t use it as a final touch. It’s like an aura surrounding you.” Wan is wearing a dark leather jacket and tells us that he used Silver Musk by Nasomatto to “soften the sharpness” of his outfit.

Wan’s entrance into the world of perfume began with an article he came across in L'Officiel Hommes back in high school, where he read about Cool Water, a revolutionary men’s fragrance released in 1988 by Davidoff.

Two years ago, Wan began posting perfume reviews on Xiaohongshu and has more than 23,000 followers.

Wan purchased the cologne at an airport duty-free store and bought it again after using up the first bottle. Since then, not only has he discovered the magic that comes with wearing a nice perfume, but he thinks it’s a confidence booster and he has since developed an indispensable bond with the feeling of smelling great.

A regular Chinese consumer may not have the luxury of owning 500 bottles of perfume, but thanks to the thriving e-commerce economy and an expanding middle-income group, perfumes and colognes are seen as a daily necessity for many Chinese consumers.

The Chinese perfume market maintained a compound annual growth rate of 15% from 2015 to 2020, and over the next five years, it is expected to surpass 22%, three times that of the global market, as reported by Jing Daily. It is also said that China’s domestic perfume market is projected to exceed RMB40 billion this year.

A Business Insider article linked the ballooning fragrance sales during the COVID-19 pandemic to consumers' craving for a “getaway,” or something that can lift spirits. But people use perfumes for many more different reasons. For example, China’s Gen-Z regards a splash of cologne as a form of self-expression, which may explain the boom of niche fragrances in China.

As domestic demand for perfumes grows, Chinese consumers are turning to reviews posted by influencers for a guide on what to buy. On China’s social media platform Xiaohongshu, more than 1.8 million posts will pop up when searching for xiangshui, the Chinese word for perfume.

Wan previously spent a good deal of time abroad: He studied Applied Mathematics at the University of California, Davis, and went to University College London for a master’s degree in management. The overseas experience opened a door for him to get to know more international perfume brands.

“Although I started using perfume when I was in high school, I was only able to access a few brands in China at that time,” Wan explains. “But when I was in the States, I discovered that perfume takes up a good amount of space in department stores.

“I used to go to Barneys in San Francisco on weekends. There were so many types of perfume on the basement level. It was really eye-opening for me. In some way, my time abroad paved the way for me to become a perfume blogger,” he says.

London turned out to be his alltime favorite city (Wan even describes himself as having a “London soul” in his Xiaohongshu bio).

“When I was in London, I noticed that work takes up a small part of Londoners’ lives,” Wan recalls. “They will get a drink at a riverside bar when they clock off or find somewhere to listen to live music.”

In February, the 27-year-old quit his 9-to-6 risk analyst job at Deloitte and has since become a full-time perfume blogger. Wan says that not having enough time to develop his perfume blogging career was the biggest reason that he made this decision. Besides, what he’s earning as an influencer is at least twice the salary he had at Deloitte. "Before going to London, I wanted to find a stable job that looked ‘decent’. I wasn’t really following my heart,” he says. “But after studying in London, I realized that I wanted a job that I’m passionate about. Even though my first job was at Deloitte, I always knew that I would muster up enough courage and accumulate enough knowledge and experience to pursue something that makes me comfortable and happy.”

Despite regularly receiving free samples from brands, Wan spends around RMB3,000 on buying new fragrances every month. “Don’t buy a fragrance because of its name,” is a general rule of thumb he gives to people looking to choose their perfect scent.

“I will ask my friends a bunch of questions to help them find their signature fragrance,” Wan tells us. “While more and more people are showing a genuine interest in buying perfume, many still don’t know how to effectively describe their preference. You have to guide them by asking questions like ‘do you like to smell cold or warm, soft or hard, aggressive or amiable.’”

The huge potential of the Chinese fragrance market also provides fertile ground for homegrown brands. Some Chinese brands, like To Summer, have made a splash by restoring Eastern botanical scents of lotus, Osmanthus and plum blossom.

In traditional Chinese culture, plum, pine and bamboo are known as the “Three Friends of Winter.” They stand for steadfastness and perseverance because they, unlike many other plants, do not wither in extremely cold weather. Zhe gui, to win laurels, is a Chinese term that gives Osmanthus an auspicious meaning, while the lotus flower is praised for its purity, despite growing in the darkest, murkiest of swamps.

But not all homegrown fragrance brands base their products on Chinese cultural roots. Synesmoon, for instance, places “emotional value” or “romantic value” above everything else.

Silver Musk, a fragrance from Nasomatto. Image via Wan Yifeng

Synesmoon's Love is Cerberus perfume

“Welcome. Let me steal you some romance from the moon,” reads the greeting message you receive after subscribing to Synesmoon’s official WeChat account. The interface of its online WeChat store and the design of its amber perfume bottles are reminiscent of medieval and gothic novels.

“Fragrance is a sanctuary that you can carry around,” reads a post on the official Weibo account of Synesmoon. “A sanctuary is where you are accepted regardless of your background and identity, and that’s how perfumes make me feel,” elaborates Wang Haoyu, founder of the Synesmoon.

Wang believes in the power of inclusion in perfume, which is part of the reason why all Synesmoon fragrances are gender-neutral. Customers can choose whatever scent appeals to them without being judged by gender stereotypes.

While Synesmoon seeks to establish a more intimate relationship with its customers, the price of its fragrances has raised some eyebrows. A 50ml bottle can cost between RMB2,000 and RMB5,000. “There’s no rulebook in the world of fragrance,” says the 25-year-old entrepreneur in response to controversies about overpricing. “All that matters is whether you like it or not.”

Despite the high prices, Synesmoon wants to give back to society. Together with Circulation, a Chinese women’s clothing brand founded by Eyre Chan in 2015, Synesmoon launched a campaign to raise autism awareness. Ten percent of the sales generated from the campaign were donated to several special needs schools and non-profits committed to helping autistic children through art classes.

Synesmoon’s store first opened a pilot shop in the Kuanzhai Alley, Chengdu, in January 2022 but will relocate to Taikoo Li (also in Chengdu) in June or July. The interior design of the new store will offer a more immersive experience by installing western elements, from chandeliers to furnaces and a “blood pool” (don’t panic, it’s not made of real blood, but instead uses lights and shadows to give it a blood-red appearance).

For now, Wang recommends buying Synesmoon products online, as consumers can enjoy a little surprise in the “make a wish” section before placing an order.

“Some of our customers will write down a wish, something like ‘I want to be rich,’ so we will spray a perfume that smells of banknotes onto his or her ‘fragrance love letter’ or leave their order with a mini bottle of money perfume as a gift” Wang explains.

Speaking of how Chinese brands are different from foreign ones, influencer Wan believes, “The visual

design of Chinese fragrance brands is more appealing and Chinese brands understand the psychology of Chinese consumers better than global competitors.”

Speed is another advantage for domestic fragrance brands in the competition for consumers’ attention against big global names. According to Wang, it takes a week for his company to develop a new perfume and two and a half months to manufacture and process the legal paperwork. But for foreign brands, new launches can take years. The development of Tacit, a citrus cologne from the Australian luxury skincare brand Aesop, for example, “had, in fact, spanned some seven years,” according to the brand’s website.

In the future, Wan hopes to diversify his content by creating video reviews and taking short-term perfumery programs. In China, there are short-term training programs or courses for people to acquire a professional understanding of perfume and aromatherapy. Wan says he has an interest in receiving professional training, but he doesn’t want to rush into it.

For Wang, one of the top priorities for Synesmoon is marketing through

Wan Yifeng at a perfume event hosted by Atelier Cologne in December 2021, in Shanghai offline events planning, to underscore the brand’s new slogan, “romantic tragedy.” He also says the prices of his perfumes will rise, as he believes the emotional value will always win over the hearts of consumers.

With more western perfume brands like Frederic Malle and Serge Lutens expanding their business to the Chinese market, consumers are given the privilege of a wider variety of choices. But the struggle for consumers is how to find a signature perfume in a larger pool.

For brands and influencers eager to replicate the success of Wan or Synesmoon, presenting a scent through good storytelling is something that sets promising candidates apart.

Synesmoon packaging and their 'love letter'

Sinoviniculture

By Joshua Cawthorpe

In the first instalment of this wine review column, we talked to the winemaker at September Helan in Ningxia. She asserted that being a small scale boutique winery allowed them to, “compared with large wineries, have a more precise grasp of [their] vineyards and production processes.”

In the spirit of fairness, we resolved that we should give one of China’s big brand name wineries a shot at the title. When shopping for wine in China, it’s relatively easy to find an Argentinian malbec or Côtes du Rhône in the RMB80 price range. The up-and-coming artisanal wines, on the other hand, tend to cost closer to RMB300.

If China’s run-of-the-mill brand name wines have but one thing going for them it’s affordability, so we give one a try and see if it’s at least palatable.

We find a two-pack of organic dry red from a verified Grand Dragon store on JD.com for RMB192 — less than RMB100 per bottle. Grand Dragon (aka Veyron and Weilong in Mandarin) is among the largest producers in the Middle Kingdom. Grand Dragon is headquartered in Shandong province, home to China’s oldest lasting winemaker, Changyu. The company was founded in 1982 and by 1999 was producing nearly 30,000 tons of wine and was ranked third for market share.

By 2016, Veyron was listed as an A-Share on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. In 2018, the company posted a profit of over RMB830 million. However, an underwhelming expansion into Australia, among other factors, have seen profits halved.

The wine arrives in a flimsy wooden box with some loose strips of paper and a worthless corkscrew. That said, we are heading down this road for value and remind ourselves not to judge a book by its cover. The particular wine we purchase says cabernet sauvignon in the JD.com description but provides only the title ‘Desert Miracle’ on the bottle itself. The back label does reveal (in English and in Chinese) that it is from the Gansu Weilong winery at the foot of the Qilian Mountains. It also boasts Chinese and European Union organic certifications.

With dining-in permitted in our neighborhood of Guangzhou since just two days prior, we are itching for an excuse to go out for dinner. A simple

little Australian steak restaurant seems like a fair canvas upon which to paint our alleged Gansu cabernet sauvignon.

Before the food arrives, we pour a glass and give it a twirl. Half expecting grape juice, we see the ‘legs’ and are pleased to discover that what we have is, in fact, red wine.

When one is evaluating red wine, the term ‘legs’ is used to describe the visual evidence of the Gibbs-Marangoni effect on the inside of a wine glass. The Gibbs-Marangoni effect refers to the movement of liquid as a result of its surface tension and gradient concentration, in this case the manner in which a liquid travels down a slope. The effect itself provides insight into a vast array of chemical analyses, including why pure liquids do not produce foam. Within the context of wine, the shape of a wine glass will cause a thin layer of liquid to cling to the wall of the glass. As alcohol evaporates from the extremity of this ring, differences between the intermolecular forces of the wine cause some areas to drip down and others to stay up. The result gives the appearance of tears or ‘legs’ of wine droplets.

The ‘legs’ have long been mythologized as an indicator of wine quality. Unfortunately, according to Decanter, experts assert that it only confirms the presence of alcohol.

As for the wine itself, we must admit that Gao Yujie was right: when wine is made on a massive industrial scale it loses the elegance and finesse that a thoughtful winemaker strives for. Albeit not offensive, it severely lacks complexity when compared to September Helan’s reds, or even other similarly priced wines from other countries. The best way to describe it would be to say that the flavors stay at the front of the mouth. It is characteristically dry, but lacking the boldness, body and expertise of a Napa or Bordeaux cabernet sauvignon.

Having been in the grip of a passionate love affair with wine for well over a decade, we won’t insult it by rating it on a scale with all our favorite wines of the world. Instead, we will measure it on a scale of often disappointing RMB100 wines that we’ve found in China. Although difficult to formally investigate, we theorize that an astonishing quantity of bottom-ofthe-barrel swill gets rebranded for the Chinese market. To the point where, when purchasing imported wines in China, we often avoid those with a back label printed half in Chinese — opting instead for wines with the Chinese label stuck overtop of the language from the country of origin. When weighted against the other cheap wines we’ve tried in China, Grand Dragon Organic ‘Desert Miracle’ Dry Red Wine gets a 5.5 out of 10.

Nonetheless, one glass was mediocre but drinkable. If you find yourself at a dilapidated hotel in an industrial park of a tier-3 city and your choices are Grand Dragon or Red Star baijiu, we'd say, “Keep it classy.”

As though in divine absolution of our unfair preconceptions about China’s ‘big box’ wineries, we were unsurprised by the headline of April 14. According to the Suzhou Market Supervision and Administration Bureau, a batch of Veyron dry red wine was found to contain sodium cyclamate, an illegal wine additive. Sodium cyclamate is a chemical sweetener, but its uses in the Chinese National Food Safety ‘Food Additives Use Standards’ do not include any alcoholic beverages — especially products labeled organic and chemical-free. As of press time, Grand Dragon has not released a statement addressing the scandal.

GETTING AROUND

Riding the metro. It’s a simple everyday task for millions of us, something we do so often that we automatically go into autopilot as soon as we start our commute.

We’ve all heard the barely audible announcements over the PA system; seen the stations packed with commuters during peak hours; and maybe even witnessed incidents in stations and on trains that go viral over the internet.

In China, tight security at metro stations has become a common sight in recent years. At every entrance stands a team of security guards scanning commuters up and down and keeping a close eye on the contents of bags, all of which have to go through an X-ray machine.

Since the emergence of COVID-19, face masks and temperature checks have also become compulsory – so strict to the point that metro employees patrol the carriages checking that masks are worn correctly (remember to cover your nose as well as your mouth).

As a relatively cheap and, in most cases, convenient way to get around, metro systems have seen something of a building boom on the Chinese mainland over recent decades.

GETTING AROUND

Image via @mikeonthebeach_sh

The Weird and Wonderful World of China’s Metro Systems

By Alistair Baker-Brian

The figures speak for themselves. Before the year 2000, only Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Guangzhou had metro systems.

As of April 2022, the Chinese mainland has 45 metro systems in operation, with expansions and brand new systems in the pipeline.

Statista puts the total length of metros in China’s urban areas at 7,354.7 kilometers, as of 2020, though this figure has certainly risen since that time.

Raw stats aside, China’s metro systems are very much intertwined with the country’s recent history of development.

And if you look closely, you might just get lost in the weird and wonderful world that is China’s metros. We explore the mini-museum located in a Beijing metro station, a monorail in Chongqing that literally runs straight through an apartment block, the station “in the middle of nowhere” and the first metro connection between the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Image via @Martin.700x

Why Has China Built So Many Metro Systems?

China’s metro-building boom is tied up with the country’s development following the ushering in of the

Reform and Opening Up era. However, socioeconomics aside, there’s also a practical reason which explains China’s ability to build metro systems at a rate unmatched by other nations around the globe. Across the vast majority of metro systems in China, five main standardized trains are used. That means the same trains can be used on metro systems in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou,

Shenzhen, Xi’an, Tianjin, Wuhan, etc. So why is this important? In most countries outside of China, there is no such standardization. In countries like the United States and

Canada for instance – both of which have more than one metro system – different types of trains are used on 32different systems.

The result of this is that the fundamentals of each system such as the stations, the tracks, the bridges, etc., have to be designed differently.

RMTransit is a popular YouTube channel that focuses on railway and train-related content. In one video entitled ‘How China Built So Many Subways,’ the host explains China’s standardization as follows:

“What you find when you look at China’s metro systems is the vast majority stick to the A- and B-type trains. That’s sort of incredible.“

“This standardization has benefits because planners don’t really need to consider what the train will look like, instead they can make better decisions based on ridership and demand.“

“Things like bridges and elevated guideways can also be designed and mass-produced on a scale we can’t really do in North America. You don’t have to contend with designing a different type of bridge for every different type of train.”

Perhaps the greatest benefit of this standardization is, according to RMTransit, the design of the stations:

“Stations can often be the most expensive parts of subway projects. Thanks to common train types and capacity numbers in China, designers know exactly how long and wide platforms need to be, and even where to put the entrances and exits. You can use standardized designs from city to city.”

This helps explain why many Chinese metro stations look the same.

Here’s a comprehensive list of the different metro trains used in China, according to Baike: • Type A – a 3-meter-wide train usually used on the busiest city center metro lines such as Shenzhen Line 1, and Shanghai Line 1 and Line 2 • Type B – a 2.8-meter-wide train used for mid- to large-capacity lines • Type C – a 2.6-meter-wide train commonly known as ‘light rail’ – usually used for mid- to small-capacity lines • Type D – a 3.3-meter-wide train usually used for express lines and lines serving suburban areas, such as the Beijing Daxing Airport Express Line and Beijing Line 22 (under construction) which will connect the CBD with the remote Pinggu district • Type L – a 2.5-3.2-meter-wide train, it tends to be used for mid-capacity lines

The above five types form the mainstay of China’s subway lines. However, there are a few exceptions: • APM – a 3-meter-wide train found on Guangzhou’s APM Line, a short metro line serving key stops along the Guangdong capital’s city center • Monorail – found on above-ground metro systems in Chongqing and Wuhu • Mid- low-speed maglev trains – found on Beijing’s S1 line which serves Shijingshan and Mentougou districts

The Weird and the Wonderful – 5 of China’s Most Unique Metro Systems

Beijing – The Chinese Mainland’s First Ever Metro

No China metro story would be complete without mentioning Beijing.

Beijing Subway is its official English name, setting it apart from its counterparts in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and elsewhere which opt for ‘metro’. Construction on the system started all the way back in 1953. It first opened to the public in 1971, making it the mainland’s first metro system.

After more than 40 years, the total length of the system has now reached a whopping 780 kilometers. If you laid out the entire track heading north from Beijing, it’d end up somewhere around the border with Mongolia.

The size of the Beijing Subway system is impressive, but that’s not the only thing that’s noticeable to any keen metro observer.

Some stations feature surprisingly elegant artwork; in Yongdingmenwai station – an interchange between Line 8 and Line 14 and located at Yongdingmen gate at the most southerly point of the Beijing Central Axis – there’s even a mini–Central Axis Art Museum.

Artwork in Beijing Subway stations captured the attention of one Instagram account which goes by the name of… you guessed it… ‘Beijing Subway Art’; pictures of everything inside the stations from murals to sculptures can be seen. Who knew metro stations could be so culturally rich?

YouTuber Iain Robertson runs a travel channel named ‘For All Life’s Adventures.’ After leaving his native Scotland, he found himself working in Beijing, and couldn’t help but express his positive sentiments about the Beijing Subway to his YouTube audience.

Robertson told That’s that the subway system is “easy to navigate, and the connectivity means that you can quickly get to all the key locations with minimum stress.”

He says it’s “probably the best (metro system) in the world,” though others may disagree, of course.

Beijing Subway Line 15 in 2011. Image via Bruce Connolly Beijing Subway, Yongdingmenwai station, interchange between Line 14 and Line 8. Image via Bruce Connolly

Shanghai – The World’s Longest Metro System

As of December 2021, when two new lines were opened, the total length of the Shanghai Metro was 831 kilometers, the longest metro system in the world, as reported by China Daily.

Having first opened in 1993, Shanghai was the third city on the mainland to build a metro system after the northern megacity of Tianjin.

Given the city’s population of almost 25 million, the length of the Shanghai Metro is not so surprising. Commuters can travel as far as Disneyland and Pudong airport in the east, and even as far as neighboring Kunshan city in the west.

Apparently, the system’s breathtaking total length was not at all daunting for one particular Shanghai resident who created what he calls the Metro Challenge.

Tim Chambers made a video in July 2021 – at which time Shanghai had 17 lines – in which he documented his challenge to ride every single Shanghai Metro line in one go, as quickly as possible.

Chambers told That’s that it was not his first time attempting the challenge:

“I have now done the Metro Challenge twice, and I still think I have not quite optimized the route, so I plan to go again."

“My first time was 3 hours 37 minutes, and then 3 hours 17 minutes the second time, so I shaved off 20 minutes.”

Amazingly, Chambers recalls only having to pay RMB5.5, working out at “RMB1.7 per hour of fun.”

He says he’s considered other metro-related challenges, including visiting every single station in one day. However, he admits this may very well be impossible given the sheer number of stations.

Chongqing – The One with a Few Surprises

Liziba station, Chongqing. Image via @ mikeonthebeach_sh

Opened in 2004, the Chongqing metro now has 10 lines, but it’s not so much the numbers that make this metro line stand out.

In July 2017, CNN published the article with the headline “China’s metro station in the middle of nowhere.” They were referring to Caojiawan station, which looked to be… in the middle of nowhere.

The Line 6 station in the Beibei district is seen amongst a wasteland of weeds and rubble. When it was first built there wasn’t even a municipal road near the station, no connecting bus stops and passengers had to take a minivan to get there.

Fast forward to 2020 however, and you see a very different picture. Around Caojiawan station are newly developed roads and tower blocks under construction – a sign of China’s long-term planning strategy.

It’s almost impossible to talk about the Chongqing metro without mentioning the ‘wanghong’ station – the one all the influencers visit to take photos and videos.

Liziba station on Line 2 is particularly unique in that it is located within a block of apartments. A whole load of videos and photos can be found online showing trains on the above-ground monorail passing into the building.

And, as if that’s not enough, Chongqing is also home to the Chinese mainland’s deepest underground metro station.

Located in Jiangbei district, Hongtu Di is an interchange station between Line 10 and Line 6 and is 94 meters underground. The station has “attracted a lot of tourists,” according to an article posted on Tencent Net.

Aside from the hotpot and awesome city views, is the metro system another reason to visit Chongqing? We’ll let you decide.

Caojiawan station AKA 'The Middle of Nowhere

Shenzhen – The One that Takes You to the Border

Image via @Martin.700x

First opened in 2004, the Shenzhen Metro has expanded to include 10 lines.

The southern Chinese city is synonymous with the Reform and Opening Up era. Just think about how many times you’ve heard the lines “from a small fishing village to an economic powerhouse,” or words to that effect.

A key factor in Shenzhen’s rapid development has been its connection to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region which lies to the south.

Restrictions in both the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, as a result of COVID-19, mean that only a limited number of people can travel across each of the land borders nowadays. Prior to COVID-19, the border crossing points were abuzz with tourists, workers and those traveling to see family.

Close to each land crossing point is… you guessed it… a metro station. Let us walk you through each of them: • Luohu – located on Line 1 it was the busiest border point in Shenzhen prior to COVID-19. Luohu also used to be in the top three of China’s busiest border crossing points. The metro connects with its namesake station, Lo Wu on the Hong Kong side of the border • Futian – located on Line 4 and Line 10, Futian was the first-ever land border to be connected directly via metro to Lok Ma Chau station in Hong Kong, though you have to go through customs before changing trains, of course • Huanggang – located on Line 7, this is a big port for heavy goods vehicles. It is in operation 24/7 and offers convenient bus routes to various locations in Hong Kong • Wenjindu – located near the Wenjin station on Line 9, this was the first land crossing between the mainland and Hong Kong, well before Shenzhen's urbanization • Liantang – on Line 8 (an extension of Line 2), this recently constructed border crossing is the seventh land crossing between both sides • Shatoujiao – located near Shaotoujiao station on Line 8 (an extension of Line 2), this is one of Shenzhen’s quirkier land border crossing points. Inside Shatoujiao is a closed frontier area for which visitors need a special permit; within the area is Chung Ying (Sino-British) street, so-named because of its history of joint control by China and Britain when Hong Kong was still under British rule. Today, the area attracts numerous tourists from the Chinese mainland • Shenzhen Bay – the port is soon to be connected by Line 13. The bridge across to Hong Kong’s Yuanlang district implements a “one place two checks” policy which means Hong Kong immigration authorities can check those entering and leaving Hong Kong on the Shenzhen side of the bridge

Urumqi – China’s Far West Metro

The capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is home to the mainland’s furthest west metro.

Having first opened in October 2018, the system so far includes only one line, from Diwopu International Airport in the north to the Erdaoqiao area in the south, near the famous Grand Bazaar, the world’s largest bazaar by scale.

Announcements are given in Mandarin, English and Uygur. Furthermore, all signs are written in Uygur script, as well as both English and Chinese characters.

One Urumqi resident, known only by her English name Lydia, told That's about her experience riding the Urumqi Metro:

“Luna (her daughter) and I had a great time since it’s brand new and there were not that many people. We were able to get a seat and we tried reading the signs on the metro.”

She went on to compare it with her experience of the Shanghai metro.

“It’s really different; I always took the metro in Shanghai because it’s so convenient. But the Shanghai metro is old and really crowded all the time. During the summer, it’s freezing because of the air conditioning!”

Image via @Martin.700x

Past the Peak of the Metro Building Boom?

Many of China’s cities are still planning to expand their respective metro networks.

In Beijing for instance, the ‘Comprehensive Beijing Rail Transit Network Plan (2020-2035)’ details the future of the city’s already huge urban transit network, even connecting with Langfang city in neighboring Hebei province.

Does that mean that everywhere in China still has a hunger for metrobuilding? Not necessarily, say Sixth Tone.

In an article entitled ‘De-Platformed: China Rethinks Its Subway Addiction,’ researcher Liu Daizong notes that local officials previously saw subways and metros as a way to cut carbon emissions and deal with rapid urbanization.

However, he goes on to point out that there has also been something of a change of attitude in recent years, and that metros are not necessarily all the rage as they used to be.

Liu writes that officials “suspended applications for new subway lines in cities without existing metro systems, likely in response to mounting concerns over rising costs and runaway local debt.” He cites the experience of officials in Hunan province in June 2021 as an example.

Are we past the peak of China’s metro-building boom?

Regardless of whether this is true or not, existing metro systems are going nowhere. Whether you’re obsessed with doing a metro challenge, enjoy learning quirky metro facts, or just… you know… want to get from A to B, we hope you too can get lost in the weird and wonderful world of China’s metro systems.

Image via @Martin.700x