Beijing continues to enhance services, assistance for int'l visitors

Beijing has stepped up efforts to provide support to international travelers with enhanced service centers and assistance points being set up at airports in the Chinese capital, as the expansion of visa-free policies in China sees the arrival of more people from overseas.

One-stop service counters have been operational in the international arrival areas of the Beijing Capital International Airport and the city's Daxing International Airport since the start of the year.

The counters offer over 20 types of essential services in areas such as finance, communication, transportation, culture and tourism, ensuring foreign visitors can find convenient information to help their travel go smoothly.

Foreign travelers can visit the counters to make cash withdrawals with their bank cards, exchange currency, and get help with downloading local mobile payment apps.

In the Mobile Services area, services such as the issuance of SIM cards for mobile phones and airport Wi-Fi access are provided.

Wang Shuo, an employee from China Unicom, one of the country's largest telecoms companies, introduced a special SIM card which is being offered to international travelers.

"It basically has three basic functions. First, it works like a regular SIM card, which means you can make phone calls and go on the Internet. Another one is you can make a payment with it without download any apps. You don't need Alipay, you don't need to download WeChat. The last function will be [for] taking public transportation, which means you can take buses or the subway," he said.

Additionally, travelers can buy a 'Beijing Pass' -- a versatile card designed to simplify transportation, sightseeing and shopping payments.

The counters also offer help and advice on how to buy subway tickets or airport shuttle bus passes, while a selection of brochures featuring cultural, sports and business activities are also available.

Staff say they are on-hand around the clock to offer assistance to all arrivals.

"We are here 24 hours a day and seven days a week. And if you have any questions, just come to this counter. We will try our best to help you and we always provide information about the terminal facilities and transportation and how to use the mobile payments and the common applications in China," said Cai Pengcheng, a staff member at a service center at the Beijing Capital International Airport.

Beijing continues to enhance services, assistance for int'l visitors

Essential relief supplies including basic food items and water have been donated by people from all across China to help residents being housed at temporary resettlement sites following Tuesday's deadly earthquake in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.

The powerful 6.8-magnitude quake struck Dingri County in Xigaze City on Tuesday morning, claiming at least 126 lives, injuring 188 others, and causing the collapse of more than 3,600 houses.

Several towns and villages in Dinrgi have been badly affected, including the remote and mountainous Cuoguo Town. Located at an altitude of approximately 4,200 meters above sea level, the town has been one of the hardest-hit in the disaster, with 158 houses being completely destroyed.

Learning of the situation, many warm-hearted people from all over China have sent food, drinking water, and other living materials to help those in the region. The supplies have been loaded onto trucks and sent out to the disaster zone.

"We prepared five trucks of mineral water and one truck of instant noodles. When trouble occurs at one spot, help comes from all quarters," said Dawa Dunzhu, one of the donors. "We urgently prepared vehicles, daily necessities, instant noodles, sausages, and water, hoping to do whatever we can to help the quake-affected residents," said Yuan Xing, another volunteer helping deliver the items.

In addition, a batch of over 1,000 pressure cookers donated by several enterprises have been distributed to the residents of Cuoguo Town, with nearly 4,000 more still waiting to be sent out.

These pots and the various food items are enabling quake-affected residents to cook hot meals in their temporary tents, helping them fend off the cold winter weather as overnight temperatures have reportedly plunged as low as minus 18 degrees Celcius.

Relief materials, food items donated to help quake-affected residents in Xizang