Trending in Beijing: Completed Daxing Airport, No-Fee Subway Cards, and Trash Sorting Galore
The fun, the strange, and the what-on-earth-is-this: Trending in Beijing is a wrap-up of top stories in Beijing as told by the trending hashtags, local press, and general power of the internet.
Ta-da! Construction of Daxing Airport is officially finished
Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking: the Beijing Daxing International Airport is almost ready for passengers! Construction at the massive Beijing south-end-situated airport officially finished on Jun 30. Now the oddly shaped structure, occasionally referred to as the orange starfish, has entered a preparatory stage that is expected to last until it officially opens on Sep 30, just in time for the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party of China on Oct 1.
A time-lapse showing the construction of the airport (complete with an overly dramatic soundtrack, no less) illustrates the speed in which the entire 1,000,000sqm, seven-runway airport was constructed. Besides the usual amenities, the airport will also boast five gardens in the departure lounge, and the fifth floor will offer an unobstructed view inside the terminal so you can wave your friends all the way into the plane.
Meanwhile, Beijing transit is readying a new train line that will connect the city center to the airport. Trains will run at 160km/h compared to the regular 80km/h subway speed.
Netizens are following the latest news about the airport under #北京大兴国际机场# (Beijing Daxing International Airport).
Free public transport cards on your phone
Following last week's news that you'll soon be able to use your Yikatong transport card almost anywhere in China, as of Jul 3 Beijing has canceled its mobile phone transportation card setup fee, making installation of the Yikatong app free. While users previously had to pay a deposit of RMB 20, the same fee for the physical card, that charge will now be waived. In doing so, Beijing has become the first city in the country to drop the phone setup deposit. Additionally, your Yikatong can now also be used in the greater Jing-Jin-Ji area, meaning Tianjin and Hebei for most of us.
Where do we go from here? Well, it seems like mobile swiping is the inevitable next step. This advertisement made to promote Xiaomi's near-field communication (NFC) service documents an arsenal of dweebs struggling with their unending pile of cards versus a mobile-swiping everyman superhero who never breaks a sweat. Not so sexy, perhaps, but wait! Throw in some helpless young women who are hugely impressed with swipe technology and who can't pay for items or get into buildings on their own because they themselves apparently don't carry cards or a phone, and you have a winning commercial.
Join in the canceled card fee discussion under #北京将取消手机一卡通开卡费# (Beijing cancels the mobile transportation card fee).
Beijing begins its complicated and strict recycling routine
Truth be told, any amount of recycling can seem complicated after years of throwing everything into one bin (hey, we've just about got the TP down pat!). However, with China now placing second only behind the United States in terms of trash production, the government has realized that it's probably about time to have its citizens start recycling (although an even better start would be to stop packing waimai into five plastic bags, but hey, what do we know?).
After Shanghai launched the strictest recycling regulations in the country this past week, with maximum fines for individual offenders capped at RMB 200 and RMB 500,000 for businesses, Beijing won't be far behind. Regulations will gradually be rolled out to incentivize households to sort their waste into four bins: wet items, dry items, recyclable waste, and hazardous waste. Sounds easy? Where would you put sunflower seeds? Dry? Wrong! They're a wet item, you idiot. Don't worry, we choked too. Luckily, the government has released a series of videos and even an HTML 5 page (access via your phone) to help you sort through it all.
On the bright side, this complicated recycling system has inspired China's best meme makers.
Netizens are discovering the wonderful world of trash under #北京将推动垃圾分类立法# (Beijing to promote legislation on waste classification). Alternatively, if you think you have what it takes, you can test yourself via our little quiz, right here.
READ: Can Tougher New Regulations Address China's Smoggy First Quarter in 2019?
Images: Weibo
