Core Insights - The People's Bank of China (PBOC) in Baoding is enhancing the acceptance environment for foreign cards to boost inbound consumption and improve payment convenience for foreign visitors and elderly individuals [1][2][3] Group 1: Payment Environment Improvement - PBOC Baoding has established a dedicated task force to optimize payment services, conducting extensive research and collaboration with various departments to identify key tasks for improving foreign card acceptance [2] - A total of 1,174 key merchants across various sectors such as food, accommodation, transportation, tourism, shopping, entertainment, education, and healthcare have been selected for POS machine upgrades to facilitate foreign card transactions [2] - The coverage of foreign card acceptance has reached 100% in major tourist attractions, hotels, transportation hubs, and core business districts in Baoding, significantly enhancing the international payment service level [2][3] Group 2: Demonstration Zone Development - Wanbo Plaza has been established as a model payment service demonstration zone, featuring upgraded payment environments with clear signage and multilingual payment guides for foreign visitors and the elderly [2][3] - The demonstration zone includes a comprehensive "four-dimensional payment" system integrating bank cards, mobile payments, cash, and digital RMB, with bilingual consultation services and dedicated windows for elderly and foreign clients [3] Group 3: Financial Network Service Optimization - PBOC Baoding is facilitating simplified account opening services for foreign visitors and elderly individuals, including dual-language guides and online appointment options [4][5] - As of May 2025, all bank branches in the area will offer simplified account opening for foreign visitors, with 1,459 ATMs supporting foreign card withdrawals and 1,352 "elderly-friendly" bank branches established [5] Group 4: Promotion and Awareness Campaigns - PBOC Baoding is actively promoting payment services through various channels, including traditional and new media, to enhance public awareness and facilitate payment methods for visitors [6] - By May 2025, a total of 371 offline promotional events and 51 online promotional materials have been produced to guide visitors on payment methods in China [6]