06.14.08

First Impressions of Beijing’s New Airport Terminal and More Scuffles with the Bank

Posted in Beijing, Chinese Bank Rants, Travel Log (Asia) at 12:35 pm by Benjamin Ross

The clock on my computer says 1:22 AM, but at this point I’m not even sure if that’s accurate or not, nor do I care. All I know is that I am in Beijing, with a boatload of traveling behind me and a ton of sleep in ahead.

My first impression of China on this trip was that of something which will be many peoples’ first impression of China in the years to come—the new international terminal at Beijing Capital Airport, which opened in March in anticipation of the Summer Olympic travel rush.

My very first ever impression of China also was at Beijing Capital Airport back in March of 2004. This, of course, was before the new glitzy terminal had been built. I remember exiting the 747 directly onto the tarmac and being picked up by a multi-segmented truck which looked like it had been left over from the Cultural Revolution days. During the bumpy ride to the terminal my mind couldn’t help but wonder where I came up with this crazy idea to move to China.

As I alluded to above, the new international is glitzy. I can’t think of any better term to describe it. It’s modern, clean, and well-lit, yet still has that same neutral, grey, Chinese-airport ambiance to it. Passengers exit directly onto terminal gates, and then are shuttled to the baggage claim via a modern-style tram, similar to those in international airports around the world. It’s a major improvement over the previous setup, and although it may seem superficial, this new terminal will certainly give foreign visitors a more comforting first impression on the Middle Kingdom.

My only qualm with the new terminal may be the issue of money. (longtime readers of this blog know that I already have a history of skirmishes with the Chinese banking system). I still hold an Industrial and Commercial Bank of China account, and had planned on withdrawing money as soon as I arrived in Beijing. The new airport terminal has ATMs from the big 4 Chinese banks, and in accordance to custom, half of them were either out of service or out of money. This was the case for the ICBC ATM. It was brand spanking new, with a premium, flashy, bright color screen, and was enclosed by a glass door to give privacy to the user. I’m sure it would have been a pleasure to use…if it had been working properly. To make matters even more frustrating, I had to insert my card, type my passcode, navigate through several menus, and then wait 2 full minutes for the machine to “process my request.” It was only after doing all of this, that the screen politely informed me that it was out of service.

I walked across the hall to the Agricultural Bank of China ATM, inserted my card, entered my password, and requested 300 RMB. (For a small fee, card holders from one Chinese bank may withdraw funds from another). The ATM replied that my password was incorrect and I would need to try again. I hadn’t used my card since I was last in China in October of ‘07, and while I wasn’t 100% sure of my password, I knew it could only be one of two different combinations. I inserted my card again, ready to try the second password. I was told I had exceeded my incorrect logins and could not proceed.

Seeing where I had made an error, I went up to the fourth floor to the Bank of China ATM to try the alternate password which I knew by process of elimination, had to be correct. As soon as I inserted my card, I received the same memo I had gotten from the Agricultural Bank—“incorrect logins exceeded.” Apparently, the different banks are linked in their quest to stop the problem of ATM card thieves from correctly guessing passwords…on their second try!

Near the Bank of China ATM was a currency exchange booth. As a general rule, it is never a good idea to exchange currency in an airport because of the ridiculously low rates, but I was going to need to pay for a cab. I had no other choice. The current exchange rate between RMB and USD is just under 7 to 1. I handed the woman behind at the currency exchange a 20 dollar bill. She gave me 86 RMB. This would barely even be enough to pay for the cab to my apartment. I returned the RMB, and taking back my 20, headed back to the Bank of China ATM. Finally, I settled on drawing money directly out of my US account, international transfer fees and all—something I try to avoid doing, especially when I have RMB already sitting in a Chinese account.

The scary part of this is that a) I speak Chinese b) I have lived in China for almost 4 years and c) I have a Chinese bank account. If it was this much trouble for me to get money, I can only imagine how difficult it would have been had it been my first time in the country. Well, at least the new terminal looks great! By the way, here are some pics.  And also, the banking saga is continued here.

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