Taking advantage of the rare coolness after the rain, post-90s Macau resident Liang Shanheng first went back to his hometown in Zhuhai, Guangdong to visit relatives, had a delicious seafood meal at an authentic small restaurant at the village entrance, took a taxi at his fingertips, crossed the Shenzhen Zhongshan Expressway to meet friends in Shenzhen, and finally returned home at night. When eating, drinking, traveling, and playing in mainland China, you can use MPay (Macau Wallet) to complete the payment with a scan. You can also use the mini program inside to take a taxi or order milk tea. ”Liang Shanheng sighed, the experience of cross-border consumption is so great! The first thing to do after passing customs is to exchange currency, which has long been a thing of the past in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. I departed from Guangzhou and went on a business trip to Macau with my Hong Kong colleagues. Along the way, we each used our mobile phones to pay for taxis, meals, and hotel stays without any obstacles, "said Xu Ling, who works for a large enterprise." The expenses were directly deducted from my mainland bank account, and it was also convenient for me to come back for reimbursement. Cross border payment platform officially launched on June 22nd, making cross-border payments faster and more convenient; AlipayHK (Alipay Hong Kong) and MPay (Macau Wallet) have been successively connected to the metro and bus systems in the core cities of the Greater Bay Area; The electronic wallet for Hong Kong and Macao residents has functions such as "easy consumption" and "easy travel", covering about 200 cross-border mini programs such as catering, taxi hailing, and renting power banks... The cross-border payment system of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao is accelerating integration, with "one code" smooth travel to the three places, and cross-border "buy buy buy buy" and "go eat" becoming increasingly "smooth", continuing to boost consumption in the Greater Bay Area. It is normal for Hong Kong resident Dai Shanni to sleep until after 10 pm on weekends without cash. She takes a bus to the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port and skillfully scans the QR code on the ticket at the automatic ticket vending machine to purchase tickets, and then scans the QR code on the ticket to board the bus. More than 40 minutes later, she was sitting with her friends in a restaurant in Zhuhai, ready to indulge in a feast. Playing with a mobile phone in Zhuhai, eating, taking a taxi, shopping, and playing murder mystery games... made Dai Shanni exclaim that it was "satisfying". "I can also take the subway in Hong Kong and go directly to Luohu, Shenzhen. Cross border is so convenient. I go to Guangdong almost every month to meet friends, taste food, make manicures, and buy some articles for daily use." Dai Shanni said, "I didn't bring any cash with me. After a day of playing in the mainland, I used AlipayHK (Alipay Hong Kong), which is connected to a Hong Kong bank card, to scan and pay all the way. ”A seemingly ordinary cross-border consumption is a vivid portrayal of the accelerated formation of the "one hour living circle" in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. With the increasingly dense "hard connectivity" network of transportation infrastructure and the more convenient "soft connectivity" policies such as entry and exit clearance modes, the flow of people between Hong Kong, Macao, and mainland China is becoming more and more frequent, triggering a cross-border consumption boom and driving sustained prosperity in logistics, capital flow, and other areas within the Bay Area. According to the statistics from the Zhuhai Border Inspection Station and the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge Border Inspection Station, as of April 27th this year, the number of inbound and outbound passengers on the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge has exceeded 10 million, and the clearance volume has exceeded 10 million, 25 days earlier than in 2024, breaking the fastest record since the opening of the port. Thanks to a series of policies in the construction of the Hengqin Guangdong Macao Deep Cooperation Zone, the number of inbound and outbound passengers at Hengqin Port reached over 10 million on May 7th, a year-on-year increase of 32%... More personnel exchanges have brought more "food, accommodation, transportation, tourism, shopping and entertainment". According to statistics from the Zhuhai Municipal Bureau of Commerce, from January 1 to May 31, 2025, there will be an average of 2335 daily "Australian cars heading north" and 2855 daily "Hong Kong cars heading north" entering the country via the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge. The cross-border consumption of Hong Kong and Macao residents has driven a clear trend of consumption growth in Zhuhai. According to the 2024 survey statistics, a wide range of dining and shopping options are popular consumer categories for Hong Kong and Macao residents coming to Zhuhai. Price discounts and diverse categories are still the main considerations for Hong Kong and Macao residents coming to Zhuhai for consumption, "said the person in charge of the Zhuhai Municipal Bureau of Commerce. The convenience of cross-border payments has continuously improved the quality of the unified market in the Greater Bay Area, and the consumer market continues to be hot and bustling. Nowadays, many Hong Kong tourists use mobile payments, and we have also opened free cross-border mobile WiFi, making it faster for them to scan codes for consumption. ”Zhuang Meirong, the general manager of the Shenzhen Leading Exhibition Center City project, said. Although Liang Shanheng's current "fingertip" consumption is very "smooth", he has also encountered inconvenience in the past. I have known for a long time that relatives and friends in mainland China buy things on Taobao, which feels very novel. When I finally had the opportunity to independently own a mainland bank card, I attempted to open a RMB account in Zhuhai. However, due to my Macau identity, I had to visit three banks in a row and fill out a lot of documents before finally managing to do so. ”Liang Shanheng recalled. The salary is MOP. If you want to spend money in the mainland, you need to either change RMB first or recharge the RMB account in the mainland in order to use the associated Alipay. Now, I don't need to open a mainland account specifically. In places like Zhuhai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, I can usually directly scan MPay (Macau Wallet). ”She said that the fees are deducted directly from her Macau account, which is convenient and the consumption records are clear at a glance. The 'soft connectivity' of payment originates from the deep cultivation of technology and rules in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. Starting from April, with the tripartite cooperation between Guangzhou Metro Group and Ant Group's comprehensive wallet solutions Alipay+and Macau Pass, Macau residents can use the Guangzhou Metro ride code on MPay (Macau Wallet) to take subways, buses, trams, water buses, and even Foshan Metro in Guangzhou. "In the past year, when Hong Kong users used AlipayHK (Alipay Hong Kong), more than 10 million people traveled north. ”Li Yongshi, General Manager of Ant International Business Greater China, said. In recent years, the "Three Wallets Interconnection in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao" project has helped users in the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao use Alipay, AlipayHK and MPay to achieve "one code" consumption in multiple cities in the Greater Bay Area. After worry free cross-border consumption and shopping, the convenience and interconnectivity of transportation have further stimulated the travel enthusiasm of residents in the Bay Area. At the same time, new policies such as "one sign for multiple trips" for registered residence residents and holders of residence permits to travel to Hong Kong, "one week trip" for registered residence residents to travel to Macao, and "one sign for multiple trips" for registered residence residents and holders of residence permits to travel to Macao in Hengqin Guangdong Macao Deep Cooperation Zone were launched one after another, and people from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao came and went. Many mainland residents who come to Hong Kong and Macau for consumption also experience a payment experience that is almost indistinguishable from that of the mainland. Not long ago, Shenzhen resident Xiaochun went to Hong Kong to watch a performance and also went shopping in Harbour City. "Just like in mainland China, you can use WeChat Pay to directly exchange Hong Kong dollars for Chinese yuan when making a purchase. After scanning the code, you will receive a text message reminder of the bank card deduction fee, which is very convenient." With the deepening implementation and continuous optimization of "Hong Kong car northward" and "Australian car northward", Hong Kong and Guangdong are also actively planning to "Guangdong car southward". It is reported that the policy will allow Guangdong private cars that meet the conditions to enter Hong Kong through the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge without the need for regular quotas, and can be booked in advance. This will make it more convenient for short-term business, family visits, or tourism to travel south. It is reported that in the future, we will continue to promote the integration of electronic wallets in medical services, government affairs and other livelihood scenarios in the three regions, providing more inclusive and convenient support for residents in cross-border tourism, work, family visits, life and other aspects. The consumption scene is more abundant. Punching in the park, participating in the race, and drawing prizes... Located in the PO PARK Oriental Baotai Shopping Plaza in the business circle of Guangzhou East Railway Station, a "egg friend encounter" with Internet enterprises is being held. Interesting activities have attracted many consumers, including Hong Kong and Macao passengers who just arrived by train. Walking around, you will find that this shopping mall blends seamlessly with Guangzhou East Station and the subway station in terms of layout. Passengers who come by train almost enter the store as soon as they leave the door, and its business district attracts a large number of Hong Kong and Macau tourists. "In order to enable passengers from all over the world to experience rich and colorful consumption conveniently and quickly, the mall has spared no effort to promote cross-border mobile payment applications in the settled stores and promote them point-to-point through WeChat official account. Ye Songxi, president of PO PARK Oriental Baotai Shopping Plaza, said that since the Canton Fair this spring, the shopping plaza has also jointly launched the promotion activity of scanning business circle posters to receive "welfare bags", so that overseas wallet users such as Alipay (Alipay Hong Kong) and MPay (Macau wallet) can enjoy full purchase and immediate reduction of mobile payment. In the "TOP TOY", a Chaoplay chain store on the bottom floor of the mall, there are a variety of China-Chic series hand-operated stores and international famous hand-operated stores. Many young customers in their twenties, either alone or in groups, walk in front of the shelves while watching. When they meet someone they like, they simply take them down to play. The sign at the checkout shows that this store supports over 10 types of overseas wallet QR code payments. Nowadays, the 'blind box economy' and 'guzi economy' have become new consumer hotspots, and mainland stores not only have a wide variety of products, but also offer affordable prices. ”Store manager Li Jiayao said that before getting on the bus back to Hong Kong to take a stroll, it has become a choice for many tourists, sometimes buying blind boxes worth hundreds of yuan. This "get off the car and enter the store" mall is just a small microcosm of the "big business district" of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. During this year's May Day holiday, shopping and travel destinations such as Hema Fresh, Miniso, Pop Mart, and Shenzhen Tong in Guangdong have seen a large influx of cross-border consumption, with high popularity of lifestyle services such as dental cleaning, medical beauty, and Sinopec refueling. The seamless and convenient payment experience not only solves the payment inconvenience concerns of inbound travelers, but also allows more mainland small shops to easily transform into "cross-border small shops", seamlessly delivering various innovative consumption scenarios to overseas consumers. It is reported that currently, through the "one end multiple investment" technology of Alipay+cross-border services, about 200 mini programs have been "launched" on multiple overseas payment software, such as power banks, massage chairs, claw machines, luggage lockers, etc., which are deeply loved by consumers. How to further enhance the experience of cross-border consumers? Ye Songxi suggested strengthening the linkage between businesses, collaborating with each other to carry out innovative activities, and jointly creating richer consumption scenarios, replacing inefficient "internal competition" with mutual benefit and progress. (New Society)