“You Can’t Even Buy Bread”: People Line Up To Charge Phones After Typhoon Yagi Hits China

China’s Hainan province was hit by Typhoon Yagi, the strongest storm in Asia this year, on September 6. With wind speeds reaching 234 km/h, the typhoon brought heavy rains and left widespread destruction. Power outages have created significant difficulties for residents, sparking a viral conversation on social media about the challenges of living in a cashless society. Many find themselves unable to conduct transactions without access to mobile devices.

The video, shared on platform X, shows residents crowding around a makeshift charging station, where a vendor has set up an engine-powered system to help people recharge their phones. The caption emphasised the severity of the situation: “After the typhoon, water and electricity were cut off. People desperately want to charge their phones, as all their money is stored in mobile wallets. Without a phone, you can’t even buy bread.”

Downside of cashless society

Hainan, China??
After the typhoon, the water and electricity were cut off, Chinese people desperately wanted to charge their phones.
Because all your money is in your mobile phone. Without a mobile phone, you can’t even buy a piece of bread. https://t.co/EfluhEUilv pic.twitter.com/IYEGEnW0Tr

— Songpinganq (@songpinganq) September 9, 2024

The video has sparked conversations about the potential vulnerabilities of a fully cashless society, particularly in times of crisis. 

In a separate video, concerns over the reliance on electric vehicles were raised. It showed residents rushing to charging stations as their vehicles ran out of power. The post pointed out that only those with a social credit score of 550 or above can recharge using WeChat, China’s primary digital wallet.

During Covid, in China, if your vaccine passport expired (the code in your Covid app turns to red), you were not allowed to pay with digital wallet WeChat.

When you pass checkpoint with red code, immediately an alarm goes off..then you would be sent off to a quarantine camp. pic.twitter.com/1uEN7JYaWu

— Songpinganq (@songpinganq) September 10, 2024

The videos also highlighted another aspect of China’s digital economy: digital currency with expiration dates. Users must spend their money within a set timeframe or risk losing access to it. Moreover, accounts can be frozen based on social credit scores, further restricting access to funds. The posts referenced previous instances during the Covid-19 pandemic when citizens were prevented from using digital payments if their vaccination passports expired, cutting off access to essential services.