Saying that food delivery in China has boomed is a colossal understatement. Over the last decade the size of its market has grown nearly 40 fold. While COVID was responsible for a lot of that, we haven’t transitioned away from food delivery because… Why would we?
说中国的食品配送已经蓬勃发展是一种巨大的轻描淡写。 在过去的十年里，其市场规模增长了近40倍。 虽然新冠病毒造成了很多原因，但我们还没有从送餐过渡，因为……我们为什么要呢？
The concept has become deeply embedded in modern Chinese culture simply because it is incredibly commodious for consumers; you can select your meal of preference, whilst sitting in the comfort of your own home wearing your favourite set of pyjamas and slippers.
这个概念已经深深植根于现代中国文化中，只是因为它对消费者来说非常方便；你可以选择你喜欢的饭菜，同时坐在自己舒适的家中，穿着你最喜欢的一套睡衣和拖鞋。
However, like many other things, food-delivery services in China are not like in the West. One of the key differences is the procedure with regards to payment. In the West, it is likely that once the delivery driver arrives at your address, they expect to be paid in cash. In China, this interaction isn’t necessary as you normally are asked to pay on the app right before sending your order through. Therefore, when your order arrives, you can simply pick it up from your front door and dig in!
然而，和许多其他事情一样，中国的送餐服务与西方不一样。 关键的区别之一是付款程序。 在西方，一旦送货司机到达您的地址，他们可能会希望以现金支付。 在中国，这种互动是不必要的，因为通常要求您在发送订单之前在应用程序上付款。 因此，当您的订单到达时，您只需从前门取走即可！
To do this, the preferable option would be to pay using Alipay or WeChat. It is possible to register a credit card for most Chinese food deliveries, however it can be slightly more difficult, especially for people who are not acquainted with the language. Paying with Alipay or WeChat pay is also a more systematic alternative as nowadays, the entire Chinese tertiary sector mainly offers one or both options as methods of mobile payment.
为此，首选使用支付宝或微信付款。 大多数中国食品配送都可以注册信用卡，但可能更难一些，特别是对于那些不熟悉语言的人来说。 使用支付宝或微信支付也是一种更系统的替代方案，因为如今，整个中国第三产业主要提供一种或两种选择作为移动支付方式。
Why might Alipay be better than WeChat?
为什么支付宝可能比微信好？
The main distinction between the two apps is that WeChat Pay is a supplementary attribute of a social communication software, while Alipay is solely a payment app. Therefore, WeChat Pay is more commonly used for everyday expenses that usually take place in person, while Alipay is known for being an effective method in carrying out online purchases.
这两个应用程序的主要区别在于微信支付是社交通信软件的补充属性，而支付宝只是一个支付应用程序。 因此，微信支付更常用于日常开支，通常亲自支付，而支付宝则以进行在线购买的有效方法而闻名。
The benefit of this is that your personal bank account is converted into an e-wallet. This will make it easier for you to enjoy fund transfers, withdrawals and credit-card-payment services without needing to worry about security issues such as whether owning an e-wallet will make it easier for others to steal your money. This is due to a forward-thinking variety of security measures, including encryption and two-factor authentication. So, you can sleep well at night knowing your money is secure and untouched.
这样做的好处是，您的个人银行账户被转换为电子钱包。 这将使您更容易享受资金转账、提款和信用卡支付服务，而不必担心安全问题，例如拥有电子钱包是否会让别人更容易偷你的钱。 这是由于前瞻性的各种安全措施，包括加密和双因素身份验证。 所以，你知道你的钱是安全的，没有被触及的，你晚上可以睡个好觉。
Moreover, Alipay has started working in both domestic and international financial institutions such as Visa and Mastercard, thus helping it expand its reach and influence as to monetary affairs.
此外，支付宝已经开始在Visa和万事达卡等国内和国际金融机构工作，从而帮助其扩大其在货币事务方面的影响力和影响力。
Issues within the food delivery industry
食品配送行业内的问题
Although there is a plethora of food-delivery apps, it is not guaranteed that they can supply you with an English version.
虽然有大量的送餐应用程序，但不能保证他们能为您提供英文版本。
For example, “美团外卖” (Meituan waimai) is one of the largest food-delivery apps in China that provide a range of cuisines from different food chains. And although you can search up the food you are looking for in English, it is also unlikely that the results or customisations are in any language other than Chinese.
例如，“美团外卖”是中国最大的送餐应用程序之一，提供来自不同食物链的一系列美食。 虽然您可以用英语搜索您要找的食物，但结果或自定义也不太可能是中文以外的任何语言。
The other dominant force in the food-delivery industry is “饿了么” (Eleme; a play on words with the Chinese for, “Are you hungry”), facilitating users in a range of activities that even go beyond the scope of ordering meals for a seemingly cheaper price than other well-known servers for the same quality of food. But, once again it lacks the option of choosing a language.
食品配送行业的另一股主导力量是“饿了么”（Eleme；与中文的“你饿了吗”的文字游戏），为用户提供一系列活动提供便利，这些活动甚至超出了以看似更便宜的价格点餐的范围，而其他知名服务员提供相同质量的食物。 但是，它再次缺乏选择语言的选项。
This could be daunting for non-Chinese speakers. But it’s actually a lot easier than it seems…
这对非中文使用者来说可能令人生畏。 但这实际上比看起来要容易得多……
What to do?
怎么办？
Once you have downloaded your desired app, you can follow this set of steps (these can be applied to any Chinese food delivery program):
下载您想要的应用程序后，您可以按照以下步骤操作（这些步骤适用于任何中国送餐计划）：
- Set up your profile. You will need to enter your Chinese phone number which you’ll be asked to confirm with a verification code.
- Insert your address. This might be the most precarious part of the process for non-Chinese speakers; hence, it may be a good idea to get a Chinese colleague or friend to help you make sure all your personal information is accurate. You really wouldn’t want your delicious dish to be delivered to the wrong address, would you?
- Select your food preference. You can do this by clicking on the numerous images and going through the list, or if you have a specific idea in mind for your meal, you can simply try searching it directly in English and see what pops up.
- Check out. Press the button at the bottom of the page to check out (去结算).
- Payment. Check your order is correct and press, “submit order” (提交订单) This will take you to your chosen payment option. The default will either be Alipay or WeChat Pay.
- Relax and wait for your order to arrive. Most restaurants will provide you with an estimated delivery time.
- Pick up your order. The delivery rider will call you when they arrive. If your Chinese is not so great, you only need one expression at this point; “Put it by the door” (放门口; fang men kou). You know what to do next!
It’s worth noting that many foreigners prefer to use Alipay for their food-delivery orders. Therein, the process is a little different, but on many levels, simpler. For example, there is no need to set up an account as you already have an Alipay account! The above step for inserting your address is at the end of the procedure, at which point you can also choose from a range of nearby options. Alipay also works exclusively with Eleme, which is generally a bit cheaper than Meituan for exactly the same thing.
值得注意的是，许多外国人更喜欢使用支付宝来订购送餐。 在那里，这个过程有点不同，但在许多层面上，更简单。 例如，无需设置帐户，因为您已经有一个支付宝帐户！ 上述插入地址的步骤在程序的末尾，此时您还可以从附近的一系列选项中进行选择。 支付宝也专门与Eleme合作，Eleme通常比美团便宜一点。
As technology continues to advance, it is becoming clear that a cashless and digital-global society is the future for us. China is one of the few countries ahead of this curve, so while you’re here in the Middle Kingdom, why not take advantage of its financial arrangement and engage in Chinese e- commerce, especially when it comes to benign online transactions like ordering food delivery?
随着技术的不断进步，越来越明显的是，一个无现金和数字化的全球社会是我们的未来。 中国是少数几个走在这条曲线前列的国家之一，所以当你在中王国的时候，为什么不利用其金融安排，参与中国的电子商务，尤其是像订购送餐等良性的在线交易呢？