As I've mentioned before, many people in Chengdu speak Sichuanese, which is the local dialect of the Sichuan Province in China. Unfortunately, I spent a year learning proper Mandarin (mostly spoken by northern cities), so when I arrived in Chengdu, I barely understood what people were saying. Recently though, I've been getting used to the dialect! In fact, I hailed a cab the other day and the taxi driver was surprised when I told him that I grew up in the US. He thought I was a local because of my Sichuanese accent! I'm also starting to understand a lot more of what the people around me are saying.
The Chinese Yuan exists in both paper and coin form. However, I've discovered that locals rarely carry cash with them. Mobile payments are a huge thing here. When using mobile payments, you basically download an application onto your phone (there are many different apps to choose from) and link your bank card to it. Whenever you need to buy something, all you have to do is launch the app and scan a barcode to pay. It's so convenient and it has saved me on numerous occasions when there isn't an ATM nearby for me to withdraw money. The best part is that many of the apps offer coupons and discounts!
