As of October 1, the paper railway ticket, a fixture of Chinese travel for over a century, has been fully replaced by electronic tickets, which now also serve as official reimbursement vouchers.

This reform, jointly launched by the State Taxation Administration, the Ministry of Finance and China Railway, signifies the formal entry of China's railway services into a fully digital era.

For years, e-tickets were an option, often for high-speed rail specifically. The move to make e-tickets the sole option, and have them officially recognized by tax authorities as reimbursement vouchers, is the final step in fully digitalizing ticketing services.

Li Mingdong (Binzhou.dzwww.com): The retirement of the paper ticket is not merely a policy change, but the surface-level result of a profound digital revolution within China's railway system.

This transformation has been steadily unfolding for years: from the 2011 launch of the 12306 online ticketing platform, to the 2018 pilot of e-tickets on select lines and finally to June 2020, when even slower, cheaper "general-speed" railways were fully integrated into the system, allowing passengers to pass through gates with a simple swipe of their ID cards. The goals of this revolution have always been clear and steadfast: enhancing efficiency, improving the travel experience and conserving resources.

Yet what we truly miss is not the paper ticket itself, but the journeys and memories it represented. While the paper ticket is gone, the excitement and joy of travel remain unchanged. E-tickets will now record our passages in their own unique way.

Mian Yiping (Dahe.cn): Paper tickets are tangible witnesses to a journey. The ritual begins by retrieving them from a window or kiosk, and continues as they are carefully cradled in hand, punched at the turnstile and finally tucked into a wallet or book. This sequence of physical interactions marks the solemn commencement of a trip. In contrast, e-tickets appear with a swipe and vanish the instant a screen turns black. They are the epitome of efficiency, but they lack that tactile ceremony.

For operators, the paperless model slashes costs for printing, logistics, storage and maintenance—embodying an environmentally friendly, low-carbon development path. For passengers, it eliminates the hassle of collecting a physical ticket. There is no longer a need to arrive an hour early to queue, nor any panic over a lost slip of paper. A simple ID card swipe at the gate compresses pre-travel time to a minimum, making the journey smoother than ever. The parallel rollout of electronic invoices further dovetails with broader trends toward paperless and remote working lifestyles.

However, any profound technological shift brings its own challenges. In the case of e-tickets, the primary concern is the digital divide. As ID cards and QR codes become the sole keys to boarding, will older adults, often less familiar with smartphones and more reliant on physical media, be left struggling? Similarly, how can passengers in areas with poor network signals ensure their QR codes remain accessible? 

This highlights a universal social imperative: Amid breakneck technological progress, we must not leave behind those who struggle to keep pace. The ultimate goal of innovation should be to serve human convenience and comfort, not to force people to adapt to a cold, impersonal system. The railway authorities' transition period serves as an essential reminder: When drafting a blueprint for the future, it is essential to carve out a clear, accessible path for those who move at a different speed. BR

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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