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This is NEWS Plus Special English.
Two grocery stores with unmanned checkouts have completed a one-day trial in Beijing and the eastern city of Hangzhou, with the intention of testing the integrity of customers.
A QR code and guidance were placed in a cashier-free outlet belonging to the Vanguard supermarket chain in downtown Hangzhou.
Customers assume the job of the cashier by scanning bar codes themselves. They have been able to pay via mobile phone or put cash in an honesty box.
The grocery store sold products worth 16,700 yuan, roughly 2,700 U.S. dollars, but only received payment to the amount of 13,700 yuan from customers. In the Beijing outlet under AMPM, a convenience store chain, staff said some customers stole products or paid less.
A Vanguard executive said cashier-free supermarkets reduce queuing time and are developing fast abroad. With an improved credit system, the Vanguard executive expects more cashier-free grocery stores to open in China.
There are cashier-free stores in other parts of China including the northeastern province of Jilin and eastern province of Shandong.
The trial was jointly run by the two store chains and Sesame Credit, a credit scoring service introduced by a financial affiliate of e-commerce giant Alibaba.
This is NEWS Plus Special English.
Twenty-six Chinese students studying in the United States have received an annual Chinese government award.
The award-winning ceremony has been held at the Chinese Consulate General in Houston. Consul General Li Qiang-min handed out the National Scholarship for Outstanding Self-Financed Chinese Students Abroad.
The recipients came from more than 10 colleges in the southern United States, and their majors covered physics, chemistry, biology, medicine and electronic engineering.
The scholarship award was set up in 2003 by the China Scholarship Council to honor overseas Chinese students with outstanding academic accomplishments. It aims to encourage research excellence and to recognize the achievements among Chinese students abroad. The award consists a 6,000 U.S. dollar prize and a certificate.
More than 4,000 overseas Chinese students have received the award. A total of 500 students received the award this year.
