Cash or WeChat?

摘要

IT IS SAID to be the second-most-popular destination for Chinese visitors to Britain after Buckingham Palace, yet Liu Xiaoming, China's ambassador to the country since 2009, jokes that he has refused invitations to take part in tree-planting ceremonies there. The attraction is Bicester, a town in Oxfordshire of little note for tourists except for its shopping centre, called Bicester Village (pictured). It is a kilometre-long strip of more than 160 clapboard outlets selling luxury brands at a discount: Boss, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace and many more.