I’m not sure I want to tell you where to find the money changer becasuse he’s been there for many years and provides a valuable service to locals and foreigners alike.
I have introduced many people to him. He gives a better rate than a bank, there are no forms to fill in and no request for ID. Bascially you hand him the cash and tell him what currency you want.
I remember one day a few eyars ago, I went to the man to get some dollars and there was a woman being dealt with so I had to wait. Where else in the world would you find a woman standing in the street with a holdall FULL of 100RMB notes.
The money changers sat under their umbrella counting the notes quickly in the Chinese style and putting them in bundles in a pile on the floor and making a note of how many bundles, on a notepad. The woman continued to hand over the bundles for counting as people wander past seemingly disinterested in the massive amount of cash.
It really wouldn’t take much for someone with a weapon to come along and rob these people but the staff and customers don’t seem to be concerned at all.
I wonder how the Chinese govt. tolerate the street money changers when there are so many regulations around money.
Those who have changed money the official way in the bank, filled out multiple forms, handed over their passport and watched as the cashier spends 30 minutes basjing the keyboard and clicking the mouse, will appreciate the convenience of this street money changer.
I just hope that such an important financial institution will still be on the street for many yeas to come providing a quick, cheap and pain free foreign exchange service.