Volunteers of the second World Internet Conference are shown wearing Chinese style blue coats while debuting at Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province. These volunteers will serve the conference from December 16-18. [Photo: Imagine China]
Preparations are in full swing for the forthcoming World Internet Conference, set to take place in one of China's most ancient towns later this week.
For such an internet-focused event, a fast enough internet access is surely a top priority.
Ge Wei, head of Wuzhen Tourism Co., Ltd., said over 3,000 new WI-FI hotspots have been installed making internet surfing in the township a fantastic experience.
"We have laid and re-enhanced over 50 kilometers of optical links in total. So, there are more than 20 'ten-gigabyte' optical cables in the whole scenic spot."
With the conference around the corner, close to 1,000 volunteers have arrived, ready to provide multilingual services.
And what's making them stand out is the color of their uniforms.
Wang Huilin, with the event's organizing committee, explains the reason behind the design.
"Wuzhen Town is one of our water towns located in the south of the Yangtze River. We want to show participants some of our national features, as well as the special flavour of our water town. So we chose the color blue 'Wuzhen blue' for our working uniforms."
This year's session takes place between Wednesday and Friday.
Internet cultural transmission, Internet development and cyber space management are among major topics.
It's also expected to provide a platform for the showcase of latest innovations in the industry.
Among the achievements to be showcased is an intelligent POS - or Point of Sale - terminal.
Different from traditional devices, the new one enables customers to pay through popular mobile applications such as WeChat and AliPay.
Customers can complete payments simply by scanning QR codes on their smartphones.
So far, local authorities have equipped about 200 local businesses with the device.
Local entrepreneur Zhang Cheng says the new machine meets a new and growing need of customers.
"In the past, many customers asked whether they could pay by WeChat or AliPay. Now after using this terminal, we really feel the immense changes the Internet has brought to our lives."
At the same time the new device can boast enhanced security features.
Qian Feng is from the Wuzhen Branch of the Agricultural Bank of China.
"The first thing ensuring payment security is the signature of the customer, which allows them to check their transaction. The second thing is that we can trace merchandisers and banks through information saved in the terminal. That way, we can safeguard tourists' rights and interests."
More than 2,000 political and business leaders from around the world will attend the event, including the prime ministers of Russia, Pakistan, and Kazakhstan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony.
