Keen to avoid cumbersome, fraud-prone checks and cash, China meanwhile is leaping into smart technology with its Golden Card project.

CNN: ASIANOW - Asiaweek

It is all part of the aptly named Golden Card Project, which mainly involves implementing ATM and debit card networks at 12 pilot sites throughout the country.

CNN: HESE DAYS WHEN CHINESE

"The Golden Card Project aims to go beyond basic banking services, " says David Knapp, regional marketing manager for Tandem, the U.S. computer-maker that provided the equipment for the Hainan experiment.

CNN: HESE DAYS WHEN CHINESE

There is also a wild card: Kenny Golden, the chairman of Virginia Beach Republicans for six years, who is running as an independent.

ECONOMIST: Virginia's second district

Either way, you can now use a credit card to eat at the Golden Arches.

NPR: Rabid Reader: 'Fat Land' and U.S. Supersizing