Media OutReach
Bridging the Digital Divide: 5G Drives Rural Revitalization in Guangxi, China
Chongzuo is characterized by impressive karst landforms with peak clusters and peak forests. This breathtaking terrain presents huge challenges for communications network buildout. To overcome these geographic barriers, China Mobile and Huawei have collaborated on technological innovations in a bid to achieve comprehensive network coverage. Today, all administrative villages in Chongzuo have access to 5G networks, while 99% of its natural villages have 4G coverage and 94% have 5G coverage.
Buhua Village is within the jurisdiction of Chongzuo City. The village upgraded its networks from 4G to 5G as early as 2021, offering residents digital services on par with those seen in major cities. The deployment of advanced communications networks has catalyzed the growth of Buhua’s distinctive local industries.
In Xinhe Town, where the village is situated, a digital e-commerce ecosystem has been established, featuring 65 product stores on platforms like JD.com and Douyin, which are collectively owned by the village. Furthermore, a live-streaming incubation base has been established, nurturing 27 local live streamers. These stores secure over CNY300,000 in revenue each year by selling local specialties like Buhua brown sugar. This is a handcrafted product that is recognized as intangible cultural heritage, with a 150% price premium over normal brown sugar. It is sold to tier-1 cities in China, like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, and is even exported overseas, including to Japan and South Korea.
Digital technology is also driving the upgrade of the local tourism industry. China Mobile has established an intelligent ticketing system at the Heishui River, which is Buhua Village’s most popular scenic spot where activities like rafting, boat tours, and paddleboarding are available for tourists. This system has reduced the average time for tourists to purchase tickets from 20 minutes to just 3 minutes, with online purchases now accounting for 30% of the total. Accommodation can also be booked through the system, which has increased the booking rate of local homestays by 30%.
Digitalization has further expanded to the ecological protection field. A safety monitoring and IT system project for modern irrigation engineering along the Heishui River has been launched, with investment totaling CNY100 million. Supported by the Bianjiang Zhizhou open AI platform, the digital monitoring system is set to cover 13 towns across four counties/districts in Chongzuo. Once up and running, it will enable the integrated, real-time monitoring of water quality and other ecological parameters of the Heishui River, and intelligently issue early warnings to guarantee safe water irrigation across 60,000 hectares of farmland in the river basin.
Digitalization has helped Buhua Village make the jump from poverty to prosperity. In 2025, the village’s annual collective economic income (generated from assets, land, or enterprises owned by the village community rather than individuals) exceeded CNY500,000. The average income of every household reached over CNY80,000, three times the average income from traditional sugarcane farming. The annual per capita income of villagers increased by CNY18,000. As a result, an increasing number of young people have chosen to return to the village and develop their careers.
Zhou Peng, General Manager of China Mobile Guangxi’s Chongzuo Branch, said, “By bridging the digital divide, we are helping remote villages like Buhua develop digital trade alongside traditional agriculture. This is transforming resources that were not fully used in the past due to geographical limitations into strong momentum for economic growth in the digital age.”
Tian Yongsheng, Deputy General Manager of Huawei Guangxi, noted, “Huawei is supporting China Mobile in building a solid digital foundation for Chongzuo with innovative solutions. We look forward to seeing technology overcome geographical limitations and enable more remote villages to achieve leapfrog development in the 5G and AI era.”
Hashtag: #Huawei
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GoTyme Bank becomes the first digital bank in the Philippines to enable Apple Pay, expanding secure and seamless digital payments for 10 million customers
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 August 2026 – Paymentology, the leading global issuer processor, today announced the successful launch of Apple Pay for GoTyme Bank in the Philippines. Through this launch, GoTyme becomes one of the first issuers in the Philippine market to enable Apple Pay, giving 10 million customers an easy, secure and private way to pay using their Apple devices.
As one of the country’s fastest-growing digital banks, GoTyme continues to accelerate its digital payments strategy by expanding secure, seamless and convenient payment experiences for Filipino consumers. Customers can now securely add their GoTyme debit card to Apple Wallet and make contactless payments in stores, within apps and online wherever Apple Pay is accepted.
Apple Pay uses industry-leading tokenisation technology, meaning card numbers are never stored on devices or shared with merchants. Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, with every transaction authenticated through Face ID, Touch ID or a device passcode, providing an additional layer of security while delivering a fast, frictionless checkout experience.
Nate Clark, President and CEO at GoTyme Bank commented: “At GoTyme Bank, we’re constantly looking for ways to make banking simpler, safer and more rewarding for our customers. Bringing Apple Pay to GoTyme Bank customers in the Philippines gives them an easy and secure way to pay wherever they shop while continuing to earn rewards points on all their transactions. This is another step in our commitment to making everyday banking more beautiful and convenient for our customers.
The launch comes as digital payments continue to reshape the Philippine economy. According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), digital payments now account for more than half of all retail payment transactions, as consumers increasingly embrace mobile-first banking and contactless payments. Meanwhile, smartphone penetration continues to rise, supporting growing demand for digital wallets and tokenised payment experiences. As digital commerce accelerates, enabling secure mobile payments through services such as Apple Pay is becoming an increasingly important differentiator for financial institutions.
Minh-Ha Truong, Head of Growth, APAC at Paymentology, added: “As a long-standing partner to GoTyme, we’re proud to support another significant milestone in its growth journey. Bringing Apple Pay to market demonstrates how modern, cloud-native issuer processing enables digital banks to rapidly deliver innovative payment experiences while maintaining the highest standards of security, scalability and performance. Together, we’re helping shape the future of digital payments in the Philippines.”
The launch further strengthens GoTyme’s position as one of Southeast Asia’s leading digital banks and highlights the value of Paymentology’s cloud-native issuer processing platform in helping banks and fintechs rapidly introduce innovative payment capabilities that meet evolving customer expectations.
Hashtag: #Paymentology
https://www.paymentology.com/
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Media OutReach
New Documentary Under the Hakka Liugdui Sun From Discovery to Debut on August 20 in Southeast Asia
Set against the sun-drenched landscapes of southern Taiwan, Under the Hakka Liugdui Sun highlights how the people of Liugdui have thrived alongside the land for over 300 years. Following local scholars, farmers, and artisans, the documentary explores how this community adapts its deep-rooted traditions—from water stewardship to food heritage—in response to environmental and economic change, offering vital modern insights on sustainability, rural revitalization, and cultural continuity.
Across three episodes—Water, agriculture, and food—the documentary explores how the people of Liugdui blend tradition with modern innovation. Viewers meet groundwater experts, farmers pioneering sustainable crops, and artisans repurposing local materials like betel nut, alongside culinary practitioners who preserve Hakka identity through ancestral rituals, communal feasts, and family traditions that unite generations.
Audiences will discover a community that views tradition not as something fixed in the past, but as a living legacy that continues to evolve. From innovative groundwater management and botanical dyeing to ritual feasts and modern interpretations of Hakka cuisine – the documentary celebrates the creativity, resilience, and values that have sustained Liugdui for centuries.
Under the Hakka Liugdui Sun premieres in Southeast Asia on Discovery Channel, Thursday, August 20 at 7:10pm; TLC Channel, Monday, August 24 at 7:10pm; and Discovery Asia, Tuesday, August 25 at 9:25pm.
Hashtag: #Discovery
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About Discovery Channel
The launch press conference broke away from tradition with a vibrant runway show featuring celebrity “Hot Spring Travel Navigators,” including acclaimed chef Edward Lee from Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars, visual identity creative director Yen Po-Chun, TSUTAYA BOOKSTORE Taiwan Chairman Kazuma Otsuka, and actor-host Andrew Chau. Together with local businesses, they showcased regional agriculture, specialties, and lifestyle products.
The official launch celebration kicks off on September 4 at Guguan Park in Taichung, featuring a themed parade with over 500 participants and the lighting ceremony for the Lishan–Guguan Light Art Festival, which stars a massive eight-meter “OhBear” light installation. The festivities continue on September 5 with a guided tribal trekking tour in Guguan, offering participants an exclusive NT$500 accommodation discount.
To promote four-season wellness tourism globally, the campaign partners with the East Asia Hot Spring Association for an international symposium on September 4. Key promotions also include complimentary LINE POINTS for new followers, curated packages starting at NT$299, and a flash sale of 800 limited NT$1 Hot Spring Vouchers for the Double 11 Shopping Festival. Furthermore, cross-sector collaborations offer half-price entry to national forest areas, limited-edition Taiwan Railway bento boxes, and Guanziling mud spring skincare products to enrich the travel experience.Hashtag: #TaiwanFourSeasonSprings
https://www.trimt-nsa.gov.tw/zh-tw/
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