China's first credit card appeared in 1979. The Bank of China headquarters in Beijing later replaced all of its branch credit cards with the Great Wall credit cards, first issued in June, 1986. At that time, a possession of a credit card was considered a symbol of wealth and status. Some people even cheated on their credit card applications just to get a card highlighting their status. Even 15 years later, in a survey done by MasterCard and China Women News in several major Chinese cities, around 10 percent of people said that the credit card contributed to their self-confidence. Over 50 percent of people surveyed said they applied for a credit card for its convenience and security.
中国第一张信用卡出现在1979年。1986年6月，中国银行北京总行首次发行长城信用卡，取代了先前所有分行发行的信用卡。当时，拥有信用卡被认为是财富和地位的象征。有些人甚至在信用卡申请上作弊，只为得到一张卡来彰显身份。即使15年之后，一项由万事达公司（MasterCard）和《中国女性新闻》（China Women News）在中国几个主要城市做的调查仍显示，约有10%的人说持有信用卡使他们更加自信。超过50%的被调查者表示申请信用卡是因为看重它的便捷性和安全性。
