Nabina, a student at Beijing Foreign Studies University, expresses her appreciation for Alipay, the leading third-party payment platform in China. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Some of the expats even said that Alipay – China's leading third-party payment platform – should be listed as a great invention of the 21st century or even listed as an intangible cultural heritage!

Other honorable mentions included social messaging app Wechat, online food and delivery services, 4G, chilli sauce Lao Gan Ma, portable chargers, tea ceremonies, and kung fu.