Avio dines in a restaurant in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Avio, an exchange student from the Republic of Estonia, just finished his thesis and is finally able to explore the Chinese city he's spent the most time in – Ningbo in Zhejiang Province. 

As a graduate of information technology, Avio is particularly impressed by the extensive applications of technology in Ningbo and said that his two-month stay in the city has been extremely valuable, inspiring his graduate essay and work, which focuses on text-to-speech software. 

He noted that China has the most developed mobile payment system of any places he's visited. People can pay by scanning the QR codes imbedded in their phones, whether they're on campus, riding the bus, or eating at a restaurant. 

Avio believes that technology is the future, and his homeland of Estonia, a high-income country in Northern Europe, is known for its functional e-government system and other online registration tools. 

"China is a breeding ground for entrepreneurship, with multiple tech leaders such as Huawei and Xiaomi," he added.

"For payment in a digital society like Ningbo, all you need is a cellphone," Avio said. With a phone full of photos, the Estonian lad hopes to share Ningbo with his friends and family back home.

In 2011, Ningbo established friendly relations with Tartu, the second largest city in Estonia and a hub for universities and scientific and technological research.