Beijing upgrades blood donation with youth-oriented digital cabins

As World Blood Donor Day approaches this Saturday, Beijing is rolling out upgrades to its blood donation services, combining digital technology with youth-friendly designs.

Wang Hongjie, deputy director of Beijing Red Cross Blood Center, said the center released a new version of its blood donation cabin to provide a better experience for blood donors. The new cabin in Dongcheng district adopts the design concept of a space capsule equipped with multimedia display screens, 5G online registration, and interval verification systems to achieve a paperless operation process.

Blood donors can complete their appointments and self-assessments in advance online, reducing waiting time.

Wang added that the new cabin will gradually cover multiple blood donation sites in the Qianmen area and the Beijing Zoo in the second half of this year.

According to Beijing's blood collection site development initiative, the number of blood donation sites increased from 77 in 2024 to 84 in 2025.

The city relies on the national electronic blood donation certificate and municipal blood management information system to promote the online blood fee reimbursement process, said Wang.

"The final goal is to have blood donors and their families directly offset their blood usage when hospitalized. It requires information sharing between the medical insurance system, social security system, and blood stations," Wang added.

Another revamped cabin, this one in Xicheng district's Xidan commercial area, has adopted a manga-style decoration to go along with its technological upgrade. As of Tuesday, the site had collected 5,000 units of apheresis donations and over 700 units of whole blood donations this year.

Tian Shuili, a 44-year-old man in the computer industry, donated blood for the 100th time on Wednesday at the Xidan site. Tian began donating blood in 2003 when he was a college student.

"I am happy to bring new hope to patients through blood donation," Tian said. "To donate blood, people have to meet specific standards in height, weight, temperature, and blood pressure. It inspires me to exercise and maintain a healthy living habit."

Beijing's blood donation rate reached 2.01 percent in 2024, reaching that of developed countries, according to Wang. He added that as of Wednesday, the city recorded 205,700 blood donations in 2025, a 4.74 percent increase compared to the corresponding period last year. The total blood collection volume reached 346,500 units, reflecting a 5.23 percent growth year-on-year.

"Currently, China's blood storage is in a tight balance and faces a seasonal shortage," Wang said. "It's critical to encourage more people to donate."