10 Years : I with GOOGLE ADSENSE

Today, I just received another payment from AdSense, which really made me reflect. My journey with AdSense spans over a decade now.

My first encounter with AdSense dates back to my high school days in a small county town. I was surprised that they could even send it to such a place. Though I activated it, I soon forgot about it because accumulating enough to meet the minimum payout threshold seemed unrealistic back then.

The first time I received a payment from Google AdSense was during my university years. If I remember correctly, the popular method at the time was via Western Union, and Google provided a tracking code for the transaction. I used Agricultural Bank of China for the online receipt, and received several payments through them over time, which was very exciting. It was proof that my efforts in the internet realm weren't just a loss-making endeavor.

Changes occurred a year or two after I graduated. The Agricultural Bank of China stopped cooperating with Western Union, and I could no longer receive payments online. Later, I read on a blog that China Everbright Bank could still process these payments, so I opened an account with them and continued for another year or two.

I believe it was around 2018 or 2019 when Everbright Bank also became ineffective, or perhaps it was the general reception within China that deteriorated. Consequently, I made a firm decision not to use AdSense China anymore.

Considering the circumstances at the time, I registered for AdSense UK, received a new PIN using a UK address, and things have been smooth sailing ever since. Initially, I only had Monzo UK for receipts, which worked very smoothly, although my Monzo account has since ceased to exist in 2022. But what does that matter? By then, I had a variety of UK banks to choose from for receiving payments.

Sometimes, it really makes you wonder if the evolution of the internet in China started with mandatory registration, from a flourishing diversity to a gradual quietness, or perhaps, these registrations are just a minor part of a bigger picture?