I recently purcahsed American Express travelers checks in Chinese currency. They were not accepted at any restaurant or hotel. The only place that takes them is the Bank of China. Even there, the first branchIwent to would not take them. When I finally found a branch that would, the transaction required 3 people and 30 minutes. At a large branch in Shanghai, I had to beg tem to take the check. The transaction took over 30 minutes.
They are selling a product in the US that is uselss in China unless you want to spend your day looking for and at a bank.