When I was in China in 2005, my card didn't have the chip technology and I was able to withdraw funds in RMB currency as long as the machine that I used displayed the same symbols as the back of my bank card (cirrus/maestro). You should still be able to do the same, but keep in mind that your financial institution will charge a hefty fee back home for international withdrawl. My bank charges $5.00 CDN each time.