The beautiful self-serve kiosk with colors of champagne and green attracts passers-by. [Photo/cztv.com]

A pioneering smart kiosk is up and running in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province.

Different from ordinary newsstands, this kiosk not only sells newspapers and magazines, but also provides packaged food and services of reserving train tickets, topping up phones, charging phones and paying electricity and gas bills.

Nearly 100 kinds of newspapers and magazines are available in the kiosk, as are automatic vending machines for drinks and snacks. Payment is conveniently made through WeChat, Alipay or cash.

Handy services including WiFi, topping up mobile phones, and paying daily expenses can also be accessed in the kiosk with a touch-sensitive LED screen. Information from the government and communities will be available in the near future.

Some 250 kiosks are planned to be located in the main urban area of Hangzhou.