I’m pretty sure that at this point in our lives, we all know what a QR code is right? You know that square barcode with weird black and white squares inside it that you scan with your phone? You do? Oh good, because if you’re ever going to visit China, you’re going to need it.
(This is what a QR Code looks like in case you didn’t know what I was talking about)
Although not as popular in America, QR codes are practically EVERYWHERE in China (and also most of Asia). You might be surprised by some of the ways that it is used.
1. Weddings:
If you ever forget to bring your 红包 (hong bao; red envelopes containing money) to someone’s wedding, don’t worry! Just scan that QR code on her neck and send her some money through WeChat, or Alipay.
2. Donations and Charity:
People now carry around QR Codes as a sign or a necklace to ask for money. It’s really quite smart to do that since we always have our phone on us.
3. Pets:
QR Codes are also placed in the collars of pets. This can seriously benefit you when your dog or cat is missing. Additionally, the owners are also alerted as to when and where the code was scanned to further help owners in their search for their missing pets.
4. Elderly:
Similarly to pets, the elderly are now also provided with QR codes that they can wear as a necklace or a sticker to help others identify them if they are unconscious somewhere or injured and have to be sent to the hospital.
5. Jobs:
There are huge boards placed in public places filled with QR codes to help people searching for jobs. Just walk by, scan a code, and walk home as you’re reading about the job opportunities and specifications. You can also send your resumes through QR codes to companies instead of bringing a hard copy. This is a win for the trees!
6. Food:
Food is such a big part of our lives. QR codes in China make life and food extremely easy by allowing you to pay for your meal with your phone. Or when you’re going grocery shopping, you can scan a QR code to learn about the journey of these fruits to find out where it’s been and where it originated.
7. Renting items:
Much like Manhattan, you can rent a bike anywhere in China as long as you have your phone. Just scan, unlock, ride, and return anywhere they are available. But bicycles aren’t the only things you can rent. You can also rent umbrellas or a phone charger with QR codes. Minor details, but they can make your life a lot easier.
8. Advertising:
Having QR codes on buildings or billboards is an ordinary thing in China. In America, that would just be… weird but in China it is perfectly normal. However, the size of these codes can be a little shocking.
With the many benefits of QR codes, it has absolutely blown up in China. It is used literally everywhere. However, there are definitely risks that come with these codes. You might be scammed of your money when renting a bicycle because the code originally there was replaced by someone. Now your money is being transferred to them and not the bike company. Of course, there is also the possibility of getting viruses by scanning QR codes. So be careful if you ever have to use these codes!
This article was very interesting. I knew that QR codes were useful, but I didn’t know that they served so many purposes. Maybe one day I will be able to use these codes in the US. I think that these codes will only become useful in the future. Great Job Joey Liu.
Wow, this was really informative! I didn’t realize that China still uses QR codes so commonly, as they have mostly been phased out in the US. but while I thought that QR codes were obsolete in this day and age, this article shows that China uses them in futuristic ways like renting bikes and hiring employees. Overall, this was really cool, so keep up the good work!
Really enjoyed this article! I did not know how QR codes have become a part of China’s lifestyle! Makes me wonder if and when America would too! Great job on this very informative article!
Nice job! I didn’t know that there were so many uses for QR codes in China. Putting QR codes on pets and using them to buy food sounds very useful! This also means that paying through one’s phone is very easy to do in China. I think the US could benefit a lot from this!
On my recent trip to China, I noticed that QR codes have gotten so popular. In Guangzhou, I had the opportunity to ride a city bike that was paid for through the QR code. Also, there are many restaurants that use QR codes now as a form of payment. My mom had recently connected her credit card to her Wechat so she could pay for things by scanning the QR code. This seems like a convenient way to pay for services and products.
Another great article! I wish these forms of QR codes should be used in America. I also noticed special codes in some Poekmon games and cards. I am expecting to go to Singapore over the break, so there will also be special codes for each payment. That way, there is no need to use the wallet!
This is very interesting. The rise of technological advancements like QR codes has both positive and negative impact on the lives of people. QR codes replaced traditional purchasing inconvenience by using phone as a vehicle for every daily purchase. Unfortunately, it is because of the convince and ease of use that made QR codes increasing reliant. Even the beggars are using QR codes for accepting money. The Chinese government can definitely can exploit this weakness by gathering every person’s personal information.
QR codes are really useful trinkets but the security is really lacking. Scammers can put QR codes, claim it’s for something useful but ends up stealing personal, financial information. The website it leads to can also be used to infiltrate computers and from there it can be used for anything.
I learned so much from this article. I didn’t know that QR codes are everywhere in China! I can’t believe that people wear QR codes around their necks to ask for money. I like that they can be placed on the collar of pets to find them. I didn’t know that elderly have QR codes on them, and QR codes can make people aware of jobs openings. I didn’t know that buildings have QR codes on them to advertise. Great article!
Back in February, me and my exchange student went out for bubble tea in the city after dinner. We argued for a good five minutes on who got to pay, and as I was pulling out my wallet, she swiftly pulled out her phone. She said, “I’ll show you WeChat pay”, and the cashier scanned the QR code on her phone, automatically paying for the bubble tea! I knew that QR codes were regularly used in China, but I didn’t know it was used even in weddings! I know that America has Apple pay, but it is definitely not used to the extent that it is used in China, which I think is really interesting.
This was such an interesting article. I never thought about using QR codes to pay for things, it makes it so much easier to purchase things. We have Apple Pay that is very similar, but not all stores have the technology for it. Its so cool how you can put it on the collar of pets, give people presents for there wedding and so much more. This is an amazing creation.
This article had really caught my eye. I remember going to China once and seeing QR codes everywhere and just thinking to myself “why was there so many?”. It was quite interesting reading about how people wear QR codes to pay for things. These QR codes have gone even as far as being used in weddings?! I never knew how common QR codes were used for every day things in China until now. This was a very informative article.
Wow, what a great article Joey! QR not only provide an efficient means of living, but they are also very environmentally friendly. Having QR codes not only help you keep better tabs on your pets, but also could help you if an elderly is in trouble. Additionally, QR codes also seem to be extremely beneficial to consumers. Perhaps the Us will one day implement this into our society too. (despite the potential dangers) Thanks for informing us!
I hope they begin implementing this system in the US. Although there are systems such as Venmo, it would be so much easier to do this by just scanning. Although I have never used this system, it would be such a convenience. It seems easier than using Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Wow, this was really informative! I didn’t realize that China still uses QR codes so commonly, as they have mostly been phased out in the US. but while I thought that QR codes were obsolete in this day and age, this article shows that China uses them in futuristic ways like renting bikes and hiring employees. Overall, this was really cool, so keep up the good work!
This article is very interesting! I knew the QR codes were used in weddings, but reading this article made me discover many new ways they could it used. I find it fascinating that the elderly are provided with QR codes as well. Thank you for writing this article!
Really enjoyed this article! I did not know how QR codes have become a part of China’s lifestyle! Makes me wonder if and when America would too! Great job on this very informative article!
this was really informative! I didn’t realize that China still uses QR codes so commonly, as they have mostly been phased out in the US. but while I thought that QR codes were obsolete in this day and age, this article shows that China uses them in futuristic ways like renting bikes and hiring employees. Overall, this was really cool, so keep up the good work!
Very informative article! I didn’t know that QR codes were so important and China. It’s amazing how they’re such a normalized aspect of society. I think it’s partcicularly interesting how they can be put on pet collars or provided to the elderly. It’s also fascinating how large they are when placed on buildings for advertisements.
Great article! I never knew how popular QR codes were in China. It’s so cool to see China becoming a more technology influenced society. It must be really easy and convenient to use since nowadays everyone has their phone on them. Thanks for sharing!
Wow, cool article! I wonder why people in america don’t use QR codes as much as people in Asia do. It seems like a really smart idea! With QR codes, you can find your lost dog, donate money, look for a job, keep track of your elderly relatives, give monetary gifts, advertise, and more! If we used QR codes in America, it could really help the environment by saving paper. It is also really easy and efficient. Thanks for sharing!
I learned so much from this article. QR not only provide an efficient means of living, but they are also very environmentally friendly. It was quite interesting reading about how people wear QR codes to pay for things. These QR codes have gone even as far as being used in weddings?! We have Apple Pay that is very similar, but not all stores have the technology for it.
Great Job! I could relate a lot to this article because just last summer break I went to China. It was very surprising how you could basically pay for everything using Ali pay or WeChat pay using QR codes that shop vendors provide. I also learned that there are many risks associated with QR codes!
Very interesting article Joey! I always use QR codes in math class and I didn’t know they were o popular in China. I went to China some time back and there weren’t any there. It’s cool to see all the practical reasons there are to use these such as when your pet goes missing. I feel like more people in America need to see this. It could do a lot to help the environment by allowing us to use less paper. Now that I think of it, life can be so much easier with QR codes expecially with this day and age of dominant technology!
thank you so much for the great article joey! i have rented bicycles in china, but i never knew how QR codes could be used for so many other things! i think using Qr codes is a great idea because it is easy and efficient. i think it is really interesting how people now send money for weddings as well, because i only thought it was used in wechat. keep up the great work!
Good Job. I have seen QR codes all over the US, but never knew that in China, it was much more. I feel that that the world is moving more and more towards an entirely digital age. I have used QR codes on WeChat, and know that it makes it easier. I feel that the QR code is much more efficient than old methods.
This is great article! In our society, QR codes are rarely used. However, I use them all the time in math class. I never knew how commonly China uses QR. It is crazy how people can even rent phone chargers. Thank you for sharing.
Cool article! I don’t use QR codes much, but I never knew they were so important in China! I learned now that they can be surprisingly useful, especially putting them on a collar of a pet or for job opportunities. I also didn’t know that QR codes could have drawbacks, such as being scammed for money when buying a bicycle. You could also get a virus by scanning QR codes. I hope none of that happens to me! Great article.
When I went to an area in China way back when, my mom and I went out to a Chinese desert palce in the city to try the spongecake. I saw a group of ten other kids that looked at first glance to be students from a chinese school that was close to the desert place. I heard them arguing in chinese talking about who was going to pay for the bill. One of them finally decided they were going to have a rock paper scissors tournament between the ten of them to see who would have to pay for the bill. The person that won paid with their phone using a QR code. This article helped me recall this memory.
This is very cool article. I didn’t think that a simple QR code could take over a country. I’ve personally never used QR codes for anything so it’s interesting to see how a country like China could make them so popular. I hope one day I could visit China and see what it’s like to use a QR code for everything. Thanks for sharing!
I didn’t know that QR codes were that commonly used in other parts of the world. In America there’s the occasional QR code for small things but nothing for things on a massive scale like advertisements. I find it very interesting that they’re used for almost every aspect of life, making things more convenient and environmentally friendly. Using these for weddings and a transfer of money doesn’t seem very practical in my opinion. When greeting and congratulating the bride, my first reaction wouldn’t be to take a picture of her necklace. If this was the case for all of the guests, there would be a large crowd waiting to take a picture of the bride, taking away from the experience.
This is so cool! I never thought that QR codes could be so essential and widely used. This seems like a very helpful thing that we could use in the US as well. However I feel that the use of them to this extent could be risky as you had brought up the points of possibly being scammed and collecting a virus. Therefore I think that they should be used more, but cautiously. Thank you, Joey, for such an informative article!
Cool article Joey! I knew QR codes were heavily used in China, but I didn’t think it would be to this extent. I also didn’t know that they would have QR codes that would be posted on billboards or on buildings. It’s amazing to see how China is implementing the use of QR codes. From purchasing stuff to help explain the history of an item, China has definitely taken the role of using technology to their advantage. It’s also interesting to see how they the culture of traditional Chinese gifting is now mixed with modern technology. Overall, great article and thanks for sharing.
This was a very interesting article to read! I knew that people in China used QR codes to pay for food and add each other on wechat, but I had no idea that it could be used to transfer or donate money! I also had no idea that advertising. It’s fascinating to see the shift in technology.
Thats crazy i thought in america we overused QR codes. But in china its everywhere. I will probably see them everywhere there. i would love to see this world of technology one day and enjoy the chinese culture
Wow, I didn’t know that QR Codes played such a prominent role in China! That’s actually pretty smart though, it can help a person with identification, jobs, and even food! Here, in the U.S. , the only time that I have used a QR code is to check my answers to homework. These QR codes seem like a more effient and easy way to spread information and just help people in general. Through your article I can see the affects of the rise of technology and the advantages it brings to every aspect of life in China.
Great job! With the prevalence of technology in today’s society, I’m sure QR codes are just another aspect of such. I didn’t know QR codes were so relevant in China. It’s interesting to read the many uses of QR codes. I had no idea it was used for food!
This article was very interesting. I knew that QR codes were useful, but I didn’t know that they served so many purposes. Maybe one day I will be able to use these codes in the US
This is so cool! I never thought that QR codes could be so essential and widely used. This seems like a very helpful thing that we could use in the US as well. However I feel that the use of them to this extent could be risky as you had brought up the points of possibly being scammed and collecting a virus. Therefore I think that they should be used more, but cautiously. Thank you, Joey, for such an informative article!
I knew that QR codes were useful, but I didn’t know that they served so many purposes. Maybe one day I will be able to use these codes in the US. I think that these codes will only become useful in the future. Great Job Joey Liu
This is a very interesting article! I am surprised that QR codes are so prominent in China! Also, the extent and purposes for which they are used also surprises me. For instance, I learned that QR codes are put on collars of pets in order to help find missing pets. However, it makes sense that there are disadvantages to this method of making transactions, for identity fraud and theft are a big risk for anything that’s digital.