THE QR CODE IS KING

In a world where everything is online, digital, electronic and so on, we’ve all come to be a slave to the QR code. From shopping, to sending friend invites on social media and messenger apps, signing up or logging in to various accounts, verifying identities – everything leads back to the QR code.

Prior to coming to China, the QR code was a bizarre concept to me. I saw it every now and then, NFC (Near Field Communication) wasn’t really a thing yet (some phones were NFC compatible and a few businesses were starting to implement it) and paying with cash or debit card was normal. Upon my arrival in China, I had to get used the extension of NFC i.e. WeChat Pay and/or Alipay (I didn’t have an iPhone so Apple Pay wasn’t a thing and I still haven’t been able to figure the Huawei Wallet thing). Store proprietors would look at me strangely when presented with cash and debit card payments were almost non-existent. Three years later, friends and colleagues still ask me why I carry cash? Mostly out of habit and it’s always good to carry cash in case your phone battery runs out (despite the ubiquity of power bank rental, it does happen). But I digress.

A day does not pass without being presented with an opportunity to scan or be scanned. When entering the metro, one scans to board the metro, the same with the bus. Paying for groceries, or Starbucks one simply has to present your WeChat/Alipay generated QR code or your digital store card code. Even restaurants have adapted and evolved – while paper menus are still in circulation (mostly for new expats and out of towners I imagine), many restaurants have begun to or have implemented a system where scanning a QR code, mounted on or attached to the table, launches a mini program through which patrons can order and pay for meals. Props for environmentally friendly brownie points. In some cases, the mini program is linked to an official account which keeps patrons up to date with events, menu changes etc.

In the time of COVID, health codes, green codes – national, provincial or city level – are also generated and/or scanned using QR codes. These little randomly generated codes, hold the power to allow or prohibit travel to, not only a different city but, different district (if travelling by metro), to enter a public space such as a shopping mall or grocery store and even to access vital information such as vaccination status, home address or whether or not you have been in/to high or medium risk areas within the last week or month. To aid with contact-less payments, delivery and social distancing, museums and galleries, bubble tea shops and Uniqlo among others, have implemented accounts/mini programs which can be accessed through scanning the QR code. These mini programs and/or official accounts allow visitors to pay for or book tickets, get updates and access audio guides.