Life in Mainland China
QR codes in daily life: a Chinese conversation with pinyin
A QR code opens the menu, the bike lock, the power bank and the metro gate, and most shared power banks cost 1.5 to 3 yuan an hour.
Play: QR codes in daily lifeThe conversation
Speakers: Yating and Xiaoyu.
- Yating
我手机没电了，你带充电宝了吗？
My phone's dead. Do you have a power bank?
- Xiaoyu
不用借，你看那边就有一个共享充电宝柜机。
We don't need to borrow one, look over there, there's a power bank rental station.
- Yating
扫一下就能拿出来。现在租这个多少钱一个小时？
Just scan it and it pops right out. How much is it to rent one of these by the hour now?
- Xiaoyu
在2025年差不多是1.5到3元一小时。
In 2025 it's roughly 1.5 to 3 yuan an hour.
- Yating
要是忘还了呢？一天封顶一般是多少钱？
What if you forget to return it? What's the daily cap usually?
- 一般大约30元 Usually around 30 yuan
- 一般大约3元 Usually around 3 yuan
- 一般大约300元 Usually around 300 yuan
Answer
一般大约30元 Usually around 30 yuan
- Xiaoyu
一般大约30元。用完随便找个同品牌的柜机还上就行。
Usually around 30 yuan. Just drop it off at any station from the same brand when you're done.
- Yating
说起来真方便，你今天都扫了多少个码了？
It's so handy when you think about it. How many codes have you scanned today?
- Xiaoyu
早饭扫码点餐，坐共享单车来的，进地铁又刷了闸机。
Scanned to order breakfast, rode a shared bike here, and tapped through the subway turnstiles.
- Yating
桌上这个码一点，菜单直接就传到后厨了吧？
Tap the code right here on the table and the menu goes straight to the kitchen, right?
- Xiaoyu
不用服务员来记。自己选好付完钱，坐等上菜就行。
No need for a waiter to take orders. Just pick what you want, pay, and sit back for your food.
- Yating
还有博物馆门票，现在全在手机上预约。
And museum tickets are all booked on your phone nowadays.
- Xiaoyu
加上停车缴费、自动贩卖机、还有加好友的个人码。
Plus parking payments, vending machines, and personal codes to add friends.
- Yating
遇到手机没电的时候怎么办？
What do you do when your phone dies?
- Xiaoyu
那你就碰上充电宝柜机了，有救了。
Then you run into a power bank station and you're saved.
Words in the conversation
Notes
Where you scan
Restaurant tables (order and pay in a Mini Program), shop counters, shared bikes, parking machines, power-bank kiosks, vending machines, museum and sight booking, and a friend's personal code.
Menu on the table
The code on a restaurant table opens a Mini Program with the menu. You pick dishes, pay, and the order goes to the kitchen without a waiter writing it down.
Shared bikes
A shared bike unlocks when you scan the code on it in an app.
Shared power banks
In 2025 most operators charged 1.5 to 3 yuan an hour for a shared power bank, with a daily cap of usually about 30 yuan.
Taking and returning one
You scan the kiosk code, take a power bank, and return it to any kiosk of the same brand.
Metro gates
In many cities the metro gate opens with a transit QR code kept inside Alipay or WeChat.
QR codes in daily life
A QR code opens the menu, the bike lock, the power bank and the metro gate, and most shared power banks cost 1.5 to 3 yuan an hour.
To unlock a shared bike you usually:
Answer
Scan its QR code. The lock opens after a scan in the app.
A typical shared power-bank price in 2025 was:
Answer
1.5 to 3 yuan an hour. Bernama, September 2025.
Shared power banks usually have a daily cap of about:
Answer
30 yuan. Around 30 yuan a day, per the same report.
Where can you return a shared power bank?
Answer
Any kiosk of the same brand. Return points belong to the brand's network.
In many cities a metro gate opens with:
Answer
A transit QR code in a wallet app. Transit codes sit inside Alipay or WeChat.
A QR code on a restaurant table most often opens:
Answer
A menu Mini Program. Table codes open ordering and payment.