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QR is King

logicmag.io · 1,887 words · saved by 1 readers

A report from the frontier of a cashless future.

QR is King Chenxin Jiang Mobile payments are quickly rendering cash obsolete in China. This new, invisible infrastructure can shut out foreigners—but it follows citizens all over the world. This summer I spent a month in Beijing. I’d last lived in China in 2016, and I was relieved to find my favorite noodle shops in their usual niches. But this time round, navigating the city felt inexplicably different. The cabs I tried to hail passed me by. On the subway, other riders jostled past me, swiping their phones at the turnstiles as I fumbled with my ticket. When I tried to sneak into the cafeteria

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