QR codes are everywhere in China, used by major retailers, street traders and even beggars and buskers for everyday transactions. Printed on paper, glass, aluminum or plastic, the little barcode is driving China’s rapid shift towards a cashless society. Now bamboo can also make it scannable thanks to an ingenious woman from China’s southwestern Guizhou Province. /VCG Photo

Yang Dujuan, a former migrant worker, who lives in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Sansui County, began to run her own business by leading other villagers to make bamboo creations after returning home in 2014. Yang’s company has trained more than 300 locals, and has annual sales surpassing one million yuan (about 150,000 US dollars). /VCG Photo

Sensing a new commercial opportunity, Yang began handcrafting bamboo strips into QR codes for clients from earlier this year. The company combines traditional weaving skills and new digital printing technology and says it can customize any code. /VCG Photo

The bamboo QR code priced at 200 yuan each (about 30 US dollars) is popular online. It also becomes an environmental choice for buyers and a way to help poor villagers earn money. /VCG Photo