E-commerce helping to battle poverty

What can a two-dimensional barcode, or QR, be used for in China? The answers are varied, from mobile payment to unlocking shared bikes or adding friends on messaging apps.

But apart from making everyday life more convenient, there is one unexpected and creative use - helping the country's battle to alleviate poverty.

In Shiban Village, Southwest China's Guizhou province, every impoverished family was given a code, including that of former Chen Dingming's.