In a poky sex toy shop in Sanlintun shopping district in central Beijing, a placard with a QR code is strategically placed next to a pink, vein-knobbled dildo called the Super Emperor, and a clitoral pump. Just scan your phone, and walk out with your purchase.The cigarette vendor across the street has gone cashless too. A fast-moving queue of customers purchase smokes by scanning their phones over a tatty cardboard QR code.All the bars in Sanlitun, equal parts seedy and swish, have likewise gone cashless, largely through the ubiquitous WeChat and Alipay app, as primary payment platforms. Beijing taxi drivers accept smartphone payments too.No-one in the area uses physical money, for sex toys or otherwise. Largely due to China's vibrant fintech landscape, the recent rise of phone payments in the country has shunted cash onto the endangered list, perhaps somewhere alongside the pangolin.Continue reading on MOTHERBOARD.