I had the chance to eat lunch with a couple of the boys at a Chinese restaurant not far from my office yesterday. The decor is very traditional and features Chinese art on the walls and under glass on the tables. The table is what drew my 7yo’s attention. He was admiring the artist’s signature, then he looked up and  asked if I would scan it with my smartphone.

I was confused until I realized that he was pointing at the red square name seal that looked similar to this:

(Source: Flickr)

I suppose it does resemble a QR code, now that I think about it from his perspective! 😉

When I lived in China in the mid- to late-90s, I was blessed to receive a name seal (also called a “chop” or “stamp”) as a gift embossed with my Chinese name: Chun Yu 春雨, which means “spring rain.” If you are curious about the process to make a name seal, there are some how-to videos on YouTube that I found interesting. I will always cherish mine.