Some 30,000 sharing umbrellas popped up around Changsha, the Hunan capital, on June 12, just in time for the plum rain season.
From mid-June regions in south and central China see extensive downpours, which tend to last on-and-off for a month, often leaving those who've forgotten their umbrellas stranded.
Changsha residents can now download and app, placing a 19 yuan ($2.8) deposit, to use the umbrellas at a cost of 1 yuan per hour.
Sharing umbrellas debut in Changsha on June 12. [Photo/rednet.cn]
The umbrellas, supplied by a Shenzhen-based company, have proved popular so far with 20,000 people signing up to the app on the first day alone.
According to Zhao Shuping, manager of the company, the rental fees only account for a very small proportion of profits, with the bulk coming from advertising printed on the umbrellas themselves.
"It's good to have umbrellas handy on rainy days, and the rent fee is reasonable," said one Changsha resident.
Piggybacking the increasing popularity of sharing bikes, the concept of a sharing economy has become popular recently in China. As well as sharing umbrellas, sharing cars and sharing power banks have also become available.
QR codes and an electronic locks are used in the sharing system. [Photo/rednet.cn]
