Almost all major Western apps and online services have Chinese equivalents. Most often, they replicate the core functionality and add local features. WeChat is a classic example of this phenomenon. In China, most Western messengers and social networks, including WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, are banned. As a result, WeChat has taken a leading position in the social media market in the PRC.
WeChat’s Special Features
WeChat is a unique messaging and media sharing app developed by the Chinese company Tencent. WeChat, or Weixin (“little message” in Chinese), is a cross between a messenger and a social network and is also widely used as a business promotion tool.
In the four years since its release, WeChat has gained more than 800 million active users, and today it’s not just people in China using it—WeChat’s localization is in full swing, with a Russian-language interface available and a built-in translator for any text into Chinese.
Many companies that do business in or with China use WeChat as a development platform: you can set up your online store for free, do business directly—bypassing drawn-out official correspondence via traditional mail services—resolve issues in real time, and discuss work in group chats.
Fact #1: Court via Messenger
Practical Chinese were the first to conduct court hearings using WeChat. With the app, judges were able to connect with lawyers in different cities, and evidence obtained was added to the case materials. As a result, the court session took just half an hour instead of the usual full day.
Fact #2: A Channel for Russians in China
The WeChat channel “Podnebesnaya” has united over 10,000 of our compatriots living in China. Most of the channel’s subscribers—grown into a major information hub—are Russian and Chinese company representatives in China. The Podnebesnaya team tried creating a B2B website of the same name, but for China, that model became outdated, and WeChat became the most effective way for Chinese companies to enter the Russian market.
Fact #3: Unusual Ways to Meet People Online
Random WeChat users can connect with each other using the unusual “Shake” service. The idea is simple: shake your phone, and the system searches for other users shaking their phones at the same moment, signaling a desire to chat. If another user does so at the same time, a connection is established.
Fact #4: China’s Largest Payment System
China has an old holiday tradition called “Hongbao”—giving loved ones, friends, and colleagues money in a special red envelope. This tradition holds deep significance: most Chinese receive hongbao from the first year of life, and it evokes the same feelings as meeting Santa Claus for Russian kids. Naturally, bringing this tradition into the messenger triggered a boom—across all ages, hongbao means anticipation of a pleasant surprise. In 2016, 420 million users sent 8 billion hongbao to one another. According to Alipay, people sent each other 4 billion yuan ($640,000) this way.
Fact #5: Message in a Bottle
Another unique feature is called Drift Bottle. Users can create a short message (even voice) and send it into a virtual “sea,” where another random WeChat user can “pick it up.” After reading/listening, the recipient can reply and start a conversation if they wish.
Bonus fact:
WeChat is perfect for communicating with new partners from China, whom you’re sure to meet at the National Chinese Pavilion of the ICF 2020 trade fair!