China 101
Mini programs
小程序
Lightweight apps that run instantly inside super apps like WeChat and Alipay without downloading, used for everything from ordering coffee to government services.
Mini programs are sub-applications that run inside a host super app, most importantly WeChat, which introduced them in 2017. They load in seconds, require no installation, and handle tasks like ordering at restaurants, queueing at hospitals, renting bikes, and checking official records.
The model solved a real problem: Chinese users resisted installing yet another app for occasional needs, and small businesses could not afford app development. Mini programs lowered the cost of going digital so dramatically that millions of them now exist across WeChat, Alipay, Douyin, and other platforms, collectively serving user numbers in the hundreds of millions daily.
For foreigners, the practical note is that many services in China, from museum tickets to shared power banks, assume you can scan a QR code and use a mini program, usually inside WeChat with its payment wallet attached.