WeChat

WeChat (Weixin in Chinese) launched in 2011 as a simple messaging app from Tencent and grew into something with no real Western equivalent: part WhatsApp, part Facebook, part Venmo, part app store. Roughly 1.3 billion people use it monthly, and in mainland China it is close to universal.

The key idea is the super app. Inside WeChat you can chat, post Moments (a social feed), pay bills, book doctor appointments, pay utility fees, and run lightweight mini programsLightweight apps that run instantly inside super apps like WeChat and Alipay without downloading, used for everything from ordering coffee to government services. from almost any brand or government office without installing anything new. For foreigners, the practical takeaway is that a phone with WeChat and its wallet set up matters far more than cash or credit cards.

Because so much of Chinese digital life runs through WeChat, trends that start elsewhere (DouyinByteDance's Chinese version of the short-video app known internationally as TikTok, run as a separate product with its own content and e-commerce ecosystem., XiaohongshuA lifestyle community app built on user-generated reviews and recommendations, where young Chinese consumers research what to buy, eat, and visit.) almost always end up being discussed and shared inside WeChat groups and Official Account articles.