Smartphone apps are changing daily life in China

Global Business

Smartphone apps are changing daily life in China

China’s tech industry, particularly its mobile businesses continues to rise and now even Silicon Valley companies are trying to catch up. With mobile apps like Alipay, WeChat and Weibo, China is now the world’s largest mobile app market. It’s very easy to lead a good deal of life on smartphone apps.

CCTV’s Xu Xinchen has more.

A hot summer’s day can start nicely with an ice cold Americano. Since people are paying for it with AliPay or WeChat Wallet on their phone, they don’t have to spare a hand to reach out wallet.

For now, there are over 300 million people who pay with AliPay and WeChat Wallet or other payment apps in China. 

What makes it even better, with one hand holding ice cold drink, people can browse what is trending in China and globally on Sina’s Weibo just by sliding thumb over the phone.

And of course there’s an app to track fitness, keeping track of steps.

Besides traditional TV streaming apps, nowadays, great ideas may come from things less expected. Turn on apps like Douyu TV or Bilibili for user-generated live programs that range from tutorials to just small talks about things people wouldn’t normally run into during their daily life.

During lunch time with colleagues, after paying the bill by one person, splitting it is also easy. Log in the total amount and set up number of people, shared it. AliPay’s Go Dutch function generates a QR code based on that, and colleagues just scan it to pay back.

The money will be transferred from other AliPay accounts to one’s AliPay. User can either put it in their AliPay account or, to make better use of it, transfer it into Yu’E Bao savings account, where they can earn a bit of interest daily. Maybe just a few cents, still, better than nothing.

With a click on this ride-hailing app, people just need to wait a bit inside the AC cooled office building instead of standing outside trying to flag down a taxi.


Rebecca Fannin on China and Silicon Valley

For more about China’s mobile phone users and how they compare to its global peers, CCTV America’s Michelle Makori interviewed Rebecca Fannin, founder and editor of Silicon Dragon News.