https://www.scmp.com/rss/330765/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com People in the Chinese city of Xian, which has been under lockdown since late December to contain the country’s worst community Covid-19 outbreak since 2020, are turning to the internet to help vulnerable citizens struggling to get food and other basic necessities. While online food and grocery delivery services provided by Meituan and Ele.me – the country’s largest on-demand operators – remain operational in Xian, less tech-savvy elderly residents who are used to buying from physical stores have... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3164082/how-internet-services-help-xians-13-million-residents-cope-covid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3164082/how-internet-services-help-xians-13-million-residents-cope-covid?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Jan 2022 11:00:19 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS A few years ago, Facebook introduced Safety Check, a feature that lets users let their friends know they’re safe during an emergency. Now a province in China is introducing a similar feature using QR codes in popular Chinese apps while also trying to offer a potentially life-saving tool. Zhejiang’s new “safety QR code” helps users mark themselves safe during natural disasters. It comes as the province prepares for hurricane season, which regularly... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3087703/flood-prone-chinese-province-tests-qr-code-based-safety-checks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3087703/flood-prone-chinese-province-tests-qr-code-based-safety-checks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2020 06:47:15 +0000 A few years ago, Facebook introduced Safety Check, a feature that lets users let their friends know they’re safe during an emergency. Now a province in China is introducing a similar feature using QR codes in popular Chinese apps while also trying to offer a potentially life-saving tool. Zhejiang’s new “safety QR code” helps users mark themselves safe during natural disasters. It comes as the province prepares for hurricane season, which regularly causes floods in the region. But one significant... https://www.scmp.com/china-tech-city/flood-prone-chinese-province-tests-qr-code-based-safety-checks/article/3087665?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china-tech-city/flood-prone-chinese-province-tests-qr-code-based-safety-checks/article/3087665?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2020 06:47:13 +0000 Technology can revolutionize industries by giving life to business models that were previously not economically viable—China’s fitness industry is just one example where this is the case, enabled by the growth of WeChat mini programs.   When people take the big step and sign up for a gym, the question, “How many months would you like?” can be taken for granted. For most, it’s a bit of a headache. “What if I don’t like the gym?” Almost everyone asks themselves, or “What if my schedule... https://www.scmp.com/tech/wechat-mini-programs-upend-gym-membership-model-china/article/3087155?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/wechat-mini-programs-upend-gym-membership-model-china/article/3087155?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2020 00:00:22 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Chinese ecommerce giant JD.com is finally joining the country’s mini program trend with its own apps within an app. And one of the first ones is for ordering burgers. On Wednesday, JD officially launched its mini program platform. A handful of companies have already signed on, and one of the first mini programs will come from Burger King. That means whenever someone is shopping for a new camera in the JD app and suddenly feels hungry, quickly ordering a... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3081331/jd-will-soon-let-you-order-burgers-and-rent-cars-thanks-mini-programs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3081331/jd-will-soon-let-you-order-burgers-and-rent-cars-thanks-mini-programs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2020 21:00:16 +0000 Chinese ecommerce giant JD.com is finally joining the country’s mini program trend with its own apps within an app. And one of the first ones is for ordering burgers.   On Wednesday, JD officially launched its mini program platform. A handful of companies have already signed on, and one of the first mini programs will come from Burger King. That means whenever someone is shopping for a new camera in the JD app and suddenly feels hungry, quickly ordering a burger and fries will just be a few taps... https://www.scmp.com/tech/jd-will-soon-let-you-order-burgers-and-rent-cars-thanks-mini-programs/article/3081226?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/jd-will-soon-let-you-order-burgers-and-rent-cars-thanks-mini-programs/article/3081226?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2020 21:00:14 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Cats roaming the campus of one of China’s top universities recently had their own profiles put up on the country’s biggest social network, WeChat -- but only in a mini program. Students from Peking University created the mini program to catalog the stray cats prowling around the university. Along with a name and photo, many of the kitties have descriptions of their personalities, likes and dislikes (Mr. Cheese apparently doesn’t like stir-fried duck),... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3080394/chinese-students-set-facebook-stray-cats-campus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3080394/chinese-students-set-facebook-stray-cats-campus?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2020 06:55:43 +0000 Cats roaming the campus of one of China’s top universities recently had their own profiles put up on the country’s biggest social network, WeChat -- but only in a mini program. Students from Peking University created the mini program to catalog the stray cats prowling around the university. Along with a name and photo, many of the kitties have descriptions of their personalities, likes and dislikes (Mr. Cheese apparently doesn’t like stir-fried duck), real-time records of recent sightings and... https://www.scmp.com/china-tech-city/chinese-students-set-facebook-stray-cats-campus/article/3080350?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china-tech-city/chinese-students-set-facebook-stray-cats-campus/article/3080350?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2020 06:55:41 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS WeChat is already China’s most popular social platform, but Tencent seems eager to make even more money from its ubiquitous app. It plans to achieve this with a not-so-secret weapon: Mini programs. Mini Programs: The apps inside apps that make WeChat so powerful At the 2020 WeChat Open Class Pro event in Guangzhou on Thursday, Tencent announced that its users spent 800 billion yuan (US$115 billion) through its various mini programs in 2019, a 160%... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3045430/wechat-mini-programs-are-becoming-lot-more-important-tencent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3045430/wechat-mini-programs-are-becoming-lot-more-important-tencent?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jan 2020 12:39:11 +0000 WeChat is already China’s most popular social platform, but Tencent seems eager to make even more money from its ubiquitous app. It plans to achieve this with a not-so-secret weapon: Mini programs.   At the 2020 WeChat Open Class Pro event in Guangzhou on Thursday, Tencent announced that its users spent 800 billion yuan (US$115 billion) through its various mini programs in 2019, a 160% increase from the previous year. Now Tencent is looking at ramping things up. The company said that in 2020,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/wechat-mini-programs-are-becoming-lot-more-important-tencent/article/3045375?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/wechat-mini-programs-are-becoming-lot-more-important-tencent/article/3045375?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jan 2020 12:39:09 +0000 Most times WeChat is mentioned in western media, it's called the Facebook of China, or the WhatsApp of China. Facebook and WhatsApp aren't very similar, but that's exactly why the parallels drawn seem confusing—WeChat is a huge, seemingly all-encompassing app, and some 900 million users can't get through a day without opening the app once. WeChat, or Weixin as it’s known in China, is used for basic functions like chatting (WhatsApp), sharing pictures to a timeline (Facebook)—but beyond that, you... https://www.scmp.com/culture/how-everyone-china-came-rely-one-app/article/3000382?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/how-everyone-china-came-rely-one-app/article/3000382?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jan 2019 11:59:21 +0000