Plenty of Xiaomi and WeChat news to keep you entertained this week, as well as some weirder stories from the nation’s tech scene.
1. Starting today, Chinese consumers will be able to buy almost anything inside WeChat
The messaging app, which has close to 300 million active users, rolled out a major update behind the scenes this week that will allow brands, retailers, and ecommerce sites to sell pretty much anything via WeChat. See one great example of this new mobile commerce feature in our article.
2. China has a new state-run search engine that nobody will ever use
Baidu rules the roost in China, but that didn’t stop this new search engine popping up this week.
3. No Weibo. No games. No texting. China’s Congress imposes grade school smartphone rules on Party members
It’s quite common for officials to be caught on camera hunched over their smartphones as the ceremony goes on around them. But not this year.
4. I really want this Chinese store to make me a 3D-printed mini-me
A 25cm (9.8-inch) 3D-printed figurine of yourself costs RMB 3,580 (US$580). But you’ll never guess how expensive it is for a life-size clone.
5. What’s WeChat’s latest viral hit in China? Not games, not stickers – it’s malignant tumor insurance
This surprising promotion lets users pay RMB 1 through WeChat Payments and receive one year of insurance protection worth RMB 1,000 (about US$162).
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