During a friendly competition called “A Digital Day Tour of Beijing” on June 17, young participants from several countries vied to unlock their missions in Beijing via some of China’s most popular mobile apps, including hailing rides, learning about the ancient sage Confucius (551-479 B.C.), hopping on a shared bike, and posting pictures of their accomplished tasks on Weixin, China’s domestic version of the WeChat super app. Those most adroit at using the apps won the “race.”
They immersed themselves in China-style digital life and successfully completed the tasks on their checklists. But three days earlier, when they had just arrived in Shenzhen, a major tech hub in south China’s Guangdong Province, most of them had never heard of, let alone used, these Chinese apps.
“They” refer to 16 young people from 14 countries, including China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Brazil, South Africa and Pakistan, who joined in the 2023
