In the realm of the virtual

Whether it is a blessed friend or a cursed nuisance, for Chinese the smart phone is never far away

The common use of smart phones has revolutionized communications, the way we obtain information, seek entertainment and socialize. After an earthquake in Changchun, Jilin province, recently, people used mobile phones to send messages to family and friends to let them know they were safe. When the Qiantang tide of Zhejiang province comes every month, people use their phones to record the huge waves. But apart from the good that smart phones can do, they are also expert at taking over our time and space, and can turn occasions for face-to-face communication, such as meals, into meeting points for people lost in the realm of the virtual.

Surging water from the Qiantang River in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, made more powerful by a typhoon, brings out the cameras and smart phones. Chen Zhongqiu / for China Daily

Digital electronic devices are a constant companion for passengers on the Beijing subway. Heng Guoliang / for China Daily

(China Daily European Weekly 12/20/2013 page4)