A new 'Wei' to relate

Yu Rong was at a loss after becoming separated from her friends on the streets of Paris in September.

The 26-year-old took out her mobile, logged into a free wifi in a cafe and sent a voice message to her friends via Weixin, an instant messaging application that is booming in popularity.

"Thanks to Weixin, I found my friends. Moreover, it's very expensive to send text messages or make phone calls when abroad," said Yu, who works in a magazine in Beijing.