If a group has above 100 members then it is likely interesting information is being discussed in the group. The real reason is more likely that WeChat desperately wants people to link their banks cards. They are notoriously wary of large gathering of people even online. It has been suggested that this policy is a requirement of the Chinese government wanting to keep better tabs on people. Once groups reach 100 then you can only join if you bank card is linked to your WeChat account.
Today’s ‘WeChat Essential Tip’ brought to you by China Channel, is the 1st of 2 articles focused on groups. Tomorrow’s article will cover more advanced stuff on how to create and lead a successful group. With so many groups, it is easy to get frustrated with message overload and not being able to find information easily. We use groups to chat with different circles of friends, send event and promotional news to potential customers, or share and discuss information related to our business or interests. And a number of think tanks also can release various research reports to make suggestions or even criticize the government's smoking control work," Jiang said.WeChat groups are a daily part of communication for people in China. "Many volunteers can help the authorities supervise on different occasions. But she noted that more groups in society are participating in tobacco control work, and "they can do many things that governments cannot". "That is a truly challenging goal," she said. An outline promoting Chinese health before 2030, issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council in 2016, said the proportion of smokers older than 15 years should decrease to 20 percent. "Removing that image was a good example of blocking improper information."Īccording to the CDC, the smoking rate in China in 2015 was 27.7 percent. "Controlling smoking starts in dribs and drabs," said Jiang Yuan, deputy director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Tobacco Control Office. That was also at the suggestion of the association. On Sept 13, Sina Weibo, China's popular social media platform, began to remove a similar emoji of a smoker on its smartphone apps and computers. Zhang said the association expressed gratitude to Tencent on Monday and hoped it would remove the same image on QQ's computer platform and WeChat soon. According to a research report by the company in 2014, QQ users born after 1990 accounted for 50.3 percent of the total. Tencent's financial report showed that QQ's monthly active user number reached its highest point in the second quarter of 2016 - 89.9 million. "They may get the idea that smoking is a symbol of fashion and handsomeness." And that emoticon would mislead people about leisure, especially young people," he added. "It's not appropriate to define smoking as leisure and ease. Zhang Jianshu, director of the Beijing Tobacco Control Association, said letters were sent twice to Tencent, asking that the emojis showing a smoker should be withdrawn from their lists. Another widely used social media application developed by the company, WeChat, has not changed the smoking emoji. QQ is an influential application created by internet giant Tencent. It has been now replaced with another emoji displaying a commando with a green leaf in his mouth. The removed image, which shows a commando with a cigarette in his mouth, is supposed to express leisure and ease. Meanwhile, the QQ computer version continues to feature the emoji. The move was made at the suggestion of the Beijing Tobacco Control Association. QQ, a popular social networking app heavily used by younger people, has removed a smoker emoji from its mobile version to help curtail the smoking habit in China, the world's largest tobacco consumer.