Super apps help Chinese abroad weather coronavirus outbreak

WeChat, Alipay and other popular apps find new purpose as lifeline in uncertain times

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Massive user bases have helped Chinese apps like WeChat become a vital resource amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images) 

YIFAN YU, Nikkei staff writer

PALO ALTO, U.S. -- For the past month, a lengthy spreadsheet has been circulating among Chinese users of the WeChat messaging app living in California.

Created by a group of anonymous volunteers, the document contains a list of QR codes for special WeChat chat rooms, organized by zip code. Users find their neighborhood, scan the corresponding code to join the room -- and then hopefully never have to use it.

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