WeChat evolves into book-buying platform

A new edition of A Bitter Journey Through Culture, the well-known essay collection by author Yu Qiuyu, became the first book to be sold via the shops on WeChat, the most popular instant messenger for mobile phones in China, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.

The book, which is priced at 28 yuan ($4.56), sold more than 300 copies in the first day. Zhao Liang, manager of Tencent's e-commerce business department, said that WeChat is becoming a new platform for the book market.

Aside from selling daily necessities such as food and clothing, WeChat is also creating a sales platform that allows for the direct promotion of books.