The scenic coastal city of Xiamen in Fujian province is making long strides toward its goal to be a smart city after integrating high-tech systems and promoting economic development through the use of information.

Among the many initiatives is the city's use of Tencent's popular mobile text and voice messaging service WeChat that provides residents with timely information from various departments.

Its first administrative WeChat account - called the Xiamen Smart Traffic Control Center - began operation in January 2013. The first and the largest account of its kind in China, it now has more than 252,000 users.