QQ is the world’s most popular instant messaging system with a reported 500 million users. It seems that almost everyone who is on the Internet in China has a QQ number. China’s favorite chat app has also taken off in South Africa, and QQ’s parent company Tencent is actively pursuing more international users through an English website, imqq.com.

QQ has been called “the MSN killer that’s made in China“.

Tencent went Web 2.0 with the development of QQ Video and QQ Bookmark services. Check out some of the other services on QQ, such as QQ Live, an online on demand Chinese video service, the Qzone blogging site, and the QQMail email client.

QQ is widely used on mobile phones, one of the more popular ways to access the IM client. Tencent advertises these kinds of functions on TV commercials designed to cement the program’s dominant position as China’s leading communication tool for the Internet and beyond, and it seems to be working.

A foreign teacher in Chengdu describes QQ best on her blog:

Originally an instant messaging service in the vein of AIM, QQ is now a full-blown hybrid of chatting, e-mail, MySpace-esque profile pages (called QZones), and games. QQ is way more than just an online time-filler for its Chinese users– it’s a way of life.

The message alert tone sounds like a baby bird chirp, and that chirping noise can be heard basically anywhere: on the bus, on the shopping street, in restaurants, and even in the school hallway, despite the supposed ban on mobile phones during school hours.

This QQ tone, along with the ubiquitous chubby penguin logo, is a near constant reminder of how ingrained into Chinese daily life this program is.

Just how popular is QQ? The greatest number of users ever concurrently on QQ now stands at 109,407,786, with the 100 million threshold crossed on March 5th of 2010. This stat is prominently featured on the QQ International site, where there are Windows download links for English, French, and Japanese versions of QQ. There are also hugely popular multiplayer online games via QQ Games.

QQ really is one of the most useful apps for those working and living in China. QQ accounts automatically come with an email address, which is the account_number@qq.com. Large files can be downloaded efficiently from an email link to a compressed file at no charge. Many Chinese language learners use QQ to practice Mandarin speaking, reading, and writing Chinese characters (hanzi/汉字).

Whether you are studying, working, visiting, or teaching in China, don’t be surprised when instead of exchanging phone numbers Chinese people ask, “are you on QQ?”.

Relevant Links:
Download QQ (English)
Download QQ (Chinese)
Slide Presentation of QQ and Tencent
Tencent QQ on Wikipedia
Review of QQ on Softonic

Photo Credits @ The China Observer, Softonic, Kentucky Fried China