A video titled “university canteen provides discounts using WeChat step tracker” has recently become a hit on Chinese social media. If you clock up over 10,000 steps on WeRun, a Wechat add-on which compares your daily step count with your friends, you can enjoy 10 percent off in the Zhejiang Gongshang University canteen in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province. If you clock up more than 40,000 steps, you will receive a discount of 45 percent.

 The video explained that the “WeChat steps for discounts” campaign would last from March 6 to April 10. Students widely welcome this campaign which combines health and discounts.

"I hope everyone can remember to build up their bodies while dining," Zhang Liqin, manager of the canteen, told Beijing Youth Daily. As the university is now in its spring semester, the cafeteria is entering its off-season, and so this campaign will also bring in more customers.

After the video was shared online, many netizens showed their admiration for the plan, noting that it was a creative way to help students do more exercise and save money. Some people noted that since they graduated, it has been more challenging to find the time to rack up 40,000 steps a day.

Regarding the concern that some students can cheat by using an auto step machine, Zhang said that even without the discounts, the canteen's pricing was very affordable. “As long as one person on the table is eligible, everyone else can enjoy the discount. Students feel that there is no need to cheat on the step count, so to our knowledge, no one has so far,” she said.