Irish tourism board turns WeChat green for St. Patrick's Day

Publicis Shanghai helped Tourism Ireland design a special 'greening screen', filled with four-leaf clovers, for WeChat. The Chinese are encouraged to scan a QR code to set the 'greening screen' as their app background.

This initiative was designed to help highlight Ireland's expertise in digital technology, said Barry Colman, executive director at Publicis Shanghai.

Apart from wanting to help as many Chinese friends as possible join in the fun that is St. Patrick's Day in their social networks, Colman said the simple project at the same time "promoted Ireland as an innovator when it comes to digital".

Colman, himself from an Irish family, is the media coordinator of Le Chéile, the voluntary organisation of the Irish community in Shanghai supported by the Consulate General of Ireland.

The Shanghai Grand Theatre (上海大剧院) also joined the global 'greening' wave by turning its theatre lights green last night.

[Shanghai still has a way to go to catch up with Chicago, which dyes its entire river a shocking shade of green each year. -Ed.]