(Yicai Global) Jan. 18 --  Tencent Holdings has revealed the emoji preferences among different age groups that use its WeChat lifestyle platform. 

China's Generation Z prefers the "covering one's face to cry" emoji while those born between 1990 and 1999 tend to go for a chuckling expression. The post-80s generation tends to go for a grinning emoji while those over 55 are more likely to plump for a simple thumbs up.

The report also found that the number of people using the app to pay monthly for public bus and subway tickets increased by nearly 5 times last year.

The number of users buying products on the app each month grew one-and-a-half times, the report stated, while those using it to pay for medical expenses nearly tripled.

Total monthly active users reached 1.08 billion with an average of 45 billion messages sent every day, according to the report.