(Photo/meitu.com)

XIAMEN, Fujian, Aug. 18 -- Holding a cellphone, Tong Lingshan puckered her lips and looked closely at the screen. "This one's good," she murmured, while tapping several times.

In just seconds, Tong tried on three lipstick colors, picked her favorite and placed an online order, all thanks to Chinese tech company Meitu.

Established in 2008, the firm has grown into one of the biggest tech companies in China, with its apps installed on more than one billion unique devices.

Meitu's products are all about looking good: a selfie app that removes blemishes and brightens teeth, a virtual makeup app that lets users try on and purchase cosmetics, and cellphones optimized for taking selfies.

"Beauty is pursued by people all over the world," said Wu Xinhong, CEO of Meitu.

The company began its global expansion in 2016 and now has more than 500 million overseas users, with 27 percent of daily active users coming from overseas in 2016.

The BRICS summit will be held in September in Xiamen in east China's Fujian Province, where the company is based.

"The summit will certainly draw more attention from our BRICS partner countries to Xiamen, as well as the city's largest technology company, Meitu," said Wu.

BEAUTY FOR BRICS

In a year and a half, Meitu has built a presence in 25 countries and regions including Brazil, Russiaand India, and seven bases outside the Chinese mainland.

BRICS countries are an important part of that global expansion. According to company data, Brazil is its fastest-growing market worldwide, with users surging 800 percent in 2016, and India is its largest market outside of China in terms of users.

"Each market has its own unique preferences in terms of how people want to express themselves through their photos, videos, and personal style," said Fu Kan, a member of the company's global team.

"For example, a woman in India may have a very different definition of beauty, and ultimately is being inspired by different beauty trends, than a woman in Brazil," Fu said.

To localize the user experience, Meitu has a global team of about 100 people -- only three of whom are Chinese -- in 11 countries and regions, according to an August interview with Cai Wensheng, Meitu's board chairman.

Fu and his colleagues work to create local makeup effects, local content including makeup tutorials, and local partnerships with "beauty influencers."

The team has designed sparkly virtual makeup looks for the Brazilian market during Carnival, and colorful cosmetics for Indian users who love to dress in bright colors on important occasions.

Meitu created a lighter version of its apps for India, where many users do not have the bandwidth to install and use heavy apps.

"As the BRICS summit draws near, we are looking forward to sharing our progress and impact in shaping the beauty technology ecosystem in each of the BRICS countries," Fu said.

FROM LOCAL TO GLOBAL

Unlike many of China's tech giants, which are mainly headquartered in Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou, Meitu's Xiamen base is less known to the tech community.

The company is located in a "software park" in northeastern Xiamen island. Meitu moved into the park in 2010 with only about 30 people in its startup team, and in seven years it has grown to be the biggest company there, with more than 1,000 employees.

"When we first came, many buildings were still available and streets were empty," said Zhang Lelin, a senior employee at Meitu, "Now we face traffic jams during rush hours every day."

"Meitu's success is typical of companies in the park," said Ni Jie, director of the software park's administrative office. "Startups come, enjoy preferential policies, grow stronger and compete in a larger market."

Established in 2008, the software park was once a village. It has become one of the most vibrant communities on the island and home to more than 3,000 companies.

The park offers subsidies for rent and R&D, preferential tax policies, and tech workshops.

"We also invite leading companies to settle in the park so that smaller ones here have a better chance to learn from and cooperate with them," Ni said.

Meitu and three other companies in the park launched IPOs in 2016.

"It was an IPO rush in 2016, bringing the number of listed companies in the park to eight," Ni said, "Some of these companies have also started to compete in the global market."

"With the IPO, we hope to make Meitu an international brand so we can attract top talent from all over the world," CEO Wu said. "With success in the Brazilian and Indian markets, we will continue to improve our products and foster large communities throughout the United States, Europe, Japanand Russia," he added.