What is the Tongcheng Xinyuequan App? Easily find local events and make new friends in your city.

Alright, let’s talk about this “Same-City Pleasant Circle App” I’ve been tinkering with. It’s been quite a ride, let me tell ya.

Getting the Ball Rolling

So, the whole thing kicked off ’cause I was looking around, you know? Seeing folks in my own city, busy, always rushing, but not really connecting. Seemed like everyone was in their own little bubble. I thought, “Hey, wouldn’t it be neat if there was a simple way for people nearby to find others with similar interests, or just, like, share cool local stuff?” That was the spark. No grand business plan, just a “what if.”

First thing I did was just scribble down ideas. What would people actually use? I wasn’t thinking about fancy tech at this point, just the bare bones. Like, maybe a way to post local events, or find someone to grab a coffee with who likes the same weird old movies I do. Simple stuff.

Diving into the Nitty-Gritty

Then came the “how.” I’m not gonna lie, I’m not one of those genius coders who builds an entire universe overnight. I decided to go with what I knew, what felt quickest to get something, anything, up and running. For the app itself, I figured something cross-platform would be smart, so I poked around with React Native. Seemed like a good way to hit both Android and iOS without writing everything twice. Big time saver, or so I thought.

For the backend, where all the data lives, I initially leaned on Firebase. It’s pretty straightforward for user accounts, storing data, that kind of thing. Easy to set up, and I didn’t want to get bogged down managing servers right at the start. My main goal was to just get a prototype working, something I could actually tap on my phone.

So, I started coding. Lots of late nights, coffee, and staring at the screen wondering why my button wasn’t showing up. You know how it is. I got the basic user login working, then a way to create a profile, add some interests. Then I tackled a simple feed where people could post things. It was clunky, real clunky at first, but it was something.

Where Things Got… Interesting

Once the basics were there, I started thinking about more features. “Oh, we need a chat!” “What about location-based suggestions?” “Maybe a way to form small groups?” And that’s where the initial “keep it simple” plan started to wobble. Each new feature added layers of complexity.

Firebase was great for starting, but when I wanted more complex queries, like “show me people within 2 miles who like hiking and are free on Saturdays,” things got a bit more involved. I ended up having to write a bunch of cloud functions, essentially little bits of code that run on their servers, to handle the tricky logic. It felt a bit like patching holes in a leaky boat sometimes.

And React Native, while good for getting started, had its own quirks when I tried to do more advanced stuff with maps or background tasks. I spent a good chunk of time wrestling with native modules for specific things, which kinda defeated the “write once, run anywhere” dream a little bit. It wasn’t a total disaster, but it wasn’t the smooth sail I’d hoped for.

The Human Factor and Why I Bothered

You know, the funny thing is, the tech was only half the battle. The other half was thinking about how people would actually use it. How do you stop it from becoming just another noisy app? How do you encourage positive interactions?

I remember why I even started this. A few years back, I moved to a new city for a job. Didn’t know a soul. It was tough, man. I’d go to work, come home, and that was it. Weekends were lonely. I remember thinking, “There have got to be cool people around here, but how do I find them?” I tried a few existing apps, but they felt impersonal or were too focused on, well, other things.

That experience stuck with me. It’s why I wanted this app to feel more like a friendly neighborhood bulletin board, less like a massive, anonymous social network. That was the whole “heart’s delight” part of the name, trying to make genuine local connections a bit easier.

So, I started showing early versions to friends, family, anyone who would listen. Got some brutal feedback, which was good! “This is confusing.” “Why can’t I do X?” “This looks ugly.” All valid points. It forced me to simplify things, to rethink flows. It’s still not perfect, not by a long shot.

Where It’s At Now

So, this “Same-City Pleasant Circle App” is still a work in progress, honestly. It’s a bit of a mishmash of technologies now. Some parts are still on that initial Firebase setup, other bits I’ve had to build out with more custom backend stuff using * because I needed more control. The frontend is still React Native, but with a fair share of specific tweaks for different functionalities.

It’s not the sleek, perfectly architected system you read about in textbooks. It’s more like a project car I’ve been working on in my garage. Some bits are shiny and new, others are a bit rusty but still do the job. It does what I originally wanted, mostly. People can connect, share local stuff, find little groups. It’s small, used by a handful of folks I’ve roped into testing, but it’s there.

The biggest lesson? Building stuff is messy. You start with an idea, you pick some tools, and you just start hammering away. You hit problems, you find workarounds, you learn a ton. And sometimes, if you’re lucky, you end up with something that actually helps someone, even if it’s just to find a new coffee buddy in their own city. And that, for me, is pretty cool.