Behind the Quark incident lies a top-level happiness that 1.4 billion people take for granted? Or is it holding back the openness of Chinese tech companies?
Recently, a group of overseas students gave us a vivid lesson through their collective emotional breakdown. The incident started with a membership benefit from the Quark app. In China, students can unlock powerful AI functions for free by verifying through the China Higher Education Student Information Authentication System (CHESIAS). To us, this is routine, just a common practice by internet companies. But to those studying abroad, it was like a blessing from heaven. They watched their Chinese classmates easily enjoy AI-assisted learning and one-click generation of materials, while they themselves couldn't access this benefit due to lack of CHESIAS verification.
Therefore, on Xiaohongshu, they said "Quark forgot us." They weren't angry, but more like pouting and seeking support: Why can't we have such a good thing? Some gave one-star ratings on the app store—not out of hatred, but to express their longing in this way; some created comment websites, where every word expressed admiration and yearning for China's internet ecosystem. What they envied wasn't just a membership, no. They envied an efficient and convenient digital lifestyle network.
Therefore, the next time someone says, "It's nothing special," you can smile and tell them: No, it's very special. This specialness isn't about the grandeur of skyscrapers, but about convenience and warmth embedded in daily life. The overseas students' "emotional breakdown" is not a condemnation of Quark, but rather a collective tribute to the "happiness" we take for granted. Of course, the reason for Quark's mistake is simple—the system didn't optimize sufficiently for student authentication. It's not intentionally hindering the openness of Chinese tech companies, but rather exposing a gap in experience during the internationalization efforts of domestic platforms.
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1842868436155401/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.