Why some Hong Kong students use mainland Chinese tech tools DeepSeek and RedNote
A teen says RedNote has helped her connect with classmates from the mainland; another points to DeepSeek’s use for Chinese-language tasks.
Have you tried using DeepSeek or RedNote? Photo: SCMP Composite / ShutterstockAmina Seyd said it used to be tough to make conversation with some of the mainland Chinese students at her Hong Kong school.
The 16-year-old said she had been in the same class as three mainland pupils for two years. Still, she was having a “pretty tough time talking to them”.
“We didn’t have much of the same conversations to talk about,” said the student at HHCKLA Buddhist Leung Chik Wai College in Tuen Mun.
But this has changed in recent months. Now, Amina chats with them about the latest mainland trends.
The reason for this is simple: RedNote.
The social media app is popular on the mainland and has been gaining global attention. It is not alone. DeepSeek is a mainland start-up that has created a powerful artificial intelligence (AI) tool. It has also become popular in Asia and the West.
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How RedNote builds connections
RedNote has seen more users outside the mainland after the US banned TikTok, a popular social media platform. The ban has been paused for a short time, but it caused many TikTok users to head to RedNote.
Amina said many of her peers were using RedNote. The app now has a lot of content in English since Chinese-speaking influencers started catering their videos to people who left TikTok.
“They teach you [about] Chinese New Year and all sorts of stuff in English because there are a lot of [TikTok] ‘refugees’ going on RedNote, and they teach them too,” Amina said.
Sarina Wan Tsz-ching is a Form Five student in a different Hong Kong school. The 17-year-old is also a frequent user of RedNote.
She originally downloaded the app because of her parents’ suggestion.
“They think that I can learn more and see more of what’s happening in mainland China,” she said.
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Like Amina, Sarina has discovered mainland users who make educational content about their culture.
“Some of them promote food and Chinese [cultural] practices and performances,” Sarina said.
“I have learned more about their lifestyles because some of the bloggers share about their day. Sometimes it’s a little bit different than how we live in Hong Kong.”
Tommie Lo is the founder and CEO of Preface, an educational technology company based in Hong Kong. He said RedNote could help improve “cultural integration”.
“[Non-mainland Chinese] users use RedNote and understand Chinese culture based on their direct experience,” he said.
Why DeepSeek could make a huge impact
Lo pointed to the rise of another mainland tech success, DeepSeek, which “surprised the entire world” in January with its AI model.
He said DeepSeek’s performance was almost equal to that of “the best” one developed by the market leader, OpenAI, which is based in the United States.
He noted the operating cost of DeepSeek’s AI model was “only 5 per cent” of what it cost for OpenAI to build ChatGPT.
The mainland-built tool could also be a good choice for Hong Kong users since ChatGPT could not be used here, he said.
Sarina said DeepSeek was better than other AI chatbots for working on Chinese-language tasks.
“I’m not very good at writing in Chinese, so I use DeepSeek to finalise my writing,” she said.
Lo expected more people around the world to continue being curious about Chinese apps.
“People are comparing the current Chinese technology to the Japanese technology 20 years ago ... because of the existence of the cheaper Chinese alternative,” he said.
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Reflect: Has social media helped you learn about other places?
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Why this story matters: Technology affects how we communicate with others, do our work and see the world. DeepSeek gives Hongkongers the chance to use a powerful AI tool. RedNote’s popularity means that more people are learning about different cultures.
catering 迎合
to provide the things that a particular type of person wants
frequent 頻密
happening or doing something often or regularly
integration 融合
bringing things or people together to work as one
market leader 市場領導者
a company that is the most successful of its kind
operating cost 營運成本
the money required to run a business or keep providing a service
refugees 難民
people who have been forced to leave one place for another
start-up 初創公司
a company that is just beginning to operate