Compliments to the chef: why are Chinese social media ‘praise’ groups on the rise?

Millennials under pressure are flocking to the ‘last sanctuary of the Chinese internet’ for encouragement, a few kind words or a silver lining

The idea is taking hold, with similar ‘praising groups’ springing up in recent weeks – some of them offering positive messages for a price

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The person who cooked these sausages got nothing but compliments on the Douban “Praise each other” group. Photo: Douban

Published: 5:45pm, 23 Mar 2019Updated: 3:23pm, 25 Mar 2019

On Chinese social network Douban’s “Praise each other” group, someone posted a photo of four greasy, blackened sausages with the question: “How are these sausages I fried?”

Instead of being told they were burnt to a crisp, the replies were all positive.

“You’ve managed to get four different colours from four sausages – four different tastes!” one person wrote. “You’re a genius when it comes to frying sausages, you should open a restaurant.”

Another enthused: “I could hear the sausages sizzling in the pan and smell the wonderful aroma through the screen – you’re amazing.”

The cook, who had come looking for compliments, replied: “You have a talent for words.”

While social media is often a place where negativity is spread, this online community of more than 100,000 people has since 2014 been doing just the opposite. Unlike other groups on Douban, which are themed around arts or social issues, it has one rule: all comments must contain praise.

In recent weeks, the community has taken off on social media, with many people seeking out “the last sanctuary of the Chinese internet” where a few kind words, or a silver lining, can always be found. It has also prompted other “praising groups”, or kuakuaqun in Chinese, to spring up on social media platforms WeChat and QQ. The groups – some of which provide positive messages for a price – are free of trolls and vicious attacks, and they are the latest subculture taking hold among millennials in the face of growing societal pressure.