bodyType

customContents

entityId

printArticlePageQuery

filter

article

body

urlAlias

articleSectionsContent

articleSeoArticle

articleSourceHeaderArticle

contentSchemaRenderContent

contentSubHeadlineContent

contentHeadlineContent

mainImagePrintArticleArticle

authorBlockPrintArticleArticle

contentSponsorTagContent

articlePianoPaywallContent

scmpYoutubeContent

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

query printArticlePageQuery(
  $entityId: String!
  $customContents: [CustomContentInput]
  $bodyType: BodyFormatTypeEnum
) {
  article(filter: {entityId: $entityId}) {
    entityId
    body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
      json
    }
    urlAlias
    ...articleSectionsContent
    ...articleSeoArticle_3o8td4
    ...articleSourceHeaderArticle
    ...contentSchemaRenderContent
    ...contentSubHeadlineContent
    ...contentHeadlineContent
    ...mainImagePrintArticleArticle
    ...authorBlockPrintArticleArticle
    ...contentSponsorTagContent
    ...articlePianoPaywallContent
    ...scmpYoutubeContent
    ...hooksTrackPageViewArticle
    id
  }
}

fragment articlePianoPaywallContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksPaywallPromiseContent
}

fragment articleSectionsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      name
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  topics {
    name
    entityId
    id
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  images {
    style(filter: {style: "768x768"}) {
      url
    }
  }
  readingTime
}

fragment articleSourceHeaderArticle on Article {
  urlAlias
  ...entityLink
}

fragment authorBlockPrintArticleArticle on Article {
  ...defaultArticleDateContent
  ...authorNamesArticle
}

fragment authorNameAuthor on Author {
  ...entityLink
  name
  entityUuid
}

fragment authorNamesArticle on Article {
  authorLocations
  authors {
    entityId
    location
    ...authorNameAuthor
    id
  }
}

fragment blockquoteQuoteContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment contentHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  socialHeadline
  ...contentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
}

fragment contentNewsletterWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
    id
  }
  sections {
    value {
      relatedNewsletters {
        ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
        id
      }
      id
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment contentSchemaRenderContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...blockquoteQuoteContent
  ...imageContent
  ...inlineWidgetContent
  ...photoGalleryWidgetContent
  ...scmpYoutubeContent
}

fragment contentShareWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  shortUrl
  socialHeadline
  headline
}

fragment contentSponsorTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentSubHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  subHeadline {
    json
  }
  summary {
    json
  }
  ...contentSchemaRenderContent
}

fragment defaultArticleDateContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksArticleDateUtilsContent
}

fragment entityLink on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  entityUuid
  urlAlias
  urlRedirect {
    toUrl
    id
  }
  application {
    entityId
    id
  }
  ... on Section {
    fullSectionPath {
      entityId
      id
    }
    parentSection
  }
  ...helpersAppBarVariantBase
  ...helpersApplicationBase
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersAppBarVariantBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsLiveArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersApplicationBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
}

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on Section {
  name
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment helpersCheckIsLiveArticle on Article {
  flattenTypeIds
  liveArticle {
    status
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    paywallTypes {
      entityUuid
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersGetArticleTypeArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        entityId
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter on Newsletter {
  entityId
  name
  alternativeName
  description {
    text
  }
  summary {
    text
  }
  homepageDescription {
    text
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle on Article {
  authors {
    types
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersStyleSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersUseContentSponsorContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    sponsor {
      ...sponsorTagSponsor
      name
      type
      id
    }
    id
  }
  ... on Article {
    sponsorType
  }
  ...helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent
}

fragment hooksArticleDateUtilsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  createdDate
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
}

fragment hooksArticleSeoArticle on Article {
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle
  entityId
  headline
  socialHeadline
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
  images {
    generic_og: style(filter: {style: "og_image_scmp_generic"}) {
      url
    }
    styles(filter: {styles: ["og_image_posties_article", "og_postmag", "og_image_style", "og_image_scmp_analysis", "og_image_scmp_explainer", "og_image_scmp_editorial", "og_image_scmp_fact_check", "og_image_scmp_debate", "og_image_scmp_live", "og_image_scmp_obituary", "og_image_scmp_opinion", "og_image_scmp_review", "og_image_scmp_series", "og_image_scmp_generic"]}) {
      url
      style
    }
    type
  }
  urlAlias
}

fragment hooksContentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        name
        entityId
        description {
          text
        }
        id
      }
    }
    ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  }
  flag
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

fragment hooksContentHelperContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle
  ...helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle
  ...helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle
  flag
}

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Article {
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  entityUuid
}

fragment imageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  ...checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent
}

fragment inlineWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentNewsletterWidgetContent
}

fragment mainImagePrintArticleArticle on Article {
  images {
    title
    url
    isSlideshow
    size_652x446: style(filter: {style: "652x446"}) {
      url
    }
  }
}

fragment photoGalleryDialogContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment photoGalleryWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...photoGalleryDialogContent
}

fragment scmpYoutubeContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  publishedDate
}

fragment sponsorTagSponsor on Sponsor {
  name
  type
  images {
    url
  }
}


sections

types

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

entityUuid

Tracy Qu

Yaling Jiang

Soulgate, the Tencent Holdings-backed operator of Soul, an app that helps China’s Generation Z to make friends, has filed for a listing in Hong Kong after last month officially ending its plan for a US initial public offering.
Soulgate’s market debut will be a test of whether investors have appetite for a business based on lonely hearts and China’s fickle but digitally-savvy youth.
Since its launch in 2016, Soul has gained popularity among China’s Gen Z, which includes teenagers and those in their early 20s, allowing like-minded users to connect quickly. According to a prospectus filed last week, the app made a loss of 1.32 billion yuan (US$197 million) in 2021 and has 9.3 million daily active users.
Li Chunjiao first met the man who became her husband on a digital square – which resembles Instagram’s Explore – in the Soul app in 2020. Her first comment was: “I think you look great”. They started chatting and then exchanged contact details. They talked for hours on the phone over the next few months before finally meeting in person for the first time.
“I was single and stressed out from work when I first started using Soul in 2018, I also had a paid membership to see how many people visited my profile,” said Li.
Here’s why you should treat post-pandemic dating like a job interview
However, after she got married, both Li and her partner stopped using the app – and this is a love-hate reality that Soulgate has to contend with when it comes to its user base.
Love, because a successful coupling strengthens the company’s brand image as a place where you can find a life partner; hate, because once the user has achieved his or her goal, they stop using and paying for the app.
Soul is marketed as an “algorithm-driven virtual social playground where people can create, share, explore and connect”. Unlike other well-known dating apps such as Tinder or Coffee Meets Bagel, Soul does not ask users to upload their photos, or to swipe left or right.
Users who want to talk can match with other strangers online and start a conversation via text or phone – and who you match with is completely decided by an algorithm, based on your specific interests and location.
Beware of foreign spies on job and dating websites, China warns public
The app has not escaped the impact of China’s regulatory crackdown on the internet though.
In 2019, Soul was taken off the market for three months under orders from the Cyberspace Administration of China for allegedly spreading information that contains “soft porn”. And the company’s aborted plan for a Nasdaq listing was dogged by media reports that users had complained about verbal sexual harassment of underaged users on the platform.
Meanwhile, Soulgate is being sued by rival social media app Uki, which accused it in 2021 of unfair competition. Uki said two Soulgate employees posted pornographic images on Uki’s platform, and then reported the violation. As a result, Uki was taken down from app stores for three months. The two employees were found guilty but they acted “without our authorisation”, Soulgate states in its Hong Kong prospectus, adding that the case is still pending and the plaintiff is asking for 26.9 million yuan in compensation.
The lawsuit may slow down Soul’s IPO process, said Zhu Xiaowen, an analyst at research firm LeadLeo. “If [the lawsuit becomes a problem] Soul may miss the best timing to go public, and three years of continuous losses may turn off investors,” said Zhu.
China’s internet regulator warns of growing number of fake finance apps
Soul, in which Genshin Impact game developer miHoYo has a minority stake, has evolved from a niche app to a Gen-Z behemoth. With the rise of the metaverse concept, it now wants to be seen as the “social metaverse for young people” – as its landing page states – instead of simply somewhere for users to meet their soulmate, as earlier marketing stated.
It is now also offering Clubhouse-like audio chat rooms, which requires users to verify their real ID before they join. Each room has a topic to discuss, such as “let’s talk about things that you can’t share in your real life” or “why girls are only interested in love but not marriage”.
One user, who is a member of the LGBT community and asked not to be identified for personal reasons, started using Soul at the end of 2019, when Covid-19 began to sweep across China. He said he mostly uses it for phone sex, and appreciates how each user can remain unknown to the other.
China’s strict zero-Covid policies, including mass lockdowns, have fuelled demand from young people stuck at home in quarantine to connect with others online. Between 2019 and 2021, Soul’s monthly active users almost tripled from 11.5 million to 31.6 million, according to company information.
As of the end of 2021, its 9.3 million daily active users spent an average 45.3 minutes on the app every day, representing a 55.8 per cent year-over-year increase, according to Soulgate’s prospectus.
After delisting, Didi in rush for app comeback, sources say
From 2019 to 2021, the company’s annual revenue was 70.7 million yuan, 498 million yuan and 1.281 billion yuan respectively. It reported a total net loss of 2.2 billion yuan for the three years combined, according to its prospectus.
LeadLeo’s Zhu said Soul’s monetisation channels remain limited.
“Soul’s commercialisation capability remains weak … without constant innovation, it is difficult to attract inherent groups to recharge,” said Zhu.
But other analysts take a brighter view.
“At this stage in the metaverse journey, it is a challenge for anyone to break even,” said Mark Tanner, managing director at Shanghai-based agency China Skinny. “I expect that transactions will naturally increase in the later stages with insights, more users, and as greater competition among users encourages more spending and demand for exclusive experiences.”


How lonely is China’s Gen Z? Tencent-backed social networking app Soul poses the question as it files for Hong Kong IPO

Soul app is displayed on a smart phone  in Beijing, China, on July 5, 2022. Photo: Simon Song

Tech

Business

China Business

Soulgate’s market debut will be a test of whether investors have appetite for a business based on lonely hearts
Soul app is marketed as an ‘algorithm-driven virtual social playground where people can create, share, explore and connect’


Soul is marketed as an ‘algorithm-driven virtual social playground where people can create, share, explore and connect’.


How lonely is China’s Gen Z? Tencent-backed social networking app Soul poses the question as it files for Hong Kong IPO

Soulgate’s market debut will be a test of whether investors have appetite for a business based on lonely hearts Soul app is marketed as an ‘algorithm-driven virtual social playground where people can create, share, explore and connect’

Soulgate’s market debut will be a test of whether investors have appetite for a business based on lonely hearts

Soul app is marketed as an ‘algorithm-driven virtual social playground where people can create, share, explore and connect’