500 yuan/hour! Kuakuaqun makes a hit in China

"I overslept today."

"It means you’re young and have a promising future."
“A sound sleep ensures good health.”  

Starting in March, kuakua qun, or praising groups, have made a hit across China. In such chat groups, you will surely be praised whatever you say.

The praising group was first set up by a student with Xi'an Jiaotong University.

In the group, anyone who shares a message will surely be praised or even flattered, and this frees the group members from bad moods.

Here, the motto is “to praise,” whatever it is.

▲Falling out of love is praised as “being envied because of a good look.”

▲Wasting money is taken as “an extraordinary skill.”

▲The silent members are complimented as “being prudent or thoughtful.”

▲Even if you don’t eat enough, you can be praised as “kind and considerate,” not causing trouble for the chef.

In short, any detail of a speaker could be praised in a kuakuaqun, be it a profile picture, an alias, the tone, or the punctuation.

Here, not wanting to get up is endorsed, and so is failure in losing weight. Even if you go to a toilet and forget taking some tissue, someone will pinpoint that “you’re caring about trees and the environment.”

Now praising groups are really popular in China, not only in Chinese universities, but also in localities across the country.

People's Daily: Praise groups are rising on Chinese social networks

Praise givers wanted: payment, RMB500/hour; level: master students

Taobao, Alibaba’s major market place, has launched paid praising groups on line, charging 50-128 yuan that depends on the number of members and the service time.

The business is thriving, we have to say.“Praising groups” have become the "source of happiness" for us hard workers.

The groups form a brand new world, full of fancy praises and comforts.

Facing the ups and downs in life, folks found the kuakuaqun an encouraging source of happiness every day.

Scholars explained the reason behind the kuakuaqun craze: “In China, many are under pressure and they need more care and comfort. So mutual praise can blow up easily.”

One expert said, “It is common that youngsters nowadays face fierce competition, and under pressure they need praise and support most.”

Compliment from strangers may sound dishonest, but it is still relieving in a way and helps us gain self-esteem.

Some netizens also aired their ideas on kuakuaqun, and here is one: 

"I take it as a means to adjust the mood. The praise group helps in adding our confidence, and some praises can be enlightening. If you’re really in trouble, however, it is you who holds the final key.”

Anyway, we feel praising or being praised is always an honor.And here are our nice words for you, our audience:

Dear guys, today you all look awesome, original and full of wisdom.
We love you most!

Text by Zhu Dongran; translating by Wang Shixue; editing by John Li