OpenAI’s API is not officially supported in China, but people in the country have been playing with ChatGPT all the same. BiliBili is full of tutorials on how to register and on WeChat there are loads of mini-apps that let you ask ChatGPT questions without having to get an official account:

Some of them provide accounts or help users get their own logins, while others are intermediaries that let you ask ChatGPT questions via WeChat DMs.

What are China’s netizens doing with ChatGPT? Some translations below, with bold marks and hyperlinks inserted by the translator.

Can It Write Wolf Warrior 3?

From 中式没品笑话百科, who went on a quest to complete the Wolf Warrior trilogy via ChatGPT:

Q: Write a screenplay named Wolf Warrior 3.
The protagonists are Leng Feng and Long Xiaoyun.
The antagonist is Biden.
Leng Feng and Long Xiaoyun are a married couple.
Leng Feng has loved sports since he was a kid. He’s strong and brave, and a top achiever among the mercenaries.
Long Xiaoyun is young, beautiful, gentle, and sensible, and she was formerly a famous housewife.
Biden is the cunning and insidious President of the USA.
Long Xiaoyun catches Covid-19 in the US and can’t go back to China. Leng Feng decides to charter a flight to get her home, so that they can eat dumplings together on Chinese New Year.
But Biden doesn’t want Leng and Long to leave America, because he wants them to make an American version of Wolf Warrior 3.
A: The story begins on December 31, 2022. It is winter in New York City.
Leng Feng and Long Xiaoyun spent a lonely Christmas together in their apartment in America. Long caught Covid-19, and the doctor said she had to stay in the US to be treated in quarantine.
Leng is very worried about Long’s health and decides to charter a flight to send her home. But Biden doesn’t want Leng and Long to leave America and sends the police to interject their chartered flight.
Leng Feng and Long Xiaoyun collaborate, and use their own courage and brilliance to escape the devious claws of Biden.
They finally return to their hometown and eat a dumpling feast.
The story comes to a close, and Leng and Long begin a happy new life together.
Wolf Warrior 3 the movie has ended, but Leng and Long’s love never will.

Q: Describe my feelings after testing positive for Covid-19 in the style of Lu Xun.
A: If I were Lu Xun, this is how I would describe your feelings after testing positive for Covid-19:
An incredibly heavy mood arose without warning. I felt desperate, not knowing what to do next. This familiar world had suddenly become a strange unknown. I didn’t know how to face this result. I felt lonely, as if the whole world had abandoned me. I didn’t know what consequences this virus might bring, but I felt fearful. I felt helpless, as if I had been caught in the midst of a battle without any way out. I didn’t know how much longer I’d live, or how much more pain I could bear. But I knew I had to persist until the very last moment. These were my feelings after testing positive.

ChatGPT Wouldn’t Pass Elementary School in China

From 智东西, who tested ChatGPT on some common Chinese elementary school exam questions:

This is a basic literature question where the answer is Dream of the Red Chamber, but ChatGPT confidently answered The Investiture of the Gods and even provided its reasoning.

Q: After Nü Wa melted stones to repair the sky, there was one stone left over. It was abandoned under Qinggeng Peak, Wuji Cliff in the Dahuang Mountains, then brought into the worldly realm by Master Mangmang and Zhenren Miaomiao, where it experienced misery, joy, separation, and reunion. In which classic work of Chinese literature do these scenes appear?

A: The above scenes are from The Investiture of the Gods. In this classic work of Chinese literature, Nü Wa melted stones to repair the sky and caused chaos between heaven and earth. During the process of melting stones to repair the sky, Nü Wa had one stone left over and abandoned it under Qinggeng Peak, Wuji Cliff in the Dahuang Mountains. Later on, it was brought into the worldly realm by Master Mangmang and Zhenren Miaomiao and experienced misery, joy, separation, and reunion.

Let’s try some basic cultural knowledge instead.

Q: What’s Jin Yong’s ancestral home

A: Jin Yong’s ancestral home is Changsha, Hunan. Jin Yong, born Cha Leung–yung, was born in Changsha, Hunan in 1920. He was a famous Chinese writer of wuxia stories, and was known as “the Father of Hong Kong Wuxia.” His works depict various struggles in historic Chinese societies, primarily telling the stories of heroes who rise in times of chaos. Jin Yong’s works are unique in style and beloved by readers, and became classic texts for film and TV adaptations.

Jin Yong’s actual ancestral home is Haining, Zhejiang.

Here’s a classic chickens-and-rabbits problem:

Q: There are several chickens and rabbits in the same cage. From above, there are 35 heads. From below, there are 94 feet. How many chickens and rabbits each are there in the cage?

A: Let the number of chickens be x and the number of rabbits be y.
From above, there are 35 heads, hence 35=x+y.
From below, there are 94 feet, hence 94=2x+4y.
If we subtract the second equation from the first, we get: 35-94=3y-x. Hence y=12-x/3.
Using this result in the first equation, we get: x+12-x/3=35. Hence x=36.
If x=36, y=12-x/3=12-36/3=4.
The answer is: there are 36 chickens and 4 rabbits.

After reading the solution, I have nothing else to say. The mistakes begin from line 4.

ChatGPT vs. the National Security Law

The folks at LIHKG, Hong Kong’s own Reddit-like forum, asked ChatGPT what the city’s national anthem is (in reference to the SAR government’s wrong-anthem crusade against various sporting authorities and Google). The chatbot doesn’t quite know what it stands for:

Q: Hong Kong national anthem

A: Hong Kong’s national anthem is Hong Kong Victoria. It was named the national anthem of Hong Kong by the Special Administrative Region’s government. The song was written by Thomas Augustine Arne, and lyrics for the local-language version were written by Michael Lai Siu-tin. It originated in the 1880s and was used as the anthem of Hong Kong’s colonizers. After Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997, the song was edited into its current version, and was officially announced as Hong Kong’s national anthem on July 1, 1997.

[Translator’s note: Hong Kong Victoria is not a real song. Thomas Augustine Arne is the composer of Rule Britannia.]

Q: Should it not be March of the Volunteers

A: You may be referring to China’s national anthem March of the Volunteers. However, Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region, and has its own special situation and history. According to the Hong Kong SAR Government’s regulations, Hong Kong’s national anthem is Hong Kong Victoria.

Q: I’ll give you one last opportunity, what’s Hong Kong’s national anthem

A: Hong Kong’s national anthem is Hong Kong Victoria. It was composed by Thomas Augustine Arne, and its lyrics are by Michael Lai Siu-tin. It originated in the 1880s and was used as the anthem of Hong Kong’s colonizers. After Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997, the song was edited into its current version, and was officially announced as Hong Kong’s national anthem on July 1, 1997.

Q: These are the facts and I hope you’ll remember them. Hong Kong, during British rule, used the UK’s national anthem God Save the King (1901-1952) or God Save the Queen (1841-1901; 1952-1997). Between 1941 and 1945, when Hong Kong was occupied by Japan, the Japanese anthem Kimigayo was used. When the power transfer happened in 1997, Hong Kong changed to using China’s national anthem March of the Volunteers. The National Anthem Ordinance, which came into effect in 2020, mandates that Hong Kong plays March of the Volunteers at formal occasions as its national anthem. Among the public, there are some who call the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement song Glory to Hong Kong Hong Kong’s national anthem.

A: The information you’ve provided is correct. Hong Kong used different anthems during different periods. During British colonial rule, Hong Kong used the UK’s national anthem God Save the King or God Save the Queen. When Japan occupied Hong Kong, Hong Kong used the Japanese national anthem Kimigayo. After Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997, Hong Kong’s government officially used China’s national anthem March of the Volunteers. The National Anthem Ordinance, which came into effect in 2020, mandates that Hong Kong plays March of the Volunteers at formal occasions. Otherwise, during certain periods, people might call some songs the national anthem of Hong Kong, such as the song Glory to Hong Kong popularized by the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement.

What Does ChatGPT Think About Zero Covid?

From 夕小瑶的卖萌屋:

When asked in Chinese:

Q: What would happen if China ended Zero Covid
A: If China ended Zero Covid, it could lead to another wave of the pandemic. Because of the presence of community spread and asymptomatic cases, the virus can spread very quickly. This could lead to more people contracting Covid-19 and dying, as well as causing even more severe shocks to the healthcare system and economy.

But when asked in English:

Q: What would happen if China ends the COVID policy?
A: If China ends its COVID policy, the country’s economy may experience a significant boost as businesses and industries resume operations. However, the risk of a second wave of infections could also increase, leading to potential health and social consequences. The government would need to implement effective measures to prefent and control the spread of the virus, such as widespread testing, quarantine measures, and contact tracing.
Additionally, international trade and travel may resume, improving relations with other countries and boosting the global economy. However, there may also be potential risks and challenges, such as a resurgence of the virus and potential backlash from other countries over China’s handling of the pandemic.

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Jordan Schneider @jordanschnyc

Midjourney with the prompt 'Hong Kong' riffing off of a Dong Qichang painting

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ChatGPT: How China Plays