02 · 6
Models in China
Pick a general model that opens in mainland China and use it as the everyday default.
This column compares the model products themselves, not one writing feature. For reasoning and code, start with DeepSeek. Office documents are close to Qwen.
First pick
DeepSeek
DeepSeek
When reasoning or writing code, it is more willing to finish the steps. The web version is mainly free to use.
Opens directlySite (opens in a new window)How to finish this job in mainland China
Where to open it. A DeepSeek product for China. The official site, www.deepseek.com, was checked and opened. https://www.deepseek.com/
What it is good for. When reasoning or writing code, it is more willing to finish the steps. The web version is mainly free to use.
What it is not. Not a separate office suite. For office documents and Alibaba Cloud material, Qwen is close enough to switch.
Alternate
Qwen
Alibaba
On reading documents, office work, and Alibaba Cloud, it is nearly even with DeepSeek.
Opens directlySite (opens in a new window)How to finish this job in mainland China
Where to open it. Alibaba’s assistant for China. The title of www.qianwen.com is “Qwen - Alibaba AI Assistant.” https://www.qianwen.com/
What it is good for. On reading documents, office work, and Alibaba Cloud, it is nearly even with DeepSeek.
What it is not. Not a lesser DeepSeek. For pure reasoning and code, still open DeepSeek first. This is the former Tongyi Qianwen.
Alternate
ChatGLM
Zhipu
Beyond chat it can do data analysis and small agents. It suits people already using GLM.
Opens directlySite (opens in a new window)How to finish this job in mainland China
Where to open it. Zhipu’s site for China. The footer shows a Beijing ICP filing. https://chatglm.cn/
What it is good for. Beyond chat it can do data analysis and small agents. It suits people already using GLM.
What it is not. Not ahead of DeepSeek for reasoning and code, and not ahead of Kimi for long texts. It fits people already on GLM who want a little data analysis in the chat.
Alternate
Wenxin
Baidu
Tied to Baidu search and Chinese source material. Deep reasoning is not its strength.
Opens directlySite (opens in a new window)How to finish this job in mainland China
Where to open it. Baidu domain wenxin.baidu.com. It opens directly in China. https://wenxin.baidu.com/
What it is good for. Tied to Baidu search and Chinese source material. Deep reasoning is not its strength.
What it is not. Not the first choice for a reasoning problem or a piece of code, and not the first choice for reading a long text. Those jobs start with DeepSeek and with Kimi.
Alternate
iFlytek Spark
iFlytek
Voice and education are more complete. For a long plain-text piece, there is no need to leave the top two.
Opens directlySite (opens in a new window)How to finish this job in mainland China
Where to open it. iFlytek site xinghuo.xfyun.cn. https://xinghuo.xfyun.cn/
What it is good for. Voice and education are more complete. For a long plain-text piece, there is no need to leave the top two.
What it is not. Not a reason to leave DeepSeek or Qwen if the task is only a finished draft or one problem. It is the alternate when the job is voice or study.
Alternate
MiniMax
MiniMax
Language, image, and voice are listed separately on the same official site. H3 Image opened on 10 November.
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