Quark Search API for the Chinese web
Search Quark over HTTP and receive a Chinese-language result set that leans on a different corpus from Baidu, including Alibaba and UC properties.
Endpoint
Results arrive in the same JSON shape as every other engine, so existing parsing continues to work.
Results include Alibaba and UC properties alongside the open Chinese web.
The snippet is the page description as Quark renders it.
The mix differs from both Baidu and 360 for the same query.
Useful for
Mobile-first China / Coverage breadth / Cross-checking
A third Chinese index with its own corpus
Set `search_service` to `quark` and the results come from Quark. The endpoint, the authentication, and the response shape are the same as every other engine.
A different corpus, not a reshuffle
The same query that returns Baidu Baike on `baidu` returns Alibaba and UC properties here, so the difference is which pages exist in the result set, not only their order.
Mobile-first orientation
Quark grew as a mobile browser and search product, so its ranking reflects what is surfaced to phone users in China.
Completes the Chinese trio
Running `baidu`, `360`, and `quark` over one query covers three independent Chinese indexes rather than three views of one.
Standard Search parameters
`max_results` up to 50, plus `include_sites`, `exclude_sites`, and `time_range`.
What is a Quark search API?
A Quark search API is an HTTP interface that returns results from Quark as structured data. Quark is Alibaba’s search and browser product and grew primarily on mobile, which shows in its index: it leans on Alibaba and UC content alongside the open Chinese web, and it surfaces a different set of pages from Baidu for the same query. Search1API exposes Quark as one of the search services on its Search endpoint, returning titles, links, and Chinese-language snippets in the same JSON shape it returns for its other engines. Together with `baidu` and `360` it gives three independent readings of the Chinese web from one contract.
Typical workflow
Search Quark over HTTP and receive a Chinese-language result set that leans on a different corpus from Baidu, including Alibaba and UC properties.
Send a Chinese-language query with `search_service` set to `quark`.
Compare against `baidu` and `360` results to see which pages only one index surfaces.
Set `crawl_results` when the workflow needs page text rather than links.
One request, a third Chinese result set
A single call searches Quark and returns Chinese-language results in the standard shape. Batching it with a Baidu and a 360 query covers three indexes in one round trip.
bash
Best for
Chinese research that needs breadth across more than one index.
Understanding what mobile users in China are shown for a query.
Cross-checking a claim against a third independent source.
AI assistants that assemble a Chinese answer from several rankings.
FAQ
How is Quark different from Baidu and 360?
Quark is Alibaba’s search product and grew on mobile. Its index leans on Alibaba and UC content alongside the open Chinese web, so the same query returns a different set of pages, not just a different order.
Should I query in Chinese or English?
Chinese. The index is Chinese-language, and a Chinese query is what produces a meaningful ranking.
Can I query all three Chinese engines at once?
Yes. The Search endpoint accepts an array of query objects, so `baidu`, `360`, and `quark` can be sent in one batch. Each item is billed individually and a failed item is not charged.
What does a Quark search cost?
One credit per search, and one additional credit for each page retrieved successfully through `crawl_results`. At the base top-up rate of $1 for 1,000 credits, that is $1 per 1,000 searches. Signup includes 100 free credits with no credit card.
Can I get the page content as well?
Yes. Set `crawl_results` to the number of top results you want fetched, and each page retrieved successfully includes a `content` field with the page text as markdown. Results that cannot be retrieved are returned without `content` and are not charged.
Which other Chinese sources are supported?
The same Search endpoint accepts `baidu` and `360` for the Chinese web, `wechat` for Official Account articles, and `bilibili` for video, alongside global engines, for 17 engines in total on one contract.