As TikTok ban approaches, users flee to Chinese app ‘Red Note’

In fact, the app doesn’t even have a good English translation of its name: Xiaohongshu is just a transliteration of its Chinese name. 红书. While the literal translation “Little Red Book” may remind English-speaking users of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong’s collection of speeches and propaganda slogans of the same name, it has a different connotation in China, where users interpret it as a reliable user source. – Recommendations for mundane things, like which restaurant to go to or which beauty product to buy.

The recent influx of US users has certainly caught the attention of Xiaohongshu’s existing user base. David Yang, a recent master’s program graduate from China who currently lives in Paris, suddenly found his Xiaohongshu page full of American users on Sunday. He has previously seen some non-Chinese creators intentionally come to the platform to attract Chinese followers, but nothing on this scale.

Now, when he scrolls his Xiaohongshu homepage, about a quarter of the content comes from so-called TikTok refugees, according to a screen recording he shared. “Some of them ask what Chinese people think about certain issues, like the USA, the LGBT community, or other social issues. Some invite Chinese users to ask them questions. Some just use the app like they use TikTok and post anything they find interesting,” he added. The focus on real, personal content shared by everyday people rather than polished influencers was refreshing.

Chinese Xiaohongshu users are fascinated by the influx of new sounds. Most of them, especially those who speak English, extend a welcoming hand, like the TikTok videos the refugees post and follow their accounts. Some take the time to try to explain how the app works to people who have difficulty navigating due to the language barrier.

Sarah Fotheringhama TikTok user since 2021 from Utah, tells WIRED she has a surprisingly good time on Xiaohongshu despite relying on Google Translate to use the platform. During her first two days on the app, she spent a few hours each day and posted four videos, the last of which explaining school lunch in the US to Chinese users. “People have reached out to help in every way, from navigating the app, adding subtitles to videos, and translations,” says Fotheringham. “One of the comments on my video was from a Chinese user. She said, ‘Wow, it’s like looking over a Chinese wall.’ And for me, it was the first time I saw it.”

“Most (new Xiaohongshu users) are probably in the curiosity stage. I think moments of culture shock or disagreements can arise over time, but that will be part of the process of getting to know each other on a deeper level.”