With a TikTok Ban Looming, Users Flee to Chinese App ‘Red Note’

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

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

Now, when he scrolls through his Xiaohongshu home page, about a quarter of the content is from so-called TikTok refugees, according to a screen recording he shared. “Some of them are asking what Chinese people think about certain issues like the United States, LGBT or other social issues. And some Chinese users are invited to ask their questions. And some are just using the app like they use TikTok and posting something that’s interesting to them,” Yang told Wired. The concentration of genuinely personal content shared by ordinary people rather than polished influencers was refreshing, he added.

Chinese Xiaohongshu users are impressed with the flow of new voices. Most of them, especially those who speak English, are welcoming, liking videos posted by TikTok refugees and following their accounts. Some are taking the time to explain how the app works to those who find it difficult to navigate due to language barriers.

Sarah FotheringhamA TikTok user since 2021 from Utah, told WIRED that he’s having a surprisingly good time on Xiaohongshu despite relying on Google Translate to use the platform. For his first two days on the app, he spent several hours each day and posted four videos, the last one explaining US school lunches to Chinese users. “People have reached out to help in every way, from navigating the app, adding subtitles to videos and translations,” Fotheringham said. “One comment on my video was from a Chinese user. He said, ‘Wow it’s like looking at the Great Wall of China.’ And for me, it’s my first time seeing it.”

“The majority [new Xiaohongshu users] There is probably the curiosity stage. I think moments of culture shock or controversy may emerge over time, but that will be part of the process of them getting to know each other on a deeper level,” Yang said.