Users flock to Chinese Xiaohongshu, or ‘RedNote’, with TikTok ban looming

HONG KONG (AP) — As the threat of a TikTok ban loomsUS TikTok users flock to Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu – making it the most downloaded app in the US

Some of the “TikTok refugees,” as they call themselves, say so TikTok alternativea Chinese app, is chosen in protest against the TikTok ban.

The US Supreme Court is set to rule on a law regulating TikTok must be disposed of from its Chinese parent company ByteDance on January 19 or face a US ban due to national security concerns.

After the judges seemed inclined to let the law stand, lots of TikTok users started creating accounts on Xiaohongshu, including hashtags like #tiktokrefugee or #tiktok for their posts. Since Monday, Xiaohongshu has become it top downloaded free app on Apple’s App Store in the United States

Xiaohongshu, which means “Little Red Book” in English, is a Chinese social media app that combines e-commerce, short video and post features.

The app has gained traction in China and other regions and countries with a Chinese diaspora such as Malaysia and Taiwan in recent years, gaining 300 million monthly active users, the majority of whom are young women, who use it as a de-facto product search engine -, travel and restaurant recommendations as well as makeup and skincare tutorials.

The #tiktokrefugee topic has garnered over 160,000 posts on Xiaohongshu, many of which are videos of American users introducing themselves and asking for tips on how to navigate the app, which they call “RedNote.”

Xiaohongshu did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

Alexis Garman is a 21-year-old TikTok user in Oklahoma with nearly 20,000 followers. She joined Xiaohongshu on Tuesday after seeing others do the same. Garman said she is not particularly concerned about data privacy.

“What I’ve experienced on (Xiaohongshu) so far has been really great and welcoming,” said Garman, who has left two positions on the platform.

“I like your makeup,” a Xiaohongshu user from Beijing comments on one of her posts, and Garman thanks them in a reply. A user from the southwestern province of Sichuan commented “I am your Chinese spy … please provide your personal information or the photographs of your cat (or dog).”

“Being banned from TikTok doesn’t just take away an app, it takes away jobs, friends and community,” Garman said. “Personally, the friends and bonds I have with my followers will now be gone.”

Other US users who have joined Xiaohongshu have been outspoken about joining the app in protest of the possible TikTok ban.

An American user with the handle Definitelynotchippy made a video aimed at the Chinese users of Xiaohongshu explaining why Americans download the app.

“The reason our government is telling us they’re banning TikTok is because they insist it’s owned by you, the Chinese people, the government, whatever,” she said. “And they’re trying to make us think you’re bad.”

“Many of us are smarter than that though, so we decided to piss off our government and download an actual Chinese app,” she said. “We call it trolling … in short, we’re here to defy our government and to learn about China and hang out with you guys.”

Chinese users on Xiaohongshu have so far welcomed American users, and some have offered to teach them Chinese. Others have offered tips on navigating the Chinese Internet and warned new users not to mention or discuss anything deemed politically sensitive, as they may face censors. In some cases, Chinese students have asked the Americans for help with their English homework.

Like most apps and internet services in China, Xiaohongshu is subject to censorship. Platforms typically enforce censorship by deleting or shadow banning content that Beijing deems politically sensitive. Major Western platforms, such as Google and Facebook, are blocked in China.

Although Xiaohongshu has seen an influx of users, it is not clear whether the app can replace TikTok, which has created an ecosystem that allows for e-commerce and advertising. Before TikTok was threatened, the overwhelming majority of Xiaohongshu’s users were Chinese, and the app, which lacks translation capabilities, is not optimized for an international user base.

Although tensions between the US and China remain high trade and national securitymany Chinese and American Xiaohongshu users have pursued friendly cultural exchanges on the app. These interactions range from live chat rooms to comments on posts.

A TikTok refugee who goes by the name Amanda posted a video about how happy she was to find the Xiaohongshu app, saying Chinese users have been welcoming. Under her post, a Chinese user comments: “We are not enemies, we are people (living) in one world!”

“Also, we’ve never … had a chance to communicate with you foreign guys directly who share the same app or platform, so (the feeling is) mutual since you get on this app,” says another.

Commenting in Chinese, Amanda, the TikTok “refugee,” said she would work on posting captions and subtitles in Chinese in the future.

“I am so happy to talk to Chinese people and learn about your culture and experiences,” she said.