WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 As the fate of TikTok hangs in the balance, U.S. TikTok users are flocking to the Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, also called RedNote 鈥 making it the top downloaded app in the U.S.
Some of the 鈥淭ikTok refugees,鈥 as they call themselves, say the , a Chinese app, is being chosen in protest of the TikTok ban. Here's what you need to know about Xiaohongshu.
What is Xiaohongshu, the Chinese app that 鈥楾ikTok refugees鈥 poured to?
It is a lifestyle social media app which allows users to post short videos, photos and texts, and it also includes functions like live-streaming and shopping.
A rare wave of U.S.-China camaraderie broke out online in recent days as 鈥渞efugees鈥 from the popular short video platform TikTok poured onto a Chinese social media platform to protest a on the service.
They were met with surprise, curiosity and in-jokes on 鈥 literally, 鈥淟ittle Red Book鈥 鈥 whose users saw English-language posts take over feeds almost overnight.
Americans introduced themselves with hashtag TikTok refugees, ask me anything attitude and posting photos of their pets to pay their hosts鈥 鈥渃at tax.鈥 Parents swapped stories about raising kids and Swifties from both countries, of course, quickly found each other.
It鈥檚 a rare moment of direct contact between two online worlds that are usually kept apart by language, corporate boundaries, and China鈥檚 strict system of online censorship that blocks access to nearly all international media and social media services.
Why are Americans downloading a Chinese app?
Chinese and American users rarely find themselves in the same online spaces, in large part because China鈥檚 鈥淕reat Firewall鈥 blocks internationally popular platforms like Instagram and X. Even TikTok blocks users in China, directing them to its onshore sister platform Douyin.
But as the deadline approached for a law that would ban in the United States beginning Jan. 19 unless the popular social media program is sold by its China-based parent company, some began migrating to Xiaohongshu.
鈥淲hen they tell us you can鈥檛 have a Chinese app anymore, we go straight to another Chinese app,鈥 said Katie Lawson, a farmer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who has posted videos of her chickens and saved many recipes from the app. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to go explore that country and their values ourselves. We鈥檙e going to go straight to the source.鈥
What鈥檚 the difference between TikTok and Xiaohongshu?
Although TikTok is owned by a Chinese parent company, the short video platform popular with Generation Z is an international app whose content and users are walled off from those of the Chinese version, Douyin.
Xiaohongshu鈥檚 300 million monthly active users are overwhelmingly Chinese 鈥 so much so that parts of its interface have no English-language version. They skew heavily female, often addressing strangers simply as 鈥渟ister.鈥
Known for a friendly atmosphere that focuses on user reviews and peer-to-peer advice, it鈥檚 one of China鈥檚 fastest-growing apps. Foreign celebrities 鈥 including Mariah Carey and Elon Musk鈥檚 mother Maye Musk -- are longtime users. Kim Kardashian joined the app back in 2018.
How many Americans have joined Xiaohongshu?
The company hasn鈥檛 released official data, but the app has reached No. 1 in free downloads on both iOS and Android, remaining in that spot for days.
On the platform, two versions of the TikTok refugee hashtag have over 24 million posts, with related posts appearing at the top of many users鈥 feeds.
What are users talking about?
A large number of American users say they鈥檝e received a warm welcome from the community, with #TikTokrefugee. 鈥淲elcome the global villagers鈥 remains the top one trending topic on Xiaohongshu, with 8.9 million views on Thursday.
Users from both countries are comparing notes on grocery prices, rent, health insurance, medical bills and the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Parents talk about what the kids learn in school in two countries. Some have already joined book clubs and are building up a community.
American users asked how Chinese see the LGBTQ community and got warned that it was among sensitive topics, Chinese users taught Americans what are sensitive topics and key words to avoid censorship on the app. Chinese students pulled out their English homework, looking for help.
How is the Chinese government responding?
Chinese state media, which have long dismissed U.S. allegations against TikTok, have welcomed the protest against the ban.
People鈥檚 Daily, China鈥檚 biggest national newspaper, said in an op-ed about TikTok refugees on Thursday that says the TikTok refugees found a 鈥渘ew home,鈥 and 鈥渙penness, communication, and mutual learning are the unchanging themes of mankind and the heartfelt desires of people from all countries.鈥
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn鈥檛 respond immediately to AP鈥檚 interview request.
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Cohen reported from Bangkok.
