“It’s the coolest factor,” says Huang Ziyan, a longtime person of Chinese language social media app Xiaohongshu, describing the expertise as a “Twenty first-century Tower of Babel”.
Huang is referring to the inflow of US “TikTok refugees” fleeing the approaching ban and the ensuing cross-cultural trade that has seen Individuals warmly welcomed – and typically given a number of useful ideas.
“I used to be sporting this inexperienced hat in one in all my movies and a few Chinese language netizens knowledgeable me that in China … it’s successfully a logo to broadcast you’re a cuckold,” says James Harr, who’s amongst these to take their first Chinese language language classes quickly after switching from TikTok to Xiaohongshu.
Harr says utilizing Xiaohongshu was a type of protest towards the US authorities however that the “cultural trade has been unimaginable to look at”.
Customers have additionally been serving to one another out with homework, with Chinese language customers posting pages of English homework pleading for assist from their new English-speaking customers of the app. Others have urged US customers so as to add Chinese language subtitles to their movies. The app doesn’t have a easy auto-translation operate in both path.
Then there’s the entry charge demanded of newcomers by resident customers – photos of cats.
New person ItsNate supplied George Jr, an elongated dangling feline, as a tribute, garnering 100,000 likes for his efforts. “Paying my cat tax,” mentioned one other, providing a photograph of his pet, plus a tongue-in-cheek reference to Washington’s safety issues about TikTok. “My Chinese language spy hasn’t contacted me but so I publish my cat as a result of he should learn about him.”
TikTok is anticipated to be shut off within the US on Sunday, after the Chinese language-owned firm ByteDance was ordered to promote the vastly well-liked app or be banned on nationwide safety grounds. In response, a lot of its 170 million US customers are panicking, and in search of freer pastures.
Paradoxically, many imagine to have discovered them on Xiaohongshu, an app made, owned and primarily utilized in China, the place it’s topic to the nation’s tight and censorious restrictions. Its Chinese language identify interprets as “little purple guide”, which brings to thoughts Chairman Mao’s well-known guide of quotations, however TikTokkers have dubbed it RedNote. In an interview in 2019, Xiaohongshu’s founder and CEO, Mao Wenchao, mentioned the app’s identify was impressed by the purple color of his alma mater, Stanford Enterprise Faculty.
In contrast to TikTok, which forces western customers to make use of the worldwide model of its app and retains its Chinese language sister app, Douyin, separate, Xiaohongshu has one platform for everybody to make use of, making it simpler for customers from completely different nations to fulfill on-line.
Celebrities have additionally been flocking to Xiaohongshu, with British Olympic diver Tom Daley and Canadian rapper bbno$ already noticed posting there. Elon Musk’s mom, Maye Musk – vastly well-liked in China – was already a person with greater than 600,000 followers together with her way of life and trend content material.
The app’s retail capabilities have additionally drawn content material creators like Marcus Robinson, who says the looming ban frightened him as a result of it took a very long time to construct a following on TikTok for his trend and clothes model. However he says he’s “rising approach quicker” on Xiaohongshu.
‘They haven’t found out a solution to censor English’
Some Chinese language customers warned the brand new arrivals to count on issues to vary. China’s web authorities keep tight controls over what could be posted on-line. Posting hyperlinks, nudity, profanity or discussing politically delicate matters usually sees the content material mechanically eliminated or the person banned.
“All the pieces is a matter of time, relying on the severity of issues,” warned Xue Zhao from China’s Zhejiang province. “I really feel they haven’t found out a solution to censor English materials but, however quickly they may catch up.”
There are various matters which inhabit a gray space. For now there are nonetheless posts discussing faux information, memes about worldwide espionage and evaluating healthcare methods between China and America. In China extra broadly, authorities crackdowns have focused devoted queer areas on-line and in the neighborhood. Content material associated to LGBTQ+ is seen on Xiaohongshu however there have been a number of studies of some posts being banned, or customers warning new arrivals to not publish overtly queer content material. Feminists in China have complained that their content material has been scrubbed from the platform.
“Platforms are involved about exposing minors to such content material too early however outright banning it might not be truthful or welcoming to sexual minorities,” says Huang.
A distinct type of takeover
Whereas many Chinese language customers of Xiaohongshu welcome the inflow of non-Chinese language customers – Huang says their arrival “has undoubtedly injected a lot vitality and freshness” into the group – some are frightened concerning the app dropping its id.
Till now Xiaohongshu’s person base had been predominantly younger and feminine, however the wave of TikTok refugees might change that.
Manjiang, a Chinese language content material creator, says she’s discovered “99% of persons are tremendous pleasant” however she’s frightened concerning the 1% who come into the area who usually are not respectful, who “unfold stereotypes and sexualise us”.
“We’re welcoming pleasant individuals however there may be additionally a way that the English content material is taking on,” she says.
Cantonese tutor and content material creator Dr Candise Lin says Xiaohongshu and its group shouldn’t have to vary themselves to accommodate the brand new customers and that many – particularly expats – go to the platform to reconnect with dwelling.
“I hope XHS stays a Chinese language app – no want to talk English simply to make Individuals really feel snug. We welcome anybody who’s keen to talk our language.”
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