Ahead of the possible TikTok ban, "TikTok refugees" are flocking to the Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, or Red Note, with strange and fascinating consequences.

(Yicai) Jan. 21 -- Five major trends characterize the e-commerce landscape of China’s Xiaohongshu, known outside the country as RedNote, a media outlet under Yicai Media Group discovered by delving into the app’s list of the top 100 merchants and 100 most noteworthy brand ambassadors and influencers over the past year.

TikTok refugees flocked to Chinese platform Xiaohongshu on Monday, where users greeted them with offers of Mandarin lessons and jokes about spying.

Ding, Z. (2025) An Analysis of Snow Sports Promotion in China through Different Social Media Platforms. Open Journal of Business and Management, 13, 489-501. doi: 10.4236/ojbm.2025.131027 .

RedNote, or Xiaohongshu, is among the fast-emerging social media and e-commerce applications, gaining popularity among users amidst ongoing fears over the possible banning of TikTok.

The Chinese apps Xiaohongshu and Lemon8 rose into the top spots on the Apple app store as TikTok faces the prospect of a US ban.

An American influx to the social media app has shown people in both countries what every day life is like. As one person in China put it, “We were united together as more similar than different"

Some U.S. TikTok users have flocked to the Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, in protest of the looming ban.

Now, in an act of defiance against the United States government, which has deemed TikTok a possible threat to national security due to its Chinese ownership, Americans are downloading RedNote in droves.

Xiaohongshu, which in English means “Little Red Book” is a Chinese social media app that combines e-commerce, short video and posting functions. The app is called “RedNote” by American users.

Xiaohongshu is sometimes referred to as China’s version of Instagram. Yet the platform has embraced an array of different functions, including reviews, guides, e-commerce and, well, memes.

Though Xiaohongshu has seen an influx of users, it is not clear if the app could replace TikTok, which has created an ecosystem that allows for e-commerce and advertising. Before TikTok was under ...