I Joined TikTok Refugees on RedNote. Here’s What It’s Like.

By River Page

On Sunday, if the Biden administration gets its way, the third of American adults who use TikTok could abruptly be deprived of the social media app. And over the past several days, self-described “TikTok refugees” have been flocking to another Chinese app called RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, which roughly translates to “little red book” (as in, Mao’s). It’s not clear who started the trend, but it’s undeniable: RedNote surged to the top of both Apple and Android’s app stores. Taylor Lorenz, the uber-progressive internet commentator, described it as “the hottest new social app in America!!”

Unlike TikTok, RedNote, which started in Shanghai in 2013 and has over 300 million active monthly users, is an unmistakably Chinese app. When you first open it to sign up, you’re greeted by a wall of Mandarin. The terms and conditions are also in Mandarin: For all I know, I could have just signed over my 401(k) to Xi Jinping himself. And while TikTok is banned in its native China, RedNote is available to the 1.4 billion people living there, and who make up the majority of its userbase. When you log on, you are greeted with a feed nearly identical to TikTok’s, an endless scroll of photos and short-form videos—and they are overwhelmingly in Chinese. And unlike some social media sites such as X, there is no button to auto-translate text.

President Biden signed a bill last spring that would ban TikTok if its Beijing-based parent company doesn’t sell the app to a U.S. buyer. Ever since then, Zoomers have been sardonically bidding farewell to the Chinese spies assigned to monitor their online activities. “It’s been real, my Chinese friend,” one posted. Another imagined “trying to reconnect with my Chinese spy on the dark web” after a TikTok ban, “cuz I never felt more seen and understood than I did with him.” The joke has carried over to RedNote, with some Americans posting that they’re looking for their “new Chinese spy.”

The Chinese users on RedNote seem bemused by these TikTok refugees, asking questions like: “Why are you here? Is it because your TikTok has been banned?”

I Joined TikTok Refugees on RedNote. Here’s What It’s Like.
But overall they are welcoming to the Americans, posting videos with titles like “Hello from your New Chinese spy.”

They have only one demand.

“Americans, show me your cat.”

The origin of this request is uncertain, and it’s not entirely clear why they want to see our feline friends, but the so-called “cat tax” has become a ubiquitous refrain in the comments, and so far, Americans have complied.

I Joined TikTok Refugees on RedNote. Here’s What It’s Like.
Beyond our cats, our new Chinese friends are also curious about our lives, asking Americans questions like: “Do U.S. ppl have to sell their house to pay their hospital bills?” and “I want to know [if] the national guard is part of America army? And does everyone have to pay property tax to the IRS every year?” They also want help with their English homework.

Americans are asking questions too. For example, one TikTok refugee asked what Chinese people thought of Americans and got a flurry of responses, like: “We don’t like American politicians but we welcome friendly American people,” “Free Luigi,” “Coca-Cola sometimes war,” “I don’t care give me your data,” and, “If you have a cat then we are friends.”

I Joined TikTok Refugees on RedNote. Here’s What It’s Like.
As a Floridian, my favorite interaction was a Sunshine State–based user who asked: “What do Chinese people think of Florida?”

Multiple users responded that Chinese people believe that “Florida doesn’t support idle people.” Eventually, someone explained this is a mistranslation. Apparently, what they mean is “Florida doesn’t breed boring folks,” which is generally true.

Another Chinese user asked, “Do you live with crocodiles?”

It’s all very cute. You could almost forget that RedNote almost certainly collects the same data TikTok does, if not more. But this dynamic probably won’t last long. Judging by the 12 scam calls I’ve gotten today, my phone number has already been sold multiple times. American regulators will no doubt turn their attention to RedNote soon, while TikTok clones built on American soil with an American audience in mind could emerge any day.

So enjoy this brief, beautiful moment of cultural exchange, TikTok refugees, before it’s all taken away.