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When TikTok looked doomed in the U.S., many users quickly signed up for another Chinese-owned app called Xiaohongshu in protest. It's known as RedNote in English. What happened next was a surprise as NPR's Aowen Cao reports.
AOWEN CAO, BYLINE: TikTok refugees - that's how American users are describing themselves as they connect with the Chinese community on RedNote. Until last week, the app was mainly used in China. However, frustration over a potential ban has led many TikTok users to switch to RedNote.
TYLIR RUSS: I'm a female farmer, so of course, I convinced my husband to let me get pigs for Valentine's Day last year.
CAO: Thirty-one-year-old Tylir Russ is one of them. Her day job is in human resources, but she also posts videos on RedNote of her life on a farm in central Virginia. She says her lifestyle is far from the typical image of American farming, and the response she's got has exceeded her expectations.
RUSS: It's, I think, interesting to see people's reaction when they only know things from the media or TV to see different types of ways of doing things. So everyone's been super friendly. They all love our animals.
CAO: The videos of chickens and dogs she posts gained her 18,000 followers within two days of starting her account.
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RUSS: Once all of the chickens have had their breakfast, I...
CAO: Now, a week later, that number has nearly tripled, surpassing her TikTok followers. Lizzie Shen, a teacher from eastern China, is one of Russ' new followers. She shared a picture of her own garden in the comments of Tylir's video.
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LIZZIE SHEN: (Speaking in Mandarin).
CAO: She says that seeing videos on RedNote has given her a strong connection to ordinary Americans. There used to be a barrier between the two countries, but now real connections are building goodwill. Many Chinese users are sharing memories of their English classes at school, where they were often asked to write letters to imaginary American pen pals. Now they're hearing from real friends writing back.
OLIVIA PLOTNICK: It's kind of like the digital Berlin Wall moments.
CAO: This is Olivia Plotnick, founder of Wai Social, a social media marketing agency in Shanghai. She says that China censorship of platforms like Facebook and Instagram has made it harder for Chinese and Americans to communicate. While TikTok has separate versions for China and the U.S., RedNote users are on the same platform in both countries.
PLOTNICK: And now they're able to come together with no middleman and talk and communicate directly with each other.
CAO: But she warns that RedNote's unified platform is likely to face scrutiny from the authorities in China, and the surge of American users adds new challenges.
PLOTNICK: It doesn't comply with government internet regulations, and it doesn't comply with Western users' expectations. So, you know, at some point, somebody's going to clash and butt out.
CAO: David Craig, an associate professor of communication at USC Annenberg, agrees, pointing out that it's hard for influencers to make money on RedNote.
DAVID CRAIG: I do think that it's still very difficult to imagine that it will be more than a short-lived trend. For example, Xiaohongshu isn't really set up to support and fund creators in the U.S.
CAO: He says that he believes the magic and fascination will eventually fade, which looks more likely now that President Trump has paused the ban on TikTok. But RedNote has already formed some new international connections. Tyler Dalk, a RedNote user from the Bay Area says he's amazed by the genuine conversations with Chinese users on the app. He even downloaded Duolingo to start learning Mandarin.
TYLER DALK: I can definitely say that I've thought about visiting China more in the last three days than I probably have the rest of my life - all of my life combined.
CAO: And just like that, one potential ban has opened a new window, bringing people together in unexpected ways. What comes next remains to be seen.
Aowen Cao, NPR News, Beijing. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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