TikTok Refugees Flood into Xiaohongshu, Embraced by Localization: Is Xiaohongshu Going Global?”
Last Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court conducted oral arguments concerning the TikTok ban, which turned out to be quite unfavorable for TikTok. The majority of the justices clearly stated that national security takes precedence over freedom of speech.


As a result, if ByteDance refuses to sell TikTok, the app will be completely banned from use in one week.
Previously, ByteDance had explicitly stated that it would not sell TikTok.
Despite former President Trump expressing a desire to “save TikTok,” his official inauguration date is January 20th, the day after the ban takes effect, clearly too late to be of any immediate help.
In this dilemma, a large number of TikTok users have had to look for a new “safe haven.”
Xiaohongshu, unexpectedly, has become their platform of choice.
The arrival of American friends was sudden.
Chinese netizens woke up one morning to find Xiaohongshu filled with English posts, all originating from the U.S., leaving Chinese netizens bewildered: “Who am I? Where am I?”
Every third post was from a foreigner.
Chinese netizens were forced to switch on their English reading comprehension.
But for Chinese netizens, seizing every opportunity to learn is what matters most.

The influx of “TikTok refugees” has unexpectedly sparked “English corners” in elementary and middle schools.
Chinese elementary students quickly flocked to the comments section to ask American users for help with English homework, instantly opening up new avenues of learning.
And the enthusiasm for learning English has never been higher!
Now, isn’t this an instant boost to the English learning environment?
Anxious American users asked: What do Chinese people feel about us? Do they like us or not?
What is Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu)?

Little Red Book, known as Xiaohongshu in Chinese, is a social media and e-commerce platform launched in 2013. It started as a way for Chinese users to discover and review products from overseas, and it quickly grew into a broader platform combining social media features with e-commerce capabilities. Users can post product reviews, share shopping experiences, and make purchases directly through the app. It’s often compared to a mix of Instagram and Pinterest, with its strong focus on user-generated content and community engagement.
Red Key Data and Features
- User Base: As of 2021, Xiaohongshu has over 300 million registered users, with a demographic predominantly composed of young, urban women aged between 18 and 35.
- Engagement: The platform is known for its high user engagement rates, with users spending an average of several minutes on the app daily, browsing through posts and interacting with content.
- Content Diversity: Content on Xiaohongshu covers a wide range of topics including fashion, beauty, food, travel, and lifestyle. This diversity attracts a wide variety of users who are interested in these areas.
- E-commerce : Xiaohongshu also functions as an e-commerce platform, allowing users to buy products that influencers recommend directly through the app. It has partnerships with both domestic and international brands.
Why Chinese Users Like Xiaohongshu
- Authentic Reviews: Xiaohongshu has built a reputation for authentic user-generated content. Users trust the reviews and recommendations from other users because they are based on genuine experiences.
- Community Aspect: The platform fosters a community feeling where users can follow others with similar interests and engage with content that feels more personal and less commercial. This strong sense of community enhances user loyalty and activity on the platform.
- Influencer Access: Xiaohongshu is a breeding ground for influencers, many of whom start as regular users. The platform allows users direct access to fashion, beauty, and lifestyle influencers, providing them with inspiration and purchase ideas.
- Niche Market Focus: The platform expertly caters to niche markets and personalized consumer needs. Whether users are interested in luxury goods, everyday items, or unique indie brands, Xiaohongshu offers a range of products that appeal to varied tastes and preferences.
- Seamless Shopping Experience: The integration of e-commerce capabilities means that users can go from discovering a product to purchasing it without leaving the app, streamlining the shopping experience and making it incredibly convenient.
- Curated Content: Xiaohongshu uses algorithms to curate content based on user behavior, preferences, and interactions. This personalized content curation ensures that users are more likely to see posts that resonate with them, increasing time spent on the app and user satisfaction.
In summary, Xiaohongshu’s success lies in its unique combination of social media and e-commerce, a trusted community of real reviews, and its ability to stay at the forefront of consumer trends in China. The platform continues to evolve, increasingly focusing on enhancing user experience and expanding its reach in the digital marketplace.
Xiaohongshu’s International Expansion?

This influx of “TikTok refugees” might indeed be Xiaohongshu’s most successful “international” venture, albeit a passive one.

What should Xiaohongshu do now? Can it handle this influx?
Firstly, the primary concern is the pressure of content moderation in multiple languages.
How many of these international users are there, and what proportion do they represent in the content? Does Xiaohongshu need to increase human moderation or tailor machine rules? Undoubtedly, Xiaohongshu is already urgently discussing these issues.
Secondly, if they want to retain these users, should they increase the proportion of video content? Should they implement translation features? How can they make the use of image and text features smoother for them?
Should they create a sandbox, an information cocoon, or a separate community for international users?
Should there be a pool for interactions and cultural exchanges between domestic and international users?
How can foreign users adapt to this platform that showcases “refined life”?
All these considerations are crucial.
Thirdly, should local users adapt to international users?
Many users wake up to find Xiaohongshu’s homepage filled with foreigners asking, “Who am I? Where am I?”
Where are the beauties I wanted to see? Where are the travel tips? Do you want me to learn a foreign language?
For creators, is there a new opportunity to find fresh creative winds, such as language learning, cross-cultural exchanges, travel, and resonating with peers of the same age?
In summary, this incident with Xiaohongshu has prompted the industry to reflect on how to develop a truly global product, not just a simple international one. This globalization faces multicultural differences, clashes of cognition, and differing standards.
Clearly, neither the users nor platforms like Xiaohongshu are fully prepared. However, it provides a thought for “going international”: why bother going international when you are the sea itself?