<img src='https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-01-18/Chinese-Little-Sweet-Potatoes-embrace-millions-of-TikTok-refugees–1AguUnOZpPG/img/da403163ad3d4a2da88f9cd0b22446a6/da403163ad3d4a2da88f9cd0b22446a6.png' alt='U.S. netizens flocked to Chinese social media app RedNote and registered their accounts in recent days due to the impending TikTok ban in the U.S. /CFP'
“Hello, TikTok Refugees! I’m Lucia. I’m eight years old.”
In a video posted on the Chinese social media network Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, a Chinese girl greets American users who have downloaded the mandarin platform in a desperate search for a TikTok substitute. They have dubbed themselves the “TikTok refugees.”
“In the past few days, I’ve come across many foreign bloggers on Xiaohongshu. It makes me feel extremely surprised and wonderful,” in the video, Lucia speaks in fluent and confident English. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to describe you as ‘refugees,’ Instead, I’d rather call you friends.”
According to data from analytics firm Similarweb, as the January 19 deadline draws near on the short-video platform TikTok, owned by the Chinese firm ByteDance, to be taken offline in the U.S., nearly 3 million American users started their RedNote accounts in one day earlier this week. This made RedNote, the lesser heard of Chinese social network, the most downloaded free app in the U.S. Apple Store.
RedNote was rolled out in 2013 and has been inbuilt with a short-video function. However, the platform is known in China mostly as a lifestyle guide, catering to users’ niche interests, which distinguishes its branding from Douyin, TikTok’s Chinese edition.
American users on RedNote soon found out that this is linguistically uncharted territory. Thousands of posts in English shot out seeking for tips to navigate the largely Chinese-language social media.
A huge buzz kicked off after Chinese influencers on the network, who often refer to themselves as “Little Sweet Potatoes” in a homophonous play on the platform’s Chinese name, decided to act as Good Samaritans.
“Hello, TikTok Refugees! Welcome to RedNote! I’m a 72-year-old grandma who loves speaking English. Today, I would like to share with you some tips and experiences on using RedNote,” says a woman who calls herself “Grandma Yu” in an English video message. She has 300,000 followers.
“What makes RedNote unique is that it feels more like a community rather than just a platform for showing off,” Yu says.
The hospitality has been met with gratitude.
“I feel encouraged that Americans are welcomed here (on RedNote),” says a woman blogger who calls herself “Tay,” “Chinese are the kindest.”
Contrast to the warm and bright greetings the “TikTok refugees” are receiving, is the gloomy future of the short-video platform. Earlier on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law that would force TikTok to be sold to an American company or face a ban to start on Sunday, a day before Donald Trump is set to be sworn in the Oval Office. Eyes have been on the president-elect for TikTok’s future operation in the U.S. as his team has dropped multiple hints on maintaining the ban in the buildup to the inauguration.
In April 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden enacted the law that gives ByteDance 270 days to sell TikTok, citing unfounded national security concerns. If the company fails to comply, the law will require app store operators such as Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their platforms starting on January 19, 2025.