‘XHS is being “raided” by Americans’: People are already being racist on TikTok’s replacement, a Chinese app

With TikTok officially banned in the United States on Sunday, January 19, Americans have migrated to China’s top social media platform, RedNote. But people are not showing the platform the respect it deserves.

Ever since it was announced TikTok would be banned in the United States, many have turned to RedNote (also known as Xiaohongshu, XHS, or Little Red Book). The app became so popular that it shot to number one on the Apple App Store in the U.S. Chinese users have been extremely welcoming, dubbing TikTok users who downloaded RedNote as “TikTok refugees” and showcasing their excitement over this possible exchange of cultures. However, it didn’t take long for Americans to ruin the app by ignoring Chinese users’ advice on what not to post.

Are Americans ruining RedNote? It looks like it

With RedNote being a Chinese-owned app, it makes sense that most of its user base is Chinese. When TikTok refugees started posting on the app, many Chinese users made videos celebrating their debut on RedNote. However, Chinese users also made sure to tell American users what was not welcome on the app; specifically, sexually explicit content, political content, racism, and even certain shows were not allowed on the app.

While most people respected these rules, a loud minority were quick to shrug them off, enough for people to claim Americans have already ruined RedNote. With the app’s content and UI being mostly in Chinese, some American users have demanded that established users speak or type in English. Others have also made racist jokes in the comment section, such as how Chinese people steal data or about how Chinese people “eat dogs.” It did not take long for Sinophobia to reach a Chinese app.

Chinese users also do not want to see explicit content, yet some users have used NSFW images as reactions in the comment section. Some foreign content creators have released videos saying they are looking for a Chinese partner, which has rubbed people the wrong way as it makes it seem like they are fetishizing Chinese individuals.

Some shows have also been banned in China for disrespecting the country, so it makes sense why Chinese people would not want to see such content. You don’t have to like the rule, but if you’re in their court, you have to show some respect. One such show is the anime My Hero Academia, which was banned in China due to blood and gore and controversial historical references. Some fans have posted about the show, such as clips and fan art, on RedNote. When Chinese netizens confronted such posts, many claimed they did not care and ignored the words of the original user base.

Those who defend Chinese users who are rightfully upset are being called slurs; some are even sent death threats. This is disappointing, as Chinese netizens were so excited to have Americans on the platform only to be met with disrespect. As an application originally centered on Chinese culture and aesthetics, let’s treat RedNote and its user base with a little more respect, please?