‘Cat taxes’ showcase openness, humor of Chinese netizens as ‘TikTok refugees’ flood RedNote
Charge of "cat taxes," free English tutors, cross-check bill books… These are some fun phenomena observed on social media RedNote, or Xiaohongshu, over the past few days during an encounter between Chinese and American netizens, who describe themselves as "TikTok refugees."
Some online recruitment advertisements suggest that the platform, whose users are mainly Chinese, started to invite talent to review and analyze English contents - a glimpse into the scale of the trend.
Against the backdrop of the US Supreme Court's pending ruling to decide whether the popular video app TikTok will be banned in the US, conversations on RedNote are not that politicized, but have a lighthearted and humorous tone.
"Cat tax" referred to the practice that Chinese netizens jokingly asked the American newcomers to share pictures of their cute, fluffy cats before navigating this app where many people share videos, pictures and texts about their daily life.
The tax can also be "paid" by dogs, rabbits and any other pets, even flowers and plants of the new blogger, according to posts seen by the Global Times reporters.
In addition to paying the "cat tax," users of US IP shared their interest in learning Chinese and offered to review Chinese netizens' English homework. The amusing thing is that even native speakers have trouble with some of the quiz questions.
American net users are impressed by city views of China metropoles and some expressed an interest in online shopping. The mechanism of RedNote also allows them to browse contents within their niche interest.
Conversations have also extended to "cross-check bill books," to learn more about each other's life expenses. Chinese netizens are talking about the affordable higher education fees and health insurance, which made some American netizens "pofang," or break down. As for the arduous tax report which is referred to an annual "torture" in the US, Chinese netizens delightfully informed their American counterparts that the work is done by government personnel in China.
These American users that have been flooding in have helped RedNote secure a top spot on Free Apps listed in the Apple App Store in the US.
Many people are also calling on the platform to create a version with add-on translation. So far netizens of the two countries rely on third-party translation apps and ChatGPT, and inevitably there are mistranslations, especially when it comes to memes.
Recruitments of RedNote are seen on jobhunting websites, and the job descriptions include reviewing and analyzing English contents, per materials seen by the Global Times reporters.
Isabel Adelia, who registered on Tuesday, told the Global Times she likes the lighthearted humor and collective jokes. The experience also made her realize her incorrect view of Chinese people, especially the younger generations, "due to the education and media in the US."
There is an incorrect stereotype that Chinese culture and people are not very "animal friendly" and view animals as food, but they (Chinese people) love animals and pets as much as their young American counterparts, Adelia said.
While bloggers with US IPs expressed a great interest in China, Chinese netizens have shared trending memes, so that American newcomers can better engage with Chinese netizens, as well as tips so they don't violate stated and unspoken rules.
"Family who knows. Wake up to see RedNote diplomacy," a Chinese platform user said, as the direct and straightforward interactions between China and the US netizens continue. ("Family who knows" is a popular way to lead an online post on Chinese social media.)
Zhang Zheng, an associate dean of research at Tsinghua University's School of Journalism and Communication, shared with the Global Times his immediate impression that Chinese netizens have demonstrated openness, inclusiveness and a sense of humor during this fun transcultural communication.
Some US TikTok users have also turned to Douyin and other Chinese platforms, but RedNote has become the most popular one in recent days, probably because it does not require a Chinese phone number and therefore it's easier for a foreigner to register.
Some TikTok users in the US are expressing their discontent and protesting against the potential ban by the US government. "Our government vilifies China, claiming China will use TikTok to turn Americans against the US. We all think that is ridiculous. So as a protest, and with much humor we collectively decided to join RedNote and willingly give our info to China to show our government we don't care and challenge them," Amy, a US netizen from Massachusetts who opened her account on "RedNote," told the Global Times.
The mostly friendly interactions between netizens of the two countries are a vivid evidence that the US court ruling or rigid government decree cannot stop the momentum of communication, Zhang said.
When netizens are mainly enjoying this gala-like trend with mutual curiosity, Zhang noted that there may be challenges in management and regulation, which constitute a common challenge for companies operating in different countries.
TikTok and RedNote have very different platform profiles and algorithms, so it is difficult to tell whether the sudden fever will continue, and how it will impact RedNote's ecology, Zhang said, adding that it remains to be seen whether it is meteoric flow and how many of the new users will become long-term quality content producers.
But the internet attention can be leveraged to boost more mutual exchanges, in formats such as China Travel, and can gradually become a long-term window for communication, Zhang noted.