The Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, also referred to as RedNote in English, has sprung to supremacy as the top free app on iPhone as the ban on TikTok took effect Sunday, drawing the ire of U.

Chinese tech companies and their censorship apparatus look to be early beneficiaries of the Supreme Court’s decision to keep a law forcing the sale or shutdown of TikTok in the coming days.

A rare wave of U.S.-China camaraderie broke out online in recent days as “refugees” from the popular short video platform TikTok poured onto a Chinese social media platform to protest a now-delayed ban on the service.

Xiaohongshu, whose name literally means "little red book" but is also known in English as RedNote, is wildly popular in its home market -- one of the most censored countries in the world. This contradiction makes the app's sudden popularity among U.S. users both puzzling and potentially troubling for Xiaohongshu.

Qu, 40, is currently president of and owns an estimated 10% stake in the private company; Forbes estimates she has a net worth of around $1.3 billion. She grew up in Wuhan, China, and studied journalism at Beijing Foreign Studies University before working in marketing, as Fortune ’s Nicholas Gordon reported in October 2024.

Users looking for a TikTok alternative learn about daily life in China, but some posts are taboo.

The arrival of American users on RedNote has brought instant online connection between Americans and Chinese even as academic and other exchanges have dampened.

Shanghai-based Xiaohongshu, or RedNote as it is known in English, is a Chinese social media platform growing in popularity as an alternative to TikTok, but with the same security risks.

TikTok was shut down in the United States due to a change in the law, leaving users unable to access the app. Many are now seeking alternatives, often turning to another Chinese app. TikTok took the world by storm,