The United States passed a law last year forcing the popular video platform's owner ByteDance to either sell it or shut it down by January 19.

With that deadline looming, Xiaohongshu -- a lifestyle-focussed Instagram-meets-Pinterest alternative -- has been propelled to the top of the US Apple App Store free downloads chart.

The hashtag "tiktokrefugee" had more than 290 million views as of noon on Wednesday.

Here are some key facts about Xiaohongshu:

- Origin -

Xiaohongshu -- or RedNote in English -- was launched in Shanghai in 2013 by Charlwin Mao and Miranda Qu.

Xiaohongshu translates literally to Little Red Book, but is not a reference to Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong's book of quotations.

In an interview with research agency Shensixing, Xiaohongshu founder Mao said that he viewed his time at Bain & Company and Stanford Business School as "two major milestones" in his life.

"Their primary colour theme is red, so we decided to call it 'Little Red Book'," he said, according to a transcript of the interview.

Until Monday, Xiaohongshu was popular primarily among Chinese-speaking users -- the majority of whom are young women in urban areas, according to data analysis platform Qiangua.

In contrast, other Chinese online platforms like Weibo cater to a broader audience.

Besides mainland China, Xiaohongshu has gained traction among other Chinese diasporas in Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.

It boasted 300 million monthly active users at the end of 2023.

- Content -

Unlike TikTok's sister app Douyin or the micro-blogging site Weibo, Xiaohongshu leans heavily towards apolitical content such as lifestyle, travel, beauty and food topics.

Xiaohongshu's "Explore" page is similar to TikTok's "For You" page -- both curated by an algorithm that suggests content based on users' interests and interactions on the platforms.

It is also an online marketplace similar to TikTok Shop, where users can directly buy items including clothing, make-up, and accessories.

It is seen as relatively less censored than other platforms: users can be found posting LGBTQ content and discussing the merits of women remaining single, topics often considered sensitive in China.

Xiaohongshu has also popularised "da ka", or "check-in" tourism, where travellers plan itineraries around scenic or trending spots specifically to take photos for social media.

And similar to Instagram and TikTok, the platform has also become a hub for influencers endorsing sponsored products.

- Mostly Chinese -

Xiaohongshu's main challenge to retaining these new US users is the language barrier, experts have told AFP.

The app is mostly in Chinese and has no auto-translation tools.

The platform also focuses overwhelmingly on content tailored to China, while most products appear to only ship within the country.

In public group chats on the platform, new US users have asked for translations of slang terms, as well as keywords to search for content they wanted.

Experts say the influx of American users on the app may be more of a short-term reaction than a long-term trend.

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Pinterest

ORIGIN ENERGY

Weibo