An analysis of how the “Little Red Book” or “Xiaohongshu” app became the quintessential community and lifestyle network for Chinese people abroad
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As many of you may know, all of the popular social media apps like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, are blocked by the Great Firewall of China. However, Chinese tech companies created their own versions of all these apps. Little Red Book, or “Xiaohongshu” was first launched in June 2013 as a social shopping platform. It has since been called the Chinese equivalent of Instagram, with over 150 million monthly users and a valuation of US$20 billion.
Similar to Instagram, users on Xiaohongshu can share short videos and photos, shop for popular products, and connect with other users. Although Xiaohongshu took plenty of inspiration from Instagram, it has tailored its UI and UX to serve the needs of Chinese users.
More text than image
As you can see from the screenshots below, there’s more room and emphasis to post text on Xiaohongshu than on Instagram. The image is always the main focus of the post on Instagram, with the caption being merely supplementary. On Xiaohongshu however, text is more important than the image. Users can add all kinds of text labels to their image to capture more views. Adding more text also caters to the habits of Chinese users as described in my article about Chinese aesthetics.
To sum it up, the incorporation of more text on Xiaohongshu suits Chinese users’ preferences, lets users share a broader range of content, and prompts more users to interact with others. These attributes helped Xiaohongshu achieve a unique market among Chinese communities.
The below screenshots show the Explore and Nearby tabs from the Home page. The Explore tab has popular posts from community members based on the algorithm of what users previously viewed, much like other social media apps. The Nearby tab has recent posts only from users nearby, listed by the distance of other users. Of course, there is also a search feature beside the 3 tabs.
Explore everything in your city
What’s interesting is that Chinese people living abroad are now sharing virtually everything on Xiaohongshu! Need some relationship advice? Search on Xiaohongshu. Looking for a good restaurant in another part of the city? Search on Xiaohongshu. Trying to find the best vet for your cat? Search on Xiaohongshu. Looking for a good condo to buy? Search on Xiaohongshu. Need advice for an upcoming interview? Search on Xiaohongshu. The list goes on.
For any of the above questions, I wouldn’t have reached for Xiaohongshu’s equivalent of Instagram. I might have opened Yelp along with Google, Zillow and Blind. How did Xiaohongshu expand beyond the reach of Instagram and become this unique lifestyle hub for Chinese people? The answers go beyond UX and UI.
There are sociocultural reasons why Chinese people in large North American or European cities have embraced Xiaohongshu as much as they have.
Feelings of anonymity
Unlike most accounts on Wechat or Instagram, users on Xiaohongshu can choose to maintain total anonymity with their accounts and user names. In fact, many users prefer that no one they know in real life actually follow them on Xiaohongshu. This means users feel more comfortable sharing content, since they don’t have to worry about the judgment of other people like coworkers and relatives. Users can also share more honestly and not have to present a facade to the audience.
Feelings of familiarity and trust
As you may have noticed, Chinese people living in North America tend to create their own cultural communities, whether it’s the local Chinatown or suburbs with high Chinese populations. It’s natural that we feel a sense of familiarity and comfort when we see other people around us who look like us. Getting information from Xiaohongshu brings a similar sense of comfort and familiarity, especially for Chinese people who are relatively new to living abroad. I can certainly look up local vets on Yelp, but seeing another Chinese customer recommend a vet with anecdotal evidence feels more relatable and trustworthy. For this reason, many businesses have launched official accounts on Xiaohongshu, connecting with users and promoting their products and services to the local Chinese community.
One-stop shop
Unlike popular apps in the western world, most Chinese apps tend to be all-encompassing with many features (E.g. Wechat). Although Xiaohongshu was originally designed for shopping, beauty, and luxury goods, it has now become very diverse and far-reaching in terms of the content it shares. Xiaohongshu users enjoy having a one-stop shop for all their questions, rather than having to use separate apps and websites for different types of content.
Has Xiaohongshu become much more than Instagram? For Chinese folks living abroad, the answer is likely “Yes”. As Xiaohongshu continues to grow, more and more businesses around the world are joining the platform to extend their reach to Chinese consumers. I’m excited to witness the journey of this successful Chinese app!
Thank you for reading this article. I hope you found it interesting. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions and check out my other articles!
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