This article mainly discusses the cultural phenomenon of TikTok users migrating to Xiaohongshu, including its origin, development process, impact, and the reflections it has triggered. The specific content is as follows:
- Origin of the event: The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the "sell or ban" bill for TikTok, and TikTok exited the U.S. market on January 19. Its users migrated to Xiaohongshu, making Xiaohongshu top the download charts in the U.S. Apple App Store.
- User behavior and community integration
- American users post content in English on Xiaohongshu, calling themselves "TikTok refugees." The topic "TikTok refugee" peaked in popularity from January 13 to 15.
- They break the ice with Xiaohongshu natives by sharing pets (such as "paying cat/dog tax"), and then expand their content to daily life, internet memes, etc., integrating into the community through images and text, bridging the information gap between China and the U.S.
- Xiaohongshu platform and user response
- Xiaohongshu users warmly welcomed the refugees, answering questions, sharing life, and joking in the comment section.
- English teaching bloggers and overseas content sharing bloggers switched from English to Chinese teaching and created user guides; brands joined in to play with memes and gain traffic, and some brands with strong internet presence launched commercial placements and collaborated with foreign bloggers to promote products.
- Subsequent reflections: As the hype subsided, netizens began to pay attention to issues such as Chinese subjectivity, information regulation, and national security. At the same time, cultural differences became more prominent, and Xiaohongshu faces challenges in user retention, traffic distribution, information review, and content ecosystem.





Short answer for decision makers
This TikTok business signal should be used as a planning prompt, not a standalone trend. The practical question is whether your brand has the market readiness, creator supply, Shop conversion path, paid-media structure, and reporting cadence to act on it now.
Key facts
- Market signal: TikTok Trend Report - TikTok Development Trends
- Published: January 22, 2025
- Source transparency: the original source linked in this article
Tuke recommendation
Choose one market, one product group, one creator cohort, and one KPI for the next operating cycle. Then align creative testing, TikTok Shop optimization, live commerce readiness, and weekly reporting around that single decision.
What should brands do with this TikTok signal?
Brands should translate the signal into a focused operating test across creative, creators, TikTok Shop readiness, paid media, and reporting before increasing budget.
How does Tuke Marketing evaluate this kind of news?
Tuke Marketing reviews platform news through market timing, category demand, creator supply, commerce readiness, and measurable growth actions.
When should a team contact Tuke about this topic?
A team should contact Tuke when it needs to turn a TikTok market signal into a practical launch, creator, advertising, live commerce, or reporting plan.
Source transparency: Tuke cites the original source linked in this article and adds its own operating analysis for brands evaluating TikTok growth decisions.