As Xiaohongshu — known as RedNote or Red in English — surged to the top of the App Store downloads list this week, users in both China and the U.S. celebrated an unprecedented cross-cultural exchange: "Seeing people actually sharing their lives directly to each other is just beautiful.

China’s internet companies and their hard-working, resourceful professionals make world-class products, in spite of censorship and malign neglect by Beijing.

The digital exodus has created a new cultural bridge between Chinese and American users, even as cybersecurity experts warn of heightened data privacy risks.