PERSONAL: RedNote influencer's 'viral' moment awaits verdict as TikTok faces sale or ban by April 5 deadline

Record ID: 1988196

  • Title: PERSONAL: RedNote influencer's 'viral' moment awaits verdict as TikTok faces sale or ban by April 5 deadline
  • Date: 4th April 2025
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (MARCH 11, 2025) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) RESEARCH AND STRATEGY CONSULTANCY APERTURECHINA FOUNDER, YALING JIANG, SAYING: “I don't think RedNote has come up with a plan for them. It's not like YouTube that has such an established user plan, an influencer plan, but I'm sure I'm very certain that they're planning it. I think at this moment it's safe for
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: April 5 China China-US relations RedNote RedNote influencer TikTok TikTok sale Tiktok refugees US US President Donald Trump Yu Bo ban decision diplomacy overseas followers people-to-people exchanges
  • Location: BEIJING, CHINA
  • City: BEIJING, CHINA
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA008415104042025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: From his kitchen in Beijing, Yu Bo is running a campaign to connect China with America – one slapstick cooking video at a time.
    At a time when tensions between Washington and Beijing are high, it might seem like the odds are against him.
    Yu, 37, is keeping his day job directing commercial videos. But since January he has spun up an alter-ego as an ambassador for speedy Chinese cooking in short English-language videos posted to RedNote, a social media app and go-to search engine.
    From a cold start a few months ago, he has 136,000 followers, including thousands in the United States, many of whom send him daily messages and questions about Chinese food and life in China that keep him up late at night.
    “All kinds of English messages, so every night I’m improving my English just to be able to communicate better with them,” he said.
    When more than half a million Americans downloaded RedNote earlier this year, before a proposed U.S. ban on the popular social media app TikTok, Yu saw an opening, turning his small kitchen into a studio.
    Now, with a Saturday (April 5) deadline set by the Trump administration for TikTok to find a buyer, Yu’s side hustle could be set for more change.
    His online persona borrows from the dramatic cooking flourishes of Turkish restaurateur Salt Bae mixed with self-deprecating humour, a wide-eyed look into the camera and an evolving series of heavily accented catchphrases. “So easy!” is a favourite. Another, as he fires up his gas cooker: “Open the fire!”
    A fan of rapper Eminem, whose off-camera bookshelf includes Ayn Rand and David Foster Wallace, Yu was worried at first about how his limited spoken English would travel.
    “I was a little scared because I thought, will everyone think I’m bad? Will everyone treat me like a joker? But later I found they love me.”
    RedNote is sometimes described as China’s answer to Instagram. Its Chinese name 'Xiaohongshu' translates to "Little Red Book" in English, a phrase which traditionally refers to a collection of sayings by Mao Zedong.
    Privately valued RedNote, valued at $17 billion, has likely benefited from the spurt of attention, whatever happens next for TikTok, said Yaling Jiang, founder of consultancy ApertureChina.
    “Global investors, global users know them. They know the potential and how it is different from other Chinese apps,” she said.
    Washington officials have said TikTok's ownership by ByteDance makes it beholden to the Chinese government. For now, Yu continues to cook and post. He started a stir-fry how-to this week by throwing a green pepper at the viewer. Off camera, his sphynx cat and a kitten watch. The kitten was born when his channel took off. He named it Xiaohongshu.
    RedNote did not reply to a request for comment from Reuters on the possible IPO as mentioned in the interview with the analyst.
    (Production: Josh D. Arslan; Kevin Krolicki)
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