Cross-Pacific goodwill blossoms for two families

When Brecken Neumann from the United States and his family saw Shanghai for the very first time on March 22, they were greeted not as strangers but as long-awaited friends, thanks to a bond forged through Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, or RedNote.

The story began on Jan 14 when Neumann, from the state of Mississippi, shared a photo with his 14-month-old daughter on Red-Note, writing, "Hello everyone! This is myself and my daughter saying hello to all and look forward to all the new friends we make across the sea!"

He is one of the huge number of US TikTok users who flooded to Red-Note around the beginning of this year to explore alternative social media platforms due to potential TikTok bans. From monthly salaries to medical insurance, netizens from the two countries share almost everything about their life.