How RedNote and DeepSeek help Hongkongers tap into mainland Chinese trends
Students say popular mainland social media apps help them connect with peers across the border, while AI has become easier to access.
DeepSeek and RedNote are two Chinese-made apps making waves around the world. Photo: SCMP composite / ShutterstockOver the past few years, Amina Seyd has struggled to make conversation with some of her mainland Chinese classmates at her Hong Kong school.
The 16-year-old said she had been in the same class as three mainland students for two years, but she still had a “pretty tough time talking to them”.
“We didn’t have much of the same conversations to talk about,” said the student, who is from HHCKLA Buddhist Leung Chik Wai College in Tuen Mun.
But this has changed in recent months. Now, Amina chats with them about the latest mainland trends.
The reason for this is simple: RedNote.
The social media app, which is highly popular on the mainland, has been gaining global attention.
It is not alone. DeepSeek, a mainland start-up that has created a powerful artificial intelligence (AI) tool, is also creating headlines in Asia and the West.
Deep Dive: Chinese AI firm DeepSeek challenges ChatGPT with new chatbot
A new way to connect
Amina said her interest in RedNote, and its rising popularity outside the mainland, was linked to the ban on social media platform TikTok in the US.
The ban, which is paused temporarily, saw many TikTok users head to RedNote.
“There are a lot of Chinese influencers on [RedNote], but I’ve seen a lot of famous Instagrammers or TikTokkers are still on RedNote,” she said.
Amina added that many of her peers used RedNote.
There was also a lot of content in English, as Chinese-speaking influencers had started catering their videos to TikTok “refugees”.
“I want to know about the mainland culture. They teach you [about] Chinese New Year and all sorts of stuff in English because there are a lot of [TikTok] ‘refugees’ going on RedNote and they teach them too,” she said.
Sarina Wan Tsz-ching, a Form Five student, is also a frequent user of RedNote.
The 17-year-old said many of her friends were also fans of the app.
“I think [RedNote] will get more popular because I’ve seen videos from TikTok ‘refugees’ and they have quite positive feedback about RedNote, because the Chinese people there are very friendly and welcoming,” she said.
Both students said they enjoyed RedNote for its videos, some of which allowed them to better connect with and understand trends on the mainland.
Sarina originally downloaded the app after her parents suggested it could help her learn more about the mainland.
“And then I got very captivated by the interesting videos,” she said.
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Like Amina, Sarina has discovered mainland users who make educational content about their culture.
“There are some creators who aim to promote Chinese culture. Some of them promote food and Chinese [cultural] practices and performances,” Sarina said.
“I have learned more about their lifestyles because some of the bloggers share about their day. Sometimes it’s a little bit different than how we live in Hong Kong.”
Tommie Lo, founder and CEO of Hong Kong-based educational technology company Preface, said RedNote could help with greater “cultural integration”.
“It would totally help with the cultural integration, because [non-mainland Chinese] users use RedNote and understand Chinese culture based on their direct experience,” he said.
DeepSeek for the ‘masses’
Lo pointed to the rise of another mainland tech success, DeepSeek, which “surprised the entire world” in January this year with its AI model.
He said the performance of DeepSeek’s AI tool was almost equal to that of “the best” one developed by the United States-based OpenAI.
He noted the operating cost of DeepSeek’s model was “only 5 per cent” of the market leader, which built the well-known ChatGPT.
The accessibility of the mainland-built tool might make it a good choice for Hong Kong users, as ChatGPT was unavailable locally, he said.
“The user-friendliness will be different, and it will totally impact the masses [in Hong Kong].”
He added that people wouldn’t need to use programmes to get around geographical restrictions like they would for ChatGPT.
Sarina said DeepSeek was better than other AI chatbots for Chinese-language tasks.
“I’m not very good at writing in Chinese, so I use DeepSeek to finalise my writing,” she said.
Lo said he “wouldn’t doubt” that the mainland-developed model would be “more China-friendly”, even if the different AI chatbots largely made similar content.
He also expected mainland-built tech to gain more attention globally.
“People are comparing the current Chinese technology to the Japanese technology 20 years ago ... because of the existence of the cheaper Chinese alternative,” he said.
“I will welcome Chinese technology because it is efficient.”
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Stop and think: How can social media apps help you learn more about mainland China or other places?
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Why this story matters: The growth of DeepSeek provides an opportunity for Hongkongers to have easier access to powerful AI tools, while the prevalence of RedNote could help people build connections.
accessibility 易用性
the ease of use or ability to access something
captivated 被迷住
to be deeply fascinated by something
integration 融合
bringing things or people together to work as one
masses 大眾
the general population or most people in society
refugees 難民
people who have been forced to leave one place for another; this term usually refers to people who have been forced to leave their physical homes, but "TikTok 'refugees'" refers to TikTok users who went to RedNote when TikTok faced a short-term ban in the US.
restrictions 約束
a rule or law that limits what you can do or what can happen