Chinese Netizens Help 'TikTok Refugee' Find Long-Lost Chinese Classmate In 22 Hours On RedNote
A "TikTok refugee" sought the help of Rednote users to find her childhood best friend, and users found him in 22 hours.
An ex-TikTok user sought the help of RedNote users, to reconnect with her long-lost Chinese classmate, Simon. She was able to find him in just under 24 hours with the help of the Chinese social media app.
An American woman, Katharina Celia, 21, had quickly gained over 20,000 followers after joining RedNote, a Chinese social media app to which American TikTok users are flocking in an attempt to protest against the possible ban on the app. Due to this, the term “TikTok refugee” has emerged following Chinese users' reaction to the influx of Americans into the app.
RedNote is also known as Xiaohongshu in China, which means “Little Red Book”.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Celia had posted a video seeking help from the Chinese community to help her reconnect with her former classmate, Simon, whom she hadn’t seen in seven years.
The woman said she had attended a private Catholic school in the US state of Iowa from 2017 to 2018, during which she became good friends with the Chinese exchange student, Simon, who was in her class. Though they were close friends, they lost contact after he moved back to China. In her video, she said, “I need all netizens on this app to find him. Simon I miss you, I miss our friendship.”
She gained thousands of likes and comments, and Xiaohongshu was ready to reconnect the two friends. Upon their suggestion, she shared an old picture of Simon, which was eventually seen by someone who knew him. Simon was informed about the search. Within 22 hours, a user commented on Celia’s video, “Hello, everyone, I am Simon. I never imagined I would reconnect with my good friend from years ago like this. Thank you so much to everyone on RedNote who helped,” the viewer said, according to SCMP.
Surprisingly, Simon is living in the US and works as a designer.
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On January 20, Simon posted a video to express his gratitude for helping them find each other.
“We are deeply grateful for all the help and attention everyone has given us during this time. We never imagined that we would reconnect through RedNote. I am truly grateful,” he said according to SCMP.
The two also spoke via video call on January 16, as per the report. Celia in a video said she had read the comments by RedNote users about them to be together but she emphasised that their relationship was completely platonic.
Among the comments, a user pointed out the irony that the two people who were in the US had to use a Chinese app to find each other.
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