In the wake of numerous scandals being exposed, several media outlets have recently reported on the emergence of the phenomenon of “fake foreigners” on the Xiaohongshu (RED) platform, forming a corresponding industry chain. The “Zhengzhou Gang” on Xiaohongshu mass produces fake foreigners, turning the facade of “cross-cultural exchange” into an “international scam.”
According to data from Sensor Tower, a platform specialized in providing application analysis and market trend data, from January 13th to January 22nd, Xiaohongshu (RED) has consistently ranked first in free app downloads on the US App Store. There are over 60,000 notes labeled as “TikTok Refugee” on Xiaohongshu.
During this period, due to the potential ban on TikTok in the United States, Xiaohongshu suddenly saw an influx of a large number of foreign users, claiming to be “TikTok refugees,” engaging in “international celebrations” with Chinese users on Xiaohongshu. However, the dark secrets behind this “international celebration” are gradually coming to light.
A report from the well-known and influential vertical self-media “Entertainment Capital Theory,” focusing on the entertainment industry, reveals that the “Zhengzhou Gang,” which holds a strong influence on the Xiaohongshu ecosystem, is actively producing fake foreigners on a large scale. Especially with the integration of AI, the Zhengzhou Gang is thriving.
The article delves into exposing this “cross-cultural exchange” as an “international scam.”
These e-commerce teams in the Zhengzhou area, with their unique operating model, have become the “hit-making machines” on Xiaohongshu.
The core strategy of the “Zhengzhou Gang” is to monitor the popular notes on the platform daily, capture keywords and content structures, and then mass produce similar content. Each employee is responsible for multiple accounts, producing dozens of notes daily, from editing to posting. By leveraging massive content for traffic, they drive traffic to e-commerce platforms like Taobao through Xiaohongshu, earning a considerable profit.
However, this model soon faced backlash. More than 40,000 notes on Xiaohongshu complained about “homogenized content,” with users expressing fatigue from the repetitive content.
For the average domestic operator, gaining a foothold on Xiaohongshu is extremely challenging. But for the “foreigners,” it is effortless. By simply posting a note, a “foreigner” can easily gain thousands or even tens of thousands of followers. Many domestic MCN companies seized this opportunity and began mass registering “fake foreigner” accounts, packaging content with European and American avatars and names to cater to the opinions on Xiaohongshu. The content of these “fake foreigner” accounts often plagiarizes content from overseas users.
There are circulating chat records online that appear to be from MCN organizations, with messages like, “Brothers, here’s the traffic password.”
Some have noticed that on Xiaohongshu, some “foreign bloggers” post English content riddled with grammar errors, yet their Chinese is fluent as if it were their native language. Some “foreign bloggers” post photos where even the skin tones are mismatched. Some accounts directly copy content from foreign influencers without removing watermarks.
According to a report from the Hai Bao News, a search on Xiaohongshu revealed that many posts, although posted by different usernames and featuring different individuals in photos or videos, use the same text templates, with even the names in self-introductions remaining unchanged.
There are two users named “auro” and “Auroa” respectively, their posted pictures, character images, and attire almost identical, with scenes behind the characters bearing striking resemblance, leading some netizens to suspect the use of AI-generated images. Checking their IP addresses, one is in Hubei and the other is in Guangdong.
TikTok blogger “Dai Xiaopang” stated, “You probably didn’t know that many foreigners on Xiaohongshu are actually Chinese disguising themselves as foreigners, right? Many teams have already gained thousands or even tens of thousands of followers by simply changing IP addresses and posting a few photos of foreign beauties.”
Apart from traditional methods of importing materials of beautiful women from overseas websites, AI-generated overseas beauties have also seen an unprecedented surge in traffic.
This blogger also mentioned that recently, content he organized with AI in the form of articles and mind maps has amassed millions of views across the internet.
Hong Kong musician Zhang Jiatian warned back at the end of last year that two fake accounts impersonating him had appeared on Xiaohongshu, urging caution.
In May last year, a report from the public account “Financial Diamond,” focusing on financial news, corporate dynamics, and in-depth analysis, exposed a massive black production system on Xiaohongshu, involving photo deception, fake grass, telecommunications fraud, data falsification, filters, ghostwriting, routines, and black industries…
The article pointed out that Xiaohongshu is filled with “photo deception” and “fake grass.” Seemingly mundane scenes or stores are beautified by the posters using editing software, attracting many people to visit in person, only to find that the photos are far from reality.
At the time, as travel destinations boasting “Instagrammable” photos emerged constantly, Xiaohongshu faced continuous backlash due to the “filtered spots” controversy.
Numerous netizens vent their frustrations on public social platforms, making side-by-side comparisons. The “most western” coffee shop, after artistic processing, turned out to be a doorway by the roadside that can’t fit two people at once; the subway entrance turned trendy coffee shop after a filter, was actually adjacent to an unfinished subway construction site; the “Little Kamakura” pink beach was actually a riverside overgrown with weeds.
Some users expressed, “I no longer trust Xiaohongshu,” while others angrily dubbed it “Xiaoheishu” (Little Black Book).
The proliferation of fake grass notes on Xiaohongshu is rampant and has taken over the mainstream platform.
The article highlighted that Xiaohongshu has lost the trust of some users due to its distorted influencer filters and widespread soft-pitch notes, causing the platform to be torn in conflicting directions.
Additionally, Southern Metropolis Daily reported that micro-businesses on the Xiaohongshu app openly display posts selling nationally prohibited drugs and promote illegal activities such as “recommending” a 5-day crash course training for micro-plastic surgery.
On July 30, 2019, Xiaohongshu was temporarily removed from various Android app stores, including Huawei, VIVO, and OPPO.
Just before the “3.15” consumer rights day in 2019, Xiaohongshu faced controversy after reports of ghostwriting “influencer notes” and falsifying data, stirring widespread debates.
On July 30, 2019, the news of Xiaohongshu being removed from major app stores circulated. In the early hours of August 1, 2019, Xiaohongshu released a statement on Weibo announcing a comprehensive self-examination but provided no explanation regarding the removal.
With the downturn in the Chinese economy, waves of layoffs continued. In early July last year, Xiaohongshu faced reports of a massive layoff of nearly 30%, with the commercialization department and e-commerce products being hit the hardest. Internal sources revealed that Xiaohongshu’s overall stability was extremely low, with a generally short employee tenure, as only a small fraction had been with the company for over a year. The layoff turmoil not only revealed shortcomings in Xiaohongshu’s management but exacerbated internal instability.
According to reports from Phoenix Technology, Xiaohongshu employees revealed that during the layoffs, the company was in the process of assessing personnel and employees were awaiting relevant emails.
Recruitment insiders disclosed that Xiaohongshu has strict age requirements for hiring, setting the age limit at 35 originally, but even candidates aged 32 now face challenges in obtaining job opportunities.
Reported by Sina Technology, behind the frequent personnel adjustments is Xiaohongshu’s dwindling valuation and highlighted commercialization difficulties.
Beyond the issues of layoffs, Xiaohongshu has also faced negative news related to illegal activities, improper trade, and other controversies. From the 2019 anti-pornography rectifications to recent exposures, Xiaohongshu has consistently failed to achieve satisfactory results in content management.
Media reports in November 2020 revealed that Xiaohongshu app was pushing explicit photos and videos of scantily clad women to users, the content was suggestive and explicit. Additionally, many bloggers who posted such content would leave contact information for platforms like WeChat, QQ, or Weibo on their Xiaohongshu accounts.
In September 2021, Xiaohongshu was once again exposed by official media for pushing numerous videos blatantly revealing minors’ body privacy. On August 30, 2023, a self-media article titled “Xiaohongshu ‘Travel buddies, all expenses covered’ involved in pornography” caused a significant stir on social media. The article claimed that notes on Xiaohongshu looking for travel companions were actually related to sexual transactions.
Xiaohongshu is a lifestyle sharing platform launched by Xing Yin Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. in 2013, encompassing consumer experiences and various lifestyle content. With product iterations, Xiaohongshu has evolved into a network shopping and social platform.