Comment by S M (s-m-1) on Monthly Roundup #26: January 2025 · 2025-01-20T17:14:06.310Z · LW · GW

RedNote(Xiaohongshu) is not known to be associated with Chairman Mao in mainland China. That is because nobody in China calls what is known as "Little Red Book" in the English speaking world by that name. Instead it is called 毛主席语录 or "Quotations from Chairman Mao"

A common discussion on Chinese internet forums currently is how the western media misses this point. Think about it this way: why would an app whose main market is in Mainland China name itself after Mao Zedong, a topic that would surely invite censorship? Why would it name itself that way in foriegn markets such as the US where Mao is viewed highly negatively?