Professional photographers in Beijing's tourist hotspots face intense competition, especially at scenic locations like a picturesque lake where women in traditional flowing robes pose for photos to share on Xiaohongshu, one of China's most popular lifestyle apps.
Xiaohongshu, known as RedNote in English, has transformed the tourism industry in China, where domestic travel is experiencing record growth. The platform, which is reportedly preparing to file for an initial public offering this year, resembles Pinterest in its interface but is often compared to "China's Instagram" due to its ability to let users post photos, videos, and even livestreams.
Travellers use the app to discover new destinations and plan their itineraries around photogenic spots, such as the lake in Beijing’s historic Shichahai area. This location has become one of many "daka" or "check-in" spots that Xiaohongshu is driving more visitors toward.
On a recent Monday, photographer Li Geng, 18, stood with a camera slung across her neck, offering her services to wandering tourists who pay 10 yuan ($1.47) per photo. Nearby, other photographers shouted instructions to young women dressed in ornate traditional attire, who posed with victory signs and arched their backs for the camera.
Li mentioned that many of her competitors have a strong social media presence, including one who has 45,000 followers on Xiaohongshu and charges lower prices for photos. This has led to "more customers flocking to him while putting a massive amount of pressure on the rest of us," she said.
In contrast, Li, who lacks a large online following, can only rely on calling out to people on the street to attract customers.
Travel Inspiration
Domestic travel in China reached record highs last year, according to Xinhua news agency, with over 6.5 billion trips taken by residents—an increase of more than 16% year-on-year. Meanwhile, Xiaohongshu’s user base has grown to 350 million monthly active users, up from 300 million a year earlier, according to data analysis platform Qiangua.
The app has boosted lesser-known businesses and sent tourists to unconventional locations, such as Zibo, an industrial city in Shandong, after its cheap, marinated barbecue skewers went viral.
Ming Yii Lai, senior strategy consultant at Daxue Consulting, noted that Xiaohongshu is now the first place "a lot of younger travellers" seek inspiration.
Tourist Mina Chen, visiting the Shichahai area with her sister, had planned her trip using recommendations from other Xiaohongshu users. Searching popular keywords like "citywalk" on the app brought up detailed itineraries, including where to eat and convenient routes between attractions.
"It is now indispensable (to me)," the 20-year-old student from Hunan province said.
'TikTok Refugees'
Xiaohongshu-driven travel has caused issues such as overtourism at viral spots and businesses becoming overly reliant on platform traffic, Lai told. Paid posts from food bloggers who praise shops or destinations have also drawn complaints when their recommendations fall short.
The app gained global attention last year when a proposed US government ban on TikTok sent American users, dubbed "TikTok refugees," flocking to RedNote. It has also made headlines recently over its preparations to confidentially file for an initial public offering in Hong Kong, with reports suggesting its market debut could be as early as the end of 2026.
Young women in more affluent cities remain the app’s core user base, according to Qiangua. However, it is also gaining traction among Chinese speakers in countries like Malaysia and Singapore—not just among young women.
Singaporean retiree Ernest Phua turned to Xiaohongshu to plan trips to Guangdong and Yunnan in China, searching for "travel strategy" in Mandarin to find recommendations. He noted there is "a great difference" viewing travel content about China on the app compared to other platforms like YouTube.
"If we want to know what it is really like in China" and what locals like to do, eat, and go to, "Xiaohongshu has lots of content," he said.
Meng Jiaxuan, 20, dressed in her traditional outfit at Shichahai, said she researched poses for her photoshoot on Xiaohongshu.
"No matter what it is, I just search for it on Xiaohongshu," she said.
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