The recent exodus of TikTok creators from the United States has sparked a wave of cross-cultural comparisons on Xiaohongshu, the Chinese social media platform popularly known as RedNote. It has further fueled the ongoing "audit" of life between Chinese and American netizens on the platform. From comparing welfare to dissecting healthcare costs and educational expenses, these online discussions are challenging deep-rooted stereotypes about life in China compared to that of the U.S.
One U.S. netizen, Karen, stated that if ordinary people are not doing well, the United States leading the global economy is meaningless. She noted that the welfare system in America is generally poor, with significant separation between different income groups. In contrast, she observed that China is not as negative as portrayed by Western media. Such unbiased exchanges between the two countries are significant.