Xiaohongshu’s social media account in China darkens after Tiananmen anniversary post

A man walks past the booth of Chinese startup Xiaohongshu, which means “little red book” in Chinese, at the Big Data Expo in Guiyang, Guizhou province, China on May 27, 2019. Photo taken on May 27, 2019. REUTERS / Stringer

BEIJING, June 6 (Reuters) – A social media account for popular Chinese e-commerce site Xiaohongshu, or “Little Red Book,” was not available on Sunday, after posting an article on Friday, the anniversary of the 1989 crackdown against pro-democracy activists in Tiananmen Square, a very sensitive date in China.

Friday’s post on his Weibo account, similar to Twitter in China, said, “Tell me out loud: what’s the date today?”, According to a screenshot seen by Reuters. This post was quickly deleted by Xiaohongshu, according to a person familiar with the matter, who declined to be named due to his sensitivity.

A search on Weibo for Xiaohongshu’s official account returned no results on Sunday, although his own app appeared to be working normally. Some online searches indicated that the account was not available “due to complaints of violation of laws and regulations and relevant provisions of the Weibo Community Agreement.”

The company, backed by Chinese internet giants Alibaba (9988.HK) and Tencent (0700.HK), did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

China’s Cyberspace Administration, the country’s internet regulator, could not be immediately reached for comment on Sunday, and Sina Weibo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In March, The Information reported that the site was considering an IPO in the United States.

Xiaohongshu’s Weibo account frequently asks questions as part of its regular user engagement.

Beijing newsroom report; Editing by Hugh Lawson

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