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As social media users counted down to the infamous TikTok ban of January 2025, many of the sites faithful users flocked to Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media app, often referred to as "Red Note" or "Red Book" outside of China (but which actually translates to "Little Red Book." Initially the move to the app was a form of protest over the potential banning of TikTok in the United States.

But as Americans, myself included, quietly poked around Xiaohongshu, our new Chinese digital pals were kind and gracious hosts. However, one question kept coming up from the Chinese users of the app: Had we Americans received their letters from Li Hua? Many of began to wonder, what in the world is Li Hua? And most of weren't prepared for the wholesome answer.

It turns out that Chinese children are mandated to take English as their second language starting in grade school. In order to be proficient in writing in English, each child is instructed to write to an imaginary American penpal as a child named Li Hua or to a child name Li Hua depending on the assignment.

They would write to their friend about daily life, Chinese culture and their favorite foods, often signing the letters with "I look forward to your response" or something similar. The kids took the assignment seriously and wrote as if a real friend would be writing back. But because the letters were simply used for an assignment, there was never a response. Their teachers graded their writing and moved on. Many of those students never left China or interacted with Americans in real time, that is until the potential TikTok ban was imminent.

Americans poured into the app essentially answering questions asked in those letters, making real life connections to penpals they had no idea existed. When the Chinese users explained who Li Hua was and how they felt Americans were answering their long lost letters, American users decided to start writing back. They shared their responses on Xiaohongshu, some even taking the time to write by hand in Mandarin.

The letters are bringing Chinese and American users to tears but it's not just the physical letters, it's the entire experience for many users. Several Americans point out that when they were children their parents would tell them that if they dug a hole too deep they'd end up in China. Turns out, this whole time Chinese children were writing their American friends but neither knew much about the other until Xiaohongshu became a safe refuge to bridge cultures.

One Chinese woman who goes by FiDo on Xiaohongshu explains through tears, "I spent eight or nine years. Study English so hard every day. Write a letter to Li Hua. Introduce him to Hangzhou (a city in China). Introduce him to China. Introduce him to all I can think of. All the best words in English. I wrote to Li Hua," she says before reading the response from her American "Li Hua."

Miranda, the woman that responded to FiDo hand wrote her response in Mandarin and took a picture, uploading it to Xiaohongshu. "My dearest Li Hua, I'm sorry it took so long to reply." FiDo reads Miranda's letter still sobbing before switching to English. "She said, 'it might not last long but if it ends it won't be the end, because we found each other. We're friends now. We aren't going anywhere.'"

An American crossposted her response on TikTok saying she's been crying all day on Xiaohongshu seeing people's responses to Li Hua.

"What I really want Chinese people to know is that we dug for you. As Americans we used to dig holes in the beach and dig holes in our backyards, and our parents would tell us if we dig deep enough we would go to China. So we are connected. We were connected, you sent letters and we dig holes," the woman says while encouraging American Xiaohongshu users to write letters back to their Chinese friends that never expected a response.

The connections being made between ordinary people in both countries are healing wounds, dispelling myths and answering questions. Americans have been on their best behavior, reminding other American newcomers to respect the culture, language and social differences. Recipes are being exchanged, people are giving each other fashion advice, and even grocery shopping hauls are part of the conversation.

Americans have discovered Chinese people on the app have a very similar sense of humor. Many American Xiaohongshu users have happily paid the "taxes" required to access the app. It's a tax nearly anyone can afford–a picture of your cat...or dog, snake, alligator, really it doesn't matter. They just want to see your pets so they can show you theirs. While many Americans were only visiting the Chinese app out of frustration, they wound up answering 20 years worth of letters they never received and made new friends in the process. It's a reminder that the Internet itself was often first promised as a place of connection unlike any the world had ever seen and can often happen in the most surprising of ways.