Americans are flocking to Chinese app Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, as a potential US TikTok ban looms. Some of them are learning Mandarin in an attempt to bridge the language divide on the app.

Searches online around "learn Mandarin" have surged in the United States over the past week, as the Chinese app RedNote enjoys a spike in interest ahead of a looming U.S. ban on TikTok on January 19.

Available figures suggest enthusiasm is waning after years of rapid growth, with analysts pointing to China's economy and image problems When Colby Porter began Mandarin classes in sixth grade in ...