Reimagining Africa on Chinese social media: Everyday visualities and a horizontal gaze on Xiaohongshu

This study examines representations of Africa in user-generated videos on Xiaohongshu , one of China’s leading lifestyle-sharing platforms. Drawing on critical discourse analysis of 156 short videos, it conceptualises a “horizontal gaze”: a mode of representation centred on pragmatic concerns such as work, travel, local knowledge, and everyday experience. Rather than treating Africa only as an exotic spectacle or a site of lack, this gaze presents it as a place for everyday engagement. While stereotypical images of poverty and underdevelopment remain visible, the findings suggest a shift towards more grounded and experience-based representations of Africa in Chinese digital culture.