The Cultural and Tourism Bureau of Gucheng District in Lijiang, Yunnan Province, has formally requested that lifestyle-sharing platform Xiaohongshu enhance its monitoring and regulatory measures concerning negative consumer reviews targeting local wedding photography businesses. This official appeal has ignited substantial online discourse regarding platform responsibility and consumer protection mechanisms.
In a publicly released communication dated Tuesday, the bureau asserted that Xiaohongshu has inadequately managed potentially fabricated negative content. According to their investigation, certain users allegedly post misleading complaints to coercively obtain refunds from businesses even when service providers have fulfilled their contractual obligations. The bureau claims this regulatory gap has created significant challenges for companies seeking to dispute questionable posts, resulting in substantial reputational harm and widespread order cancellations.
Data from the Gucheng District Wedding Photography Industry Association indicates that as of December, allegedly deceptive cautionary posts have directly caused order cancellations valued at over 1 million yuan ($142,716), with estimated indirect losses surpassing 5 million yuan.
Contrasting perspectives emerged from third-party sources close to Xiaohongshu, who told Jiupai News that current evidence doesn’t substantiate claims of consumers fabricating personal experiences. The platform has initiated a dedicated communication channel with local photography businesses and proposed implementing case-by-case verification procedures for negative reviews.
However, industry representatives have rejected this proposal as insufficient compensation for incurred losses and indicative of inadequate sincerity. The association has announced intentions to pursue legal recourse.
Lijiang’s popularity as a wedding photography destination continues to grow, attracting approximately 100,000 couples in 2024 alone. The ancient town currently hosts over 600 photography businesses with a market value exceeding 1 billion yuan, ranking first in Yunnan Province.
The platform maintains its commitment to authentic experience sharing, with customer service representatives emphasizing ongoing efforts to address fabricated content while providing businesses with multiple channels to report disputes and submit evidence for prompt investigation.