
Renren, "The Facebook of China", looks for a comeback
Renren plays the nostalgia card with new mini program, but reaction has been lukewarm
China once had its own answer to Facebook.
Renren, founded in 2005, was one of the biggest social networks in the early years of the Chinese internet. Today, it’s mostly just a memory for the country’s netizens.
Similar to Facebook, Renren initially focused on students, encouraging them to create profiles using their real identities. The absence of the real Facebook in China helped Renren gather millions of young users who used the site daily to connect to their friends (or stalk their crushes).

But it looks like people haven’t forgotten about Renren -- and Chen isn’t ready to give up just yet.
If past experience is anything to go by, it won’t be easy.

Chen said the company is planning to develop a better social product -- one that’s different from existing social giants like WeChat and Sina’s Twitter-like Weibo. And last week, Renren launched a mini program in WeChat that lets users access some of the basic functions of its social network.

But reaction to Renren’s mini-program has been mostly lukewarm, with only a few discussions on Weibo and Zhihu, a Chinese Quora-like platform.
Despite the nostalgia, some users don’t seem too keen on returning to Renren.
Did Facebook just get blocked from opening a company in China?
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For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.
