The US-China Podcast Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping’s China
NPR correspondent Emily Feng tells the stories of nearly two dozen people in China who define for themselves what it means to be Chinese. She profiles a Uyghur family; human rights lawyers fighting to defend civil liberties despite the dangers; a teacher from Inner Mongolia forced to make hard choices because of his support of his native language; and a Hong Kong fugitive trying to find a new home and live in freedom. In Let Only Red Flowers Bloom, she reveals dramatic stories of resistance and survival in a country that is increasingly closing itself off to the world. To understand modern China, one has to understand the people who live there and how they interact with the Chinese state.
In an interview conducted on April 9, 2025, Emily Feng reflects on identity in China: what does it mean to be Chinese?