Let Only Red Flowers Bloom

Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping's China

By: Emily Feng

Narrated by: Emily Feng

A “gripping and scrupulously reported” (The Washington Post) investigation into the battle over identity in China, chronicling the state oppression of those who fail to conform to Xi Jinping’s definition of who is “Chinese,” from an award-winning NPR correspondent.

“Emily Feng’s focus on ordinary people—bravely determined to shape their own lives—captures the mood of the Xi Jinping era more essentially than reams of statistics ever can.”—Evan Osnos, National Book Award winner, author of Age of Ambition

A WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

The rise of China and its great power competition with the U.S. will be one of the defining issues of our generation. But to understand modern China, one has to understand the people who live there – and the way the Chinese state is trying to control them along lines of identity and free expression.

In vivid, cinematic detail, Let Only Red Flowers Bloom tells the stories of nearly two dozen people who are pushing back. They include a Uyghur family, separated as China detains hundreds of thousands of their fellow Uyghurs in camps; human rights lawyers fighting to defend civil liberties in the face of mammoth odds; a teacher from Inner Mongolia, forced to make hard choices because of his support of his mother tongue; and a Hong Kong fugitive trying to find a new home and live in freedom.

Reporting despite the personal risks, journalist Emily Feng reveals dramatic human stories of resistance and survival in a country that is increasingly closing itself off to the world. Feng illustrates what it is like to run against the grain in China, and the myriad ways people are trying to survive, with dignity.

Genuine experiences yield clear insights to life in China and for the Chinese diaspora.

Genuine experiences yield clear insights to life in China and for the Chinese diaspora. Reading this book is a pleasure because of the interesting stories.

Incredibly insightful and well rounded!

I loved hearing all of the different stories, even with a couple overlapping. As an American and not a frequent traveler (yet!) I always find it interesting to hear about how people in other governmental systems live on a day to day, especially ones that are controversial. Emily’s writing does these people’s stories justice and they deserve to be heard by people around the world. It is so easy to take for granted our silly problems in our privileged lives and this really puts into perspective that we as an empathic people, need to come together to support these citizens being victimized by their governments that are “sworn” to protect them. Excellent read and I highly recommend for anyone interested in politics, sociology, travel, or just Chinese culture.

Fascinating and eye opening

Emily does an amazing job of storytelling what has been going on in China through the eyes of its citizens, dissidents, and diaspora communities. To hear the real life examples of China’s government and the perspective of everyone was so informative. I give her kudos for all the investigative journalism.

Very biased and only showing one side of story

Storytelling is good but very biased book, the book choose to depict the minority but did not explain why the others are the majority