A new book from Emily Feng asks what it means to be Chinese in Xi Jinping's China

Summary

NPR's Book of the Day: A Detailed Summary of Emily Feng's Exploration of Chinese Identity in Xi Jinping's China

Introduction

In the April 2, 2025 episode of NPR's Book of the Day, host Elsa Chang engages with Emily Feng, an NPR journalist and author of Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping's China. The conversation delves into Feng's new book, which examines the multifaceted identities within China and the implications of Xi Jinping's policies on these identities. Feng, who was banned from returning to China in 2022 and labeled a "race traitor" by the Chinese government, brings a personal and investigative perspective to the discussion.

Controlling Chinese Identity Under Xi Jinping

Feng articulates that Xi Jinping's administration seeks to mold Chinese identity to align with the state's vision of a powerful and unified China. She explains, “[00:02:38] 'I think it's part and parcel of how China thinks of itself. It starts with your citizens... there was less and less room for other diverse ways of being, whether that was political or ethnic or cultural.'” This centralization aims to create a homogenous society where citizens are functional, productive, and loyal to the Communist Party. The ideal Chinese citizen, as defined by the state, is Han Chinese—Mandarin-speaking, heterosexual, and politically aligned with the Party.

Impact on Ethnic Minorities: The Hui and Uyghurs

Feng's book highlights the challenges faced by ethnic minorities, particularly the Hui and Uyghur communities. The Hui, while ethnically Muslim, are culturally and physically similar to the Han majority, placing them in a precarious "in-between" status. Feng describes Yusuf, a Hui Muslim from Hawaii, as a central figure whose struggle embodies the conflict between maintaining religious identity and conforming to state-defined Chinese identity: “[00:04:23] 'He starts to encounter the constraints of, well, are you Chinese or are you Muslim?... he can't thread that needle.'” This dichotomy is further explored through the contrasting experiences of the Hui and Uyghurs. While both groups are primarily Muslim, Uyghurs face severe crackdowns and detention campaigns, whereas Hui individuals often perceive their issues as distinct from those of the Uyghurs. Feng observes, “[00:05:39] 'It was a divide and conquer thing... people saw their own identities within the melting pot that is China and then starting to realize actually all of our issues in some way are connected.'”

Personal Impact on Emily Feng

The conversation shifts to Feng's personal experiences as a journalist in China. Elsa Chang probes into how state media's labeling of Feng as a "race traitor" and a "banana" (yellow on the outside, white on the inside) affected her professionally and personally. Feng responds, “[00:06:54] 'I realized through writing this that one of the reasons I was interested in the topic of identity is it is a personal subject to me... It was impossible to fulfill the expectations of any side.'” This dual expectation from both Chinese authorities and American audiences placed Feng in a challenging position, intensifying her commitment to reporting on critical issues despite personal risks. She further reflects, “[00:07:58] 'It definitely lit a fire underneath me... the stories that I was doing were important because I didn't know if I'd get to do them again.'”

Shaping Identity and Future Aspirations

Feng discusses how her experiences in China have profoundly influenced her self-identity as a Chinese woman and a journalist. She expresses a deep sense of pride in her heritage and language, stating, “[00:08:38] 'It's made me much more proud and self-aware that I was born to parents who are Chinese... being Chinese is not confined to the boundaries of the People's Republic of China.'” Feng emphasizes the enduring connection with the Chinese diaspora and the cultural continuity beyond China's geopolitical borders. Despite her ban from returning, Feng holds hope to revisit China in the future, driven by her fascination with the country and her care for its people.

Conclusion and Author's Perspective

Let Only Red Flowers Bloom serves as a poignant exploration of identity and belonging in contemporary China. Through personal narratives and in-depth analysis, Emily Feng sheds light on the complexities faced by individuals navigating their cultural, ethnic, and national identities under Xi Jinping's regime. The book not only highlights the struggles of minority groups like the Hui and Uyghurs but also reflects on the broader implications of state-controlled identity on personal and collective levels. Feng's insightful discussion on NPR encapsulates the essence of her work, offering listeners a comprehensive understanding of the intricate dynamics shaping modern Chinese society.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Emily Feng on China's Self-Perception: “[00:02:38] 'I think it's part and parcel of how China thinks of itself... there was less and less room for other diverse ways of being.'”

• Feng on Yusuf’s Struggle: “[00:04:23] 'He starts to encounter the constraints of, well, are you Chinese or are you Muslim?... he can't thread that needle.'”

• Feng on Identity Politics Impact: “[00:06:54] 'I realized through writing this that one of the reasons I was interested in the topic of identity is it is a personal subject to me... It was impossible to fulfill the expectations of any side.'”

• Feng on Personal Identity and Pride: “[00:08:38] 'It's made me much more proud and self-aware that I was born to parents who are Chinese... being Chinese is not confined to the boundaries of the People's Republic of China.'”

Final Thoughts

Emily Feng's Let Only Red Flowers Bloom offers a critical examination of identity under political pressure, resonating with themes of cultural preservation, personal integrity, and the resilience of marginalized communities. NPR's in-depth conversation with Feng provides listeners with a nuanced understanding of the book's contributions to contemporary discourse on Chinese identity and state influence.

Transcript

[Andrew Limbong]

Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. In covering the news, sometimes NPR journalists end up interfacing with the news. Take NPR's Emily Feng, who was reporting from China until she wasn't anymore. In 2022, she was banned by the Chinese government, which labeled her a race traitor because of her work. She's got a new book out titled Let Only Red Flowers Bloom, and in it she dissects the various identities that make up the Chinese population. And in this interview with Empire's Elsa Chang, Feng talks about how being Chinese isn't confined to the boundaries of the country. That's ahead.

[NPR Sponsor]

This message comes from Betterment. When investing your money starts to feel like a second job, Betterment steps in with a little work life balance. Their automated investing and savings app handles your money constantly being diversified and optimized so you can focus on what matters most. Because your money doesn't need a work life balance, you do make your money hustle with Betterment. Get [e-mail] investing involves risk performance not guaranteed. This message comes from DSW. Where'd you get those shoes? Easy. They're from DSW because DSW has the exact right shoes for whatever you're into right now. You know, like the sneakers that make office hours feel like happy hour, the boots that turn grocery aisles into runways, and all the styles that show off the many sides of you, from daydreamer to multitasker and everything in between because you do it all in really great shoes. Find a shoe for every you at your DSW store or dsw.com in 2022.

[Elsa Chang]

Journalist Emily Feng was told by the Chinese government that she was no longer allowed back in China. This after she had lived in Beijing and covered the country for seven years. Fellow Fang was born and raised in the US To Chinese parents, and she says Chinese officials told her that they considered her inherently Chinese. But she was later labeled as a race traitor by Chinese state media for her work. What does it even mean to be Chinese in President Xi Jinping's China? Well, that is a question that Emily takes on in her new book, Let Only Red Flowers Bloom. My NPR colleague and friend Emily Feng joins us now. Hi, Emily.

[Emily Feng]

Thanks so much for reading my book, Elsa.

[Elsa Chang]

You're so welcome. I loved it. Can you just start with, like, why has controlling Chinese identity become so central to Xi Jinping's idea of a powerful China?

[Emily Feng]

I think it's part and parcel of how China thinks of itself. And it starts with your citizens. It starts with trying to make them functional, productive members of your society. And in the China that I increasingly covered in my later years in Beijing, it was a Chinese person who was Mandarin speaking, who was heterosexual, who was loyal to the Communist Party, which basically rules China, even though there are other political parties. And there was less and less room for other diverse ways of being, whether that was political or ethnic or cultural. And.

[Elsa Chang]

And ethnically speaking, the ideal Chinese citizen, according to Xi Jinping, is Han. Right.

[Emily Feng]

Or culturally Han, which is the majority ethnic group in China. There's 55 other ethnic groups, but Han far and away is the most populous. And I'm Han Chinese.

[Elsa Chang]

And so am I.

[Emily Feng]

Yes. And all the stories that I loved covering the most for NPR in China were about identity in some way or another. And so I was looking for a way to delve more deeply into that theme because I came to see how it influenced domestic policy, national security policy, and increasingly how China perceived its relations with other countries.

[Elsa Chang]

Yeah, I mean, your book raises so many examples, so many stories of individuals who don't fit into Xi's ideal of what is Chinese. And for me, one of the most fascinating stories was about the Hui minority group. Like, physically, you point out, they're pretty much indistinguishable from the majority ethnic group, Han Chinese, but Hui people are predominantly Muslim. So to Xi Jinping, that means they're not really, truly Chinese. Right. Can you talk about, like, what does the story of Yusuf tell us about how the Chinese government connects religion with ethnicity?

[Emily Feng]

So Yusuf is one of my main characters. He's actually one of the people who gives the book its title, and he's a Hawaii Muslim man. He becomes a kind of born again Muslim. And like many of the characters in this book, I only use his first name because a lot of them were still living in China when I was writing this book, and I wanted to make sure they didn't experience any retribution for being in my book. For those who don't know about the Hui in China, they're one of the biggest Muslim groups in the country. And they've always had this in between state because they present as very Han Chinese. They're very, very much in the mainstream. They're very active in trading circles, in translation and academia in China. And yet they're in this in between space because they're known for being Muslim. That's basically their only identifying characteristic that binds them together as an ethnic group. And as Yusuf explores his Muslim identity, he starts to encounter the constraints of, well, are you Chinese or are you Muslim? And he spends this ent life trying to make the two compatible, only to not to give too many plot spoilers realize that he can't thread that needle.

[Elsa Chang]

Yeah. It was so interesting too, because you point out Hui and Uyghur people in China, they see so many differences between themselves, even though both groups are primarily Muslim and therefore, in the Chinese government's eyes, similarly suspicious. Right.

[Emily Feng]

Right. So I start telling the story of Uyghurs who have undergone terrible, terrible crackdowns and detention campaigns in the last decade in China. But at the start of corrected on the Uyghurs, a lot of the Hui people who I was interviewing or in touch with about things like religious freedom and diversity saw their issue as completely separate from Uyghurs. And so this kind of divide and conquer thing was very interesting how people saw their own identities within the melting pot that is China and then starting to realize actually all of our issues in some way are connected.

[Elsa Chang]

Yeah. Well, I want to now turn this to you, Emily, and talk about how identity politics personally impacted you, because when you were covering China as a journalist living in China, you were labeled by Chinese state media as a, quote, race traitor, someone who aligned with a, quote, unquote, hostile foreign force, meaning the United States. And you were also called. I didn't know this until I read your book. I think this one is so funny. The state media called you a banana, meaning yellow on the outside, white on the inside. What did it feel like to be accused by the Chinese state of not being Chinese enough?

[Emily Feng]

So I tried so hard not to make this book personal. And of course, eventually it was fascinating.

[Elsa Chang]

When you made it personal.

[Emily Feng]

I realized through writing this that one of the reasons I was interested in the topic of identity is it is a personal subject to me. And so I started writing about more of my own experience. And on the one hand, I am proudly, culturally Chinese, but I definitely bristled against being expected to perform a certain way because I was an ethnically Chinese Mandarin fluent speaking reporter based in China for an American outlet. But it put me in this, again, weird limbo space where I think different parties expected different things of me and it was impossible to fulfill the expectations of any side. And then US China relations became very, very tense basically as soon as I started the job in Beijing. And that added a very real personal risk as well, a lot of pressure in reporting on the ground in China.

[Elsa Chang]

So when the Chinese state media was denigrating you for not being Chinese enough, did that in any way change the way you covered China as a journalist, knowing that the government questioned your very intentions, your very authenticity as a Chinese person.

[Emily Feng]

It definitely lit a fire underneath me. It made me feel like I had limited time there, that the time I had in China mattered a lot. And the stories that I was doing were important because I didn't know if I'd get to do them again. If I didn't do them, would other people get to report on these issues. So it made my time there extremely meaningful. And I still hope to go back to China one day as a journalist. It's a country that I still find fascinating and whose people I very much care about.

[Elsa Chang]

Well, how much did being a journalist in China, in a place with such abundant diversity in the face of intimidation by the government, how much has that shaped you and the way you see yourself as a Chinese woman? Has it has it shaped your own identity?

[Emily Feng]

It's made me much more proud and self aware that I was born to parents who are Chinese. It's a language that I've worked really, really hard to master. And it's a world that will never leave me. That's also part of the point of this book is that being Chinese is not confined to the boundaries of the People's Republic of China. There are so many Chinese diaspora creating new cultural products in the Chinese language outside of China, even outside of Taiwan. And that connection and those people and that world will always be accessible whether or not I am in China.

[Elsa Chang]

Emily Feng's new book is called Let Only Red Flowers Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping's China. Thank you so much, Emily. I so enjoyed this.

[Emily Feng]

Thank you so much, Elsa.

[Andrew Limbong]

And just a reminder that signing up for book of the day plus is a great way to support NPR's book coverage and public media. And you'll get to listen to every episode sponsor free. So please go find out [e-mail] BookOfTheDay.

[NPR Sponsor]

This message comes from Carvana. Carvana makes car selling easy. Just put in your license plate or VIN and get a real offer in seconds. Whether selling now or whenever feels right. Sell with Carvana.

[Elsa Chang]

This message comes from NPR sponsor Viori.

[NPR Sponsor]

A new perspective on Performance Apparel. Check out the latest Dream Knit collection by visiting viori.com NPR for 20% off your first purchase. Exclusions apply.

[Elsa Chang]

Visit the website for full terms and conditions.

[NPR Sponsor]

This message is from Synchrony bank who can help you get your do nothing savings to work hard with their high Yield savings account. Put your lazy savings to [e-mail] NPR member FDIC.