Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Book Talk with Emily Feng in conversation with Eileen Chow

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.

During this event, Emily Feng will join Professor Eileen Chow (AMES, APSI) in conversation about her book as well as her career as an acclaimed journalist and writer.

Professor Ralph Litzinger (Cultural Anthropology) will introduce the speaker and moderate the post-conversation Q&A.

**Audience members are invited to join Emily for a public book signing of "Let Only Red Flowers Bloom" following the talk. Books will be available on-site for purchase from the Duke Gothic Bookshop. The book is scheduled to be released on March 18, 2025 from Penguin Random House.**

About the speaker:

Emily Feng is an award-winning international correspondent for NPR. She is a regular contributor to NPR podcasts and member stations and a frequent guest on U.S. and BBC radio and television programs.

Previously based in Beijing and Taipei for NPR, Feng now lives in Washington, D.C. She is an alumna of Duke University (T '15), where she was a double-major in Asian & Middle Eastern Studies as well as Public Policy (Sanford).