Writing About Diverse Chinese People, Feng Zheyun: Hopes to Sever the Communist Party's Control Over Chinese Culture
Journalist Emily Feng's new book, 'Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in the Age of Xi Jinping,' explores ethnic minority identity issues in China. She argues for Chinese people to create their own culture and to sever the CCP's control over Chinese culture.
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Chinese journalist Emily Feng recently published a new book, 'Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in the Age of Xi Jinping,' which explores the identity issues of ethnic minorities in China. She stated at a seminar yesterday that through this book, she hopes people can see that Chinese people have always been creating their own culture and to sever the Communist Party's link to controlling Chinese culture.
Wei Cheng Publishing held an online seminar on the evening of the 16th, "Free Flowers, and Weeds of Rebellion: Feng Zheyun's Testimony and Memories in 'Only Red Flowers Bloom,'" featuring a dialogue between the book's author, NPR correspondent Emily Feng, and human rights worker Li Ming-che.
Feng Zheyun, who was stationed in China for 8 years, personally witnessed how the cultural, linguistic, and memorial diversity in China gradually disappeared under President Xi Jinping's rule. She pointed out that the core of this book is "empathizing with Chinese people," presenting the diverse aspects of Chinese people. Most people don't care much about political parties; they care more about family and life, pursuing safety and freedom. They are also deeply affected by national policies and even become victims.
Feng Zheyun shared her first experience in Xinjiang, where she saw Uyghurs treated as second-class citizens, being asked to get out of their cars for inspections, have their trunks searched, show identification, and even undress, while Han Chinese were exempt. This led her to ponder, "Why would people who are clearly Chinese citizens be treated this way?" sparking her quest to explore "identity."
Li Ming-che introduced that the protagonists in this book are not conventionally persecuted individuals in China. Everyone in the book, including Uyghurs and Mongols, "wants to be a Chinese person." They all love this country from the bottom of their hearts, do not care about politics, and identify themselves as Chinese. He pointed out that when these individuals try to protect their legal rights or ethnic identity according to Chinese law, they are deemed "unqualified Chinese people" by the Chinese government, even accused of treason or subversion.
Li Ming-che indicated that when a country's rule of law can be arbitrarily interpreted by the powerful, and laws no longer possess justice and fairness, state power will invade your life at any moment, even if you just want to live an ordinary life, and "you have no ability to protect your life from being affected."
He pointed out that under China's "Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress," it becomes even more difficult for ethnic minorities to preserve their culture. They must speak Mandarin, support Chinese culture, and "achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." In this context, many people who truly love China and want it to prosper are instead defined by the government as "unqualified Chinese people."
The discussion also explored how to view Chinese culture. Feng Zheyun said that although the Communist Party has politicized Chinese culture, turning it into a tool for unifying Taiwan, "culture should not be defined by a government or a political party; it should be defined by the people." She hopes that readers of this book will not reject Chinese culture.
After being banned from entering China, Feng Zheyun lived in Taiwan for two years. As a Chinese person who is neither Chinese nor Taiwanese, she found a way to re-understand Chinese culture in Taiwan.
Feng Zheyun shared that a Chinese friend told her after listening to a Taiwanese podcast, "I never thought I could discuss issues like freedom, ethnicity, and creativity in Chinese." This shocked her and revealed the possibility of a "de-politicized Chinese culture" in Taiwan.
Feng Zheyun stated that her purpose in writing this book is to let everyone see that Chinese people have been continuously creating their own culture and ideology. Of course, the environment in China is becoming increasingly difficult, but many Chinese people overseas are still using Chinese to write about issues supporting human rights and ethnicity. "I hope to sever the Communist Party's control over Chinese culture and return this right to the people." (Editor: Yang Sheng-ru) 1150417
Wei Cheng Publishing held an online seminar on the evening of the 16th, "Free Flowers, and Weeds of Rebellion: Feng Zheyun's Testimony and Memories in 'Only Red Flowers Bloom,'" featuring a dialogue between the book's author, NPR correspondent Emily Feng, and human rights worker Li Ming-che.
Feng Zheyun, who was stationed in China for 8 years, personally witnessed how the cultural, linguistic, and memorial diversity in China gradually disappeared under President Xi Jinping's rule. She pointed out that the core of this book is "empathizing with Chinese people," presenting the diverse aspects of Chinese people. Most people don't care much about political parties; they care more about family and life, pursuing safety and freedom. They are also deeply affected by national policies and even become victims.
Feng Zheyun shared her first experience in Xinjiang, where she saw Uyghurs treated as second-class citizens, being asked to get out of their cars for inspections, have their trunks searched, show identification, and even undress, while Han Chinese were exempt. This led her to ponder, "Why would people who are clearly Chinese citizens be treated this way?" sparking her quest to explore "identity."
Li Ming-che introduced that the protagonists in this book are not conventionally persecuted individuals in China. Everyone in the book, including Uyghurs and Mongols, "wants to be a Chinese person." They all love this country from the bottom of their hearts, do not care about politics, and identify themselves as Chinese. He pointed out that when these individuals try to protect their legal rights or ethnic identity according to Chinese law, they are deemed "unqualified Chinese people" by the Chinese government, even accused of treason or subversion.
Li Ming-che indicated that when a country's rule of law can be arbitrarily interpreted by the powerful, and laws no longer possess justice and fairness, state power will invade your life at any moment, even if you just want to live an ordinary life, and "you have no ability to protect your life from being affected."
He pointed out that under China's "Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress," it becomes even more difficult for ethnic minorities to preserve their culture. They must speak Mandarin, support Chinese culture, and "achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." In this context, many people who truly love China and want it to prosper are instead defined by the government as "unqualified Chinese people."
The discussion also explored how to view Chinese culture. Feng Zheyun said that although the Communist Party has politicized Chinese culture, turning it into a tool for unifying Taiwan, "culture should not be defined by a government or a political party; it should be defined by the people." She hopes that readers of this book will not reject Chinese culture.
After being banned from entering China, Feng Zheyun lived in Taiwan for two years. As a Chinese person who is neither Chinese nor Taiwanese, she found a way to re-understand Chinese culture in Taiwan.
Feng Zheyun shared that a Chinese friend told her after listening to a Taiwanese podcast, "I never thought I could discuss issues like freedom, ethnicity, and creativity in Chinese." This shocked her and revealed the possibility of a "de-politicized Chinese culture" in Taiwan.
Feng Zheyun stated that her purpose in writing this book is to let everyone see that Chinese people have been continuously creating their own culture and ideology. Of course, the environment in China is becoming increasingly difficult, but many Chinese people overseas are still using Chinese to write about issues supporting human rights and ethnicity. "I hope to sever the Communist Party's control over Chinese culture and return this right to the people." (Editor: Yang Sheng-ru) 1150417