Conformity is a prized commodity in the Xi Jinping era. And for those who don’t conform — to the Party narrative, or to a narrow definition of what it means to be “Chinese” — the state attempts to conform them, through pressure, censorship or detention.

This battle over identity in China is the core theme of Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping’s China (Crown, March 2025), a reported investigation of state oppression and grassroots push-back, from award-winning NPR correspondent Emily Feng. Based on her journalism on the ground, the book narrates the stories of varied individuals in China who run against the grain of society: a Uyghur family split apart by detention camps; human rights lawyers fighting to defend civil liberties; a teacher from Inner Mongolia fighting for his mother tongue; and a Hong Kong fugitive trying to find a new home.