Two forces converged when I was deciding whether or not to read Emily Feng's Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping's China. The first, was my avoidance of titles which contain "identity" in their subtitles. I have seen too many books which purport to discuss identity that become extensive forms of navel gazing or having nothing to do with identity but are more like extended rants about a subject. The second, and more powerful force, was my curiosity about China and finding a book which can help me understand it today. My inquisitiveness won out and thank goodness it did because Feng does exceptional work meeting the potential of the book's title.

What I most appreciate about Feng's book is her willingness to cover the topics her readers will want to read about. It is all in here. It's the equivalent of going to see your favorite band and they somehow play every single song you have on the wish list in your head. Subjects like Taiwan, Hong Kong, COVID, the one child policy, and even Tiktok were on my list. Feng checked every box while adding others I had no idea about.

The bigger shock to me was how much I enjoyed how Feng actually tackled Chinese identity. Each chapter focuses on a different character or characters who are struggling to define what it is to be Chinese. Many characters are patriots in their own way who are caught by the changing tides of the Chinese government. Less frequently, chapters are about someone actively fighting against the government in a more direct way. All of these stories highlight how different cultures, ethnicity, and languages are all Chinese in reality, but are not seen that way by an increasingly oppressive government.

Feng herself is infrequently the focus of the narrative, but she does call out her own struggles with what it is to be of Chinese descent (she is American). Most poignantly, while reporting on the persecution of Uyghurs, she is given positive treatment by the government because of how she looks, but is constantly followed otherwise for being a journalist and American. It is these contradictions which lie at the heart of this excellent book.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Crown Publishing.)