Amnesty Book Club: Let Only Red Flowers Bloom by Emily Feng

What happens to our sense of self when those in power are constantly telling us who we are? What happens when our understanding of ourselves comes into conflict with the narratives imposed by the state? For our next book club, we will discuss Emily Feng’s Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping’s China 《唯紅花綻放：習近平時代的認同與歸屬》作者: 馮哲芸 Through her deeply reported journalism, Feng tells the stories of people with diverse identities and experiences in a society where the Party-state seeks to impose a narrow definition of what it means to be Chinese. Their stories reveal how identity is never simply something we inherit. It is also something we negotiate, question, and sometimes struggle to claim for ourselves, especially when it comes into conflict with the identities and narratives imposed by those in power. The book invites us to think about the relationship between identity, freedom, and nation. When a particular definition of national identity becomes tied to the idea of protecting the nation, what happens to those who do not fit that definition? Together, we’ll discuss questions of identity, belonging, nationalism, human rights, and resistance, and explore how people navigate the tension between who they are, where they belong, and who the state says they should be. Date: Tuesday, 29th September Time: 19:00 – 21:00pm Location: Near Gongguan MRT (The venue location will be shared with registered participants) Fee: We kindly ask all participants to purchase a drink from the venue’s menu to support their space RSVP: https://forms.gle/H8XN4U5Q6bRDWGo69 About Amnesty Book Club: Reading and discussing books broaden our world, and action improves it. Amnesty Book Club explores human rights stories from around the world through literature, creating space for reflection, discussion and action. By reading together and engaging in guided conversations, we aim to deepen our understanding of global injustices and strengthen our personal and collective responses. Our meetings focus on: - Finding personal lessons in texts - Connecting with local activists - Supporting each other to take action - Joining our resources together - Learning from each other We aim to create a thoughtful, respectful space for shared reading and discussion. We invite participants to read through our book club’s community guidelines before attending: https://shorturl.at/StwrW