When the State Decrees Only 'Red Flowers' May Bloom: A Tragic Ode to China Under Xi Jinping from 'Only Red Flowers Bloom'

709 Crackdown, Iron-Chain Woman, Xinjiang Re-education Camps, Anti-Extradition Movement, Hong Kong National Security Law… Most people have seen these news events. But after the headlines, what happened to the people caught in them? 'Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in the Xi Jinping Era' does not stop at the events themselves. Instead, through the real stories of human rights lawyers, entrepreneurs, Uyghur families, Hong Kong youth, and overseas Chinese, it reconstructs each news item into individual human lives. Only after finishing the book do readers realize its true subject was never any single political incident, but rather the fundamental question: when one’s identity, culture, and sense of belonging come under the influence of state power, can we still freely define who we are?

What does the title 'Only Red Flowers Bloom' mean?

'Only Red Flowers Bloom' references Mao Zedong’s 'Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom, Let a Hundred Schools of Thought Contend.' The author uses this imagery to point out that while China today still contains diverse professions, ethnicities, religions, and local cultures, only one voice—aligned with the official political narrative—is permitted and encouraged to exist.

You may be a lawyer, entrepreneur, Muslim, Uyghur, or Hong Konger. But when these identities conflict with political demands, what was once an ordinary life may instantly become grounds for surveillance, restriction, or even punishment.

How does the author depict an era?

'Only Red Flowers Bloom' does not follow a chronological or event-based structure. Instead, it pieces together the China of the Xi Jinping era through the lives of different individuals.

Chapter One centers on human rights lawyer Yang Bin. She once believed the law could protect people’s rights, but after the 2015 '709 Crackdown,' she witnessed the detention, sentencing, or professional silencing of numerous rights-defending lawyers like Wang Yu and Ren Quanniu. This revealed how the law gradually transformed from a tool to safeguard rights into one to uphold political power.

Chapter Two focuses on private entrepreneurs who rose during the Reform and Opening-Up era. Through the experiences of Wang Ran’s family, Sun Dawu, and Ren Zhiqiang, the author illustrates how private enterprises grew under policy encouragement, yet could rapidly lose their sense of security due to anti-corruption and 'anti-black-and-evil' campaigns. Wealth can be accumulated, but success remains inseparable from the political environment.

Chapter Three begins with the phrase 'I’d never work—I can’t work.' Zhou Lixi unexpectedly became a symbol of Chinese internet culture, but quickly faded from public view after the government launched its 'Clear and Bright' campaign. The author uses this case to discuss the Great Firewall, VPN regulations, and online censorship, showing that even entertainment and online trends have political boundaries that must not be crossed.

Chapter Four examines the 2022 'Xuzhou Iron-Chain Woman' incident. A woman was filmed with an iron chain around her neck, having given birth to eight children. After the video went viral, local authorities repeatedly changed their accounts, sparking nationwide attention. The author uses this case to revisit one-child policy, human trafficking, son preference, and recent pro-natalist policies, arguing that women’s bodies have always been framed within national population policy.

Chapters Five and Six shift focus to Xinjiang and religious policy. Through the experiences of Uyghur families, the author describes how re-education camps, high-density surveillance, and boarding schools have altered language, culture, and family life. Another chapter follows Yousef, a Hui Muslim, to show how religious activities have been progressively restricted under the 'Sinicization of Religion' policy.

These chapters feature different people, yet they share a similar plight—when political power begins to intrude into law, economy, the internet, family, and faith, everyone must reconsider their place.

The Hong Kong section is the book’s most pivotal turning point.

If earlier chapters depict the changes faced by different groups, the Hong Kong section tells the story of a city undergoing drastic transformation within just a few years.

The author begins with the 2019 proposed amendment to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance. The Hong Kong government’s proposal triggered the largest protests since the 1997 handover, with millions of citizens taking to the streets, launching the Anti-Extradition Movement. As police-civilian clashes escalated, intense confrontations erupted at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, with the latter surrounded by police, becoming a key symbol of the movement.

In 2020, after the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, Hong Kong society changed rapidly. The Democratic Primary Case, the closure of Apple Daily, the arrest of Jimmy Lai, the dissolution of the Civil Human Rights Front, the 'patriots governing Hong Kong' principle, civil servant oaths, and education reforms followed one after another. The familiar media, civil society, and campus environments transformed dramatically in a short time.

The author does not focus solely on the events, but records the choices of Hong Kong people.

Some stayed, facing prosecution and imprisonment; some chose silence; others decided to leave Hong Kong.

The book mentions the widely watched 'Twelve Hongkongers Case.' In 2020, twelve Hong Kong youth attempting to flee to Taiwan by speedboat were intercepted by Chinese coast guard and taken to Shenzhen for detention. Their families were initially denied visitation, and human rights lawyer Ren Quanniu, who had been involved in the 709 case, stepped in to assist, facing immense pressure.

The author also documents the experiences of some Hong Kong youth who successfully reached Taiwan. They set out at night, unsure of their companions or whether they would arrive safely, fearing only interception. Only when their boat entered Taiwan’s waters and was met by coast guard personnel did they truly feel they had left Hong Kong.

Yet, the book repeatedly reminds us: leaving does not mean the end.

For many, what is lost is not merely their living environment, but the familiar city and their imagination of the future. A new life may begin, but questions about home, identity, and belonging do not cease simply by crossing a strait.

What does 'Only Red Flowers Bloom' truly seek to discuss?

Beyond China and Hong Kong, the latter part of the book extends its lens to overseas Chinese, making 'identity and belonging' not just an issue within borders, but a global one.

The 709 Crackdown, Iron-Chain Woman, Xinjiang Re-education Camps, Sinicization of Religion, Anti-Extradition Movement, and Hong Kong National Security Law may appear to be separate incidents. The lawyers, entrepreneurs, Uyghurs, believers, Hong Kongers, and overseas Chinese in the book lead vastly different lives. Yet, the author’s true concern remains the same: when the state begins to define what kind of people its citizens should become, can individuals still decide who they are?