Great Decisions Series - Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping’s China with Emily Feng

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum

We welcome Emily Feng, NPR International Correspondent.

In today’s China, questions of identity are no longer private. They are political, enforced, and deeply personal. This talk explores contemporary China through lived experience, drawing on NPR correspondent Emily Feng’s reporting and her new book on identity and belonging under Xi Jinping. Blending analysis with vivid personal stories, it examines how politics and ideology shape everyday life for people from diverse ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds. The discussion highlights the tension between China’s social diversity and the state’s increasingly narrow vision of national identity, as well as how individuals navigate pressure to conform. It also addresses the challenges of reporting from inside China today and explains why human-centered narratives are essential for understanding the country beyond headlines and geopolitics. Join us for an intriguing discussion on the role of identity in political conformity and resistance in China today.

A reception for this event will take place from 5:15 – 6pm. Registration is not required.