In this episode of Strait Forward, recorded in June at the AI+ Expo, hosts Channing Lee and Libby Lange are joined by Emily Feng, an international correspondent at NPR and author of Let Only Red Flowers Bloom. This conversation explores the role of storytelling and reporting in understanding complex geopolitical landscapes like China and Taiwan. Emily shares her unique experience as a foreign correspondent, including her years in China, the circumstances that led to her expulsion, and her subsequent move to Taiwan.

The discussion delves into the evolving media coverage of Taiwan, the surprising realities of reporting on China from Taiwan, and how her two years living on the island profoundly shaped her understanding of identity and cross-strait relations — a central theme in her book. Emily explores the nuanced, often emotional, dimensions of identity for people both within the PRC and in Taiwan.

Strait Forward is a podcast by the Special Competitive Studies Project.