In the third episode of Culture, Power, and the Pen, host Andy Liu speaks with Uyghur poet, linguist, and human rights advocate Abduweli Ayup about the power of language to preserve culture in the face of erasure. From springtime poetry rituals in Kashgar to underground meshrep gatherings to tape-recorded Russian classics, Ayup recalls a childhood steeped in oral tradition and community storytelling. He reflects on the trauma of imprisonment and exile, the devastation of book burnings and banned songs, and the urgency of writing in a time of cultural erasure. Together, they discuss the intergenerational loss caused by China’s policies in Xinjiang, the courage required to keep memory alive, and the comfort found in Dopa Day celebrations, or even in something as simple as a warm bowl of chuchura.