View the full episode transcript.
Are you going through “a very Chinese time in your life”? If so, maybe you’re one of the many American social media users who’ve jumped on the Chinamaxxing trend (or…you’re Chinese). But it’s more than just slippers in the house and hot water at breakfast — as Western netizens experience increased surveillance and censorship across internet platforms, they are ironically turning to one of the most repressive regimes in the world for respite. On today’s episode, Morgan talks to Yi-Ling Liu, author of The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet, about the Chinese government’s history of internet censorship, how online creativity has still flourished inside China’s “walled garden,” and what Americans have to learn from our neighbors in the East.
Guest:
- Yi-Ling Liu, writer and editor
Further Reading/Listening:
- The Wall Dancers Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet — Yi-Ling Liu
- How a Dating App Helped a Generation of Chinese Come Out of the Closet — Yi-Ling Liu, The New York Times Magazine
- Why Everyone Is Suddenly in a ‘Very Chinese Time’ in Their Lives — Zeyi Yang and Louise Matsakis, Wired
- TikTok censorship claims spark California probe of app’s handling of anti-Trump content — Kevin Collier and Bruna Horvath, NBC News
- Why TikTok’s first week of American ownership was a disaster — Blake Montgomery, The Guardian
- China’s biggest gay dating app wants to beat Grindr — Viola Zhou and Andrew Deck, Rest of World
- Two of China’s most popular gay dating apps have disappeared from app stores — Chris Lau and Steven Jiang, CNN
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