April 9, 2026 Issue Table of Contents

Our 4/9 issue is now online, with Pankaj Mishra on India and Iran, Pablo Scheffer on the art of tennis, @yilingliu95.bsky.social on Shenzhen’s engineers, Miranda Seymour on Muriel Spark’s spark, Ben Lerner on John Berger, @fotoole.bsky.social on Trump’s war of choice, & more.

I had a lovely time speaking with the very talented @yilingliu95.bsky.social (whose new book is SO good and truly a must-read) - go listen to our convo via the @nuvoices.bsky.social podcast now!

"Even though the Chinese internet is still enclosed within this firewall, it has expanded beyond its borders."

@rachelcheung.bsky.social interviews @yilingliu95.bsky.social on her new book, "The Wall Dancers." buff.ly/I7eDuwh

To understand China, we need to understand the Chinese internet In her new book “The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet,” journalist Yi-Ling Liu examines the country’s censorship, viral trends and growing global power.

Read an excerpt from @yilingliu95.bsky.social new book! “To understand China today and where it’ll go tomorrow, we must learn to read the Chinese internet: what goes viral and what disappears just as swiftly, how it shapes and is shaped by the outside world ... .”
restofworld.org/2026/wall-da...

To understand China, we need to understand the Chinese internet In her new book “The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet,” journalist Yi-Ling Liu examines the country’s censorship, viral trends and growing global power.

In her new book “The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection On the Chinese Internet,” journalist @yilingliu95.bsky.social examines the country’s censorship, viral trends, and growing power. Read an excerpt:
restofworld.org/2026/wall-da...

Wrote a little intro to this excerpt from @yilingliu95.bsky.social's new book, reflecting on Chinese hip-hop's strange decade and the tendency for "cultural freeze frames" in English writing on non-western contemporary culture.

Yi-Ling Liu: China’s Internet Censorship Register now to hear Yi-Ling Liu talk about this transformational chapter of China’s modern history, and the individuals who shaped it, from entrepreneurs to activists, bloggers to artists.

On Thursday, February 5, @yilingliu95.bsky.social joins @afrawang.bsky.social to discuss her new book, this transformational chapter of China’s modern history, and the individuals who shaped it, from entrepreneurs to activists, bloggers to artists. Tickets here: asiasociety.org/center-us-ch...

I've been lucky to get an early peek at this book, and it's wonderful. Rare insight into how diverse Chinese lives play out online and off. Stories of actually existing China tech life, and people navigating the margins and the mainstream. Check it out!

PORTER SQUARE BOOKS
Cambridge, MA
Wednesday, February 18, 7:00pm

In conversation with Tianyu Fang
portersquarebooks.com/event/2026-0...

JF SALON 2/11 Yi-Ling Liu Join us for an intimate JF Salon conversation with author Yi-Ling Liu, exploring Chinese adoption, orphan narratives, and the stories that cross borders. 📚The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and C...

JF BOOKS
Washington DC
Wednesday, February 11, 6:00pm-7:30pm
In conversation with Kyle Hutzler

www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticket...

YALE LAW SCHOOL
New Haven, CT
Tuesday, February 10, 12:00pm-1:30pm
In conversation with Jing Tsu

Yi-Ling Liu: China’s Internet Censorship Register now to hear Yi-Ling Liu talk about this transformational chapter of China’s modern history, and the individuals who shaped it, from entrepreneurs to activists, bloggers to artists.

ASIA SOCIETY
New York City
Thursday, February 5, 6:30pm
asiasociety.org/center-us-ch...

YU AND ME BOOKS
New York City
Tuesday, February 3, 7:00pm

In conversation with Zeyi Yang
t.co/tRhK24o1Uj

I’m taking my book THE WALL DANCERS on tour! 💃

If you’re in NYC, New Haven, DC, and Boston, I'll be discussing the book with some wonderful folks.

Event links in comments!

The Wall Dancers by Yi-Ling Liu: 9780593491850 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books An eye-opening exploration of the Chinese internet that reveals the intricate dance between freedom and control in contemporary China “The Wall Dancers is history told in a gripping, novelistic...

My book THE WALL DANCERS: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet, will be coming out next week, February 3, by Knopf!

You can pre-order the book here:

www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/708614...

Spring 2026 Fiction & Nonfiction Preview: Politics & Current Events Government malfeasance, the consequences of too much tech, and the emotional lives of medical caregivers are spotlighted in spring’s current affairs titles.

Glad to see Wall Dancers by @yilingliu95.bsky.social on this list (almost finished it/the profiles of individuals are fascinating/lots of its main points re changes since 2008 resonate/glad to see nods in notes to many writers on China I’ve also learned from) www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

Thousands of Companies Are Driving China’s AI Boom. A Government Registry Tracks Them All How the Cyberspace Administration of China inadvertently made a guide to the country’s homegrown AI revolution.

DeepSeek was just the beginning. @yilingliu95.bsky.social took a look at what's going on with Chinese AI

www.wired.com/story/china-...

Book Launch | The Wall Dancers by Yi-Ling Liu Pre-purchase your copy of the featured title to guarantee your signed copy! This helps ensure that everyone who wants a book goes home with one, in case we sell out at the event.  ABOUT THE BOOK An in...

Next Tuesday (Feb 3), I will be talking to @yilingliu95.bsky.social in New York about her new book: The Wall Dancers. It is a great chronology of how individuals in China grow up with the internet and end up shaping or being engulfed in it. Come join us & RSVP here!
yuandmebooks.com/products/boo...

The Wall Dancers by Yi-Ling Liu: 9780593491850 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books An eye-opening exploration of the Chinese internet that reveals the intricate dance between freedom and control in contemporary China In the late 1990s, as the world was waking up to the power and em...

I had the honor of reading and blurbing @yilingliu95.bsky.social's THE WALL DANCERS. It's a riveting, gorgeously crafted narrative whose examination of censorship, solidarity, and collective power really couldn't be more timely.

You can (and should!) pre-order it now:

Young people in China are embracing AI therapy Cheap, accessible, and friendly AI tools can augment scarce professional help, but there are risks to overreliance on the technology.

I wrote for @restofworld.org about China's chatbot therapists — why young people are turning to AI for mental health care & the risks of AI sycophancy

restofworld.org/2025/young-p...

The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet

A book to watch for in 2026 (have been eager to see it since reading and liking some magazine pieces by @yilingliu95.bsky.social) bookshop.org/p/books/danc... + it comes with blurbs by @karenhao.bsky.social & @iandenisjohnson.bsky.social (who refers to it as a
"masterful piece of reporting")

Young people in China are embracing AI therapy Cheap, accessible, and friendly AI tools can augment scarce professional help, but there are risks to overreliance on the technology.

Young people in China say that AI chatbots save them time and money, and are more discreet in a society where stigma around mental health persists. But there are risks to chatbots becoming therapists, writes @yilingliu95.bsky.social for @restofworld.org
restofworld.org/2025/young-p...

China’s vision for a driverless future is miles ahead of everyone else’s Strong government backing and strict regulatory oversight of the Chinese autonomous vehicle industry contrasts sharply with the piecemeal laws and slower adoption in the U.S.

By 2030, a fifth of new cars sold in China will be fully driverless, and 70% will feature advanced assisted-driving technology. @yilingliu95.bsky.social breaks down what's driving the success of China's automated vehicle industry:

China’s Youth: The Age of Anxiety Join us for a discussion on how youth in China today are making sense of the challenges facing the country and how to navigate the future.

This year, 12.2 million new grads in China will start their adult lives amid deep uncertainty for their country and the world. How are they navigating what lies ahead? Join us on May 19 for a conversation with @yilingliu95.bsky.social, Biao Xiang, Li Zhang, and CCA's Barclay Bram. Register now ⬇️

What is Xīn Shēng | 心声 Project? Over the past few years, WeChat has gained a reputation for circulating right-wing political mis- and disinformation. This has been particularly harmful to the Chinese diasporic community, who have had limited access to reputable, in-language reporting. Xīn Shēng Project (formerly WeChat Project) provides alternative, progressive perspectives on the most widely circulated issues on WeChat and beyond: affirmative action, policing, systemic racism, LGBTQ+ issues, and more. Our bilingual articles cross the language, generational, cultural, and informational barriers within our community and families

this is amazing. just came across the Xinsheng project, an initiative by 1.5 gen Chinese Americans and college students to counter right-wing misinformation rampant on WeChat.
www.xinshengproject.org/about

Some news many years in the making: My book EMPIRE OF AI, out May 20, is ready for pre-order at empireofai.com. It tells the inside story of OpenAI as a lens for understanding the moment we’re in: the tech elite's extraordinary seizure of power and its threat to democracy. 1/

A hardcover copy of There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone. The black cover features a vertical strip with the title and a photo of Atlanta’s skyline.

After many years of reporting and writing, the day is finally here: THERE IS NO PLACE FOR US is out today.

I poured everything into this book, and I hope it ignites outrage at the fact that so many people in the richest nation on earth have been deprived of one of the most basic human necessities.