#10853

Mentioned in 5 episodes

The Wall Dancers

Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet

Book • 1995

The Wall Dancers is a deeply reported narrative tracing the evolution of China's internet over the last three decades, from its emancipatory promise in the 1990s to the present era of intensified control behind the Great Firewall.

Through intimate stories of entrepreneurs, activists, artists, and ordinary citizens—known as 'wall dancers'—Yi-Ling Liu examines how individuals navigate surveillance, censorship, and opportunity, grappling with universal themes of dignity, resilience, connection, and hope amid technological and authoritarian constraints.

Mentioned by

Jeffrey Wasserstrom

Nicholas Gordon

Mentioned in 5 episodes

Mentioned by

Joe Weisenthal

as the title of Yiling Liu's new book about the Chinese Internet.

The Surprising Similarity Between the US and Chinese Internets

Recommended by

Kaiser Kuo

as a compelling book about lives and the Chinese internet.

Kyle Chan on the Great Reversal in Global Technology Flows

Mentioned by

Aaron Bastani

introducing the guest's book and by

Yi-Ling Liu

explaining the book's title and concept.

Downstream: The Secrets of the Chinese Internet w/ Yi-Ling Liu

Mentioned by

Jane Perlez

and Frank Zhou as the episode's focal book about living under China's internet censorship regime.

Climbing the Great Firewall: Freedom, Censorship, and China’s Internet

Mentioned by

Kaiser Kuo

as the book being discussed in the episode and authored by the guest.

Yi-Ling Liu on The Wall Dancers: China's Internet, Its Creative Spirits, and the Art of the Possible

Mentioned by

Jeffrey Wasserstrom

as a recent book that complexly portrays the Chinese internet and creative circumventions of constraints.

Jeffrey Wasserstrom, "Everything You Wanted to Know about China*: * But Were Afraid to Ask" (Brixton Ink, 2025)

Mentioned by

Jeffrey Wasserstrom

as a recent book offering a nuanced view of the Chinese internet and online creativity under constraints.

Jeffrey Wasserstrom, "Everything You Wanted to Know about China*: * But Were Afraid to Ask" (Brixton Ink, 2025)

Mentioned by

Nicholas Gordon

as the book Yiling Liu wrote about China's internet.

Yi-Ling Liu, "The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet" (Knopf, 2026)

Mentioned as

Yi-Ling Liu

charts the story of China's internet in her book with profiles of creators.

Yi-Ling Liu, "The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet" (Knopf, 2026)

Recommended by

Jeffrey Wasserstrom

as a recent book that compellingly portrays the constrained and creative Chinese internet.

Jeffrey Wasserstrom, "Everything You Wanted to Know about China*: * But Were Afraid to Ask" (Brixton Ink, 2025)

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