NPR correspondent. 10 years in China and Taiwan. Now DC-based. My book "Let Only Red Flowers Bloom" is now out: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/724947/let-only-red-flowers-bloom-by-emily-feng/https://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mllcicigos2wWhen Trump sits down with Xi in Beijing this week one of the things they’ll likely talk about is nuclear arms control. In this episode of Consider This, I dive deep into why China started expanding its nuclear program in the first place https://one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5817561:nx-s1-mx-5817561-111 May 2026 12:44 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mllcicigos2whttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mljtefg2as2qSuper fun convo with my fellow Nippers on women action stars and our favorite stars https://www.npr.org/2026/05/10/nx-s1-5812693/cineplexity-the-best-female-action-stars-in-the-movies10 May 2026 22:41 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mljtefg2as2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mlj7amfzh22tOn CBC's Sunday program this morning to talk about the US, China, and Iran in the lead-up to Trump's China trip https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-57-the-sunday-magazine/clip/16213841-how-war-changing-iran-flower-power-china-world10 May 2026 16:41 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlj7amfzh22thttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mlisnm7tcc2wFirefighters are bracing for a bad wildfire season: "We're dry and we're expecting the pace to pick up significantly here any time," said the recently appointed head of that service, Brian Fennessy, in an interview with NPR's All Things Considered host Emily Feng. https://www.npr.org/2026/05/09/nx-s1-5804693/prevention-wildfires-firefighters-vegetation-wildland-fire-service10 May 2026 12:56 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlisnm7tcc2whttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mlh7vbfyhs2fI am really loving these Reporters' Notebook series @npr.org does, peeling back how we do the reporting we do, across the NPR newsroom. This week's is with a senior political reporter on covering the midterms. https://www.npr.org/2026/05/09/nx-s1-5813787/tracking-the-hot-button-issues-driving-this-years-midterms-politics09 May 2026 21:47 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlh7vbfyhs2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mlh7syur6c2fOpening Weekend All Things Considered today with this sound-rich two-way with @npr.org's Charles Maynes from Moscow on Russia downsizing its Victory Day parade: https://www.npr.org/2026/05/09/nx-s1-5814855/red-square-v-day-parade-scaled-back-due-to-ukrainian-drone-strike-fears09 May 2026 21:46 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlh7syur6c2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mlebh7dyns2lSmart piece flipping on its head the usual analysis of Beijing’s military confidence, arguing instead this means an invasion is incredibly unlikely, bc China “it currently believes that unification will become easier and less costly as time passes.” https://www.foreignaffairs.com/taiwan/why-china-waits08 May 2026 17:37 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlebh7dyns2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3ml2lhyj4r22d“Less than 30 seconds later came the shriek of the two missiles that lanced through Turmus’ car.” https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2026-05-04/inside-israels-ai-targeting-system-how-data-from-phone-become-death-sentence04 May 2026 21:10 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml2lhyj4r22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3ml23kgq3o22fHow does diplomacy work during a military deadlock? https://one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5809462:nx-s1-mx-5809462-104 May 2026 16:25 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml23kgq3o22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3ml22pvsgv22qInteresting blog post analyzing a new academic journal article in China on the cold, hard mechanics proposed for 'soul-casting' and forging a national identity https://jamesleibold.substack.com/p/chinas-soul-casting-project-has-acquired?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=1cclc&triedRedirect=true04 May 2026 16:10 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml22pvsgv22qhttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mky3zosqbs2xI am the weekend afternoon show All Things Considered this weekend and for the next two weeks. Tune in 5 pm wherever you are!03 May 2026 21:28 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mky3zosqbs2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mkvocgajbc2aIn 2024, I saw Sheng Wang trial his stand up in a dark comedy club in Taipei. Today we had really fun conversation about his newest comedy special "Purple," which I loved, and how he finds such everyday, specific life moments and turns them into jokes https://www.npr.org/2026/05/02/nx-s1-5800868/comedian-sheng-wang-on-finding-joy-in-the-mundane02 May 2026 22:17 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkvocgajbc2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mkvn42gsr22aI loved this conversation with two other NPR reporters who are reporting on the war in Iran and Israel's invasion in Lebanon...talking how we report on war and lonely life on the road and holding all that pain during reporting really hit home for me https://www.npr.org/2026/05/02/nx-s1-5802996/collaboration-helps-npr-journalists-get-you-the-story-of-the-iran-war-up-close02 May 2026 21:56 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkvn42gsr22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mkvn2kwoa22aI speak to the head of the ICRC who just came back from Tehran last night and who speaks to the fear and uncertainty among the Iranian people about whether the ceasefire will hold. npr.org/2026/05/02/nx-s1-5807914/icrc-president-mirjana-spoljaric-warns-of-the-wars-impact-on-civilians https://npr.org/2026/05/02/nx-s1-5807914/icrc-president-mirjana-spoljaric-warns-of-the-wars-impact-on-civilians02 May 2026 21:55 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkvn2kwoa22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mkv2cqtghk24The Chinese Commerce ministry is outright saying it will not recognize nor comply with new U.S. sanctions on five Chinese oil refineries which the U.S. says imports Iranian oil https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/zwgk/zcfb/art/2026/art_0ff88c45f1974962a539775085014888.html02 May 2026 16:19 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkv2cqtghk24https://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mkszvgisq22wTwo days after China and Zambia sign an economic agreement, Zambia abruptly cancels a huge human rights conference it was supposed to host this week, per organizers, who now say they were told the cancellation was due to Chinese diplomatic pressure: https://www.rightscon.org/rc26-statement/01 May 2026 21:07 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkszvgisq22whttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mkjf252cj22q"In no other period in my life did I live with such intensity. I never drank more extravagantly, loved more fiercely, hated more passionately, worked more diligently or partied more recklessly than I did in those 15 years." https://www.equator.org/articles/the-city-below-the-city28 Apr 2026 01:00 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkjf252cj22qhttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mkj7z6my5c2mMultiple people in Taiwan approached by people likely working for security agencies in China but impersonating journalists, after real journalists published an investigation on China https://www.icij.org/investigations/china-targets/fake-journalists-cyber-spies-china-targets-reporters/27 Apr 2026 23:30 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkj7z6my5c2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mkiojfyysc23Incredible reporting and a scene here - and an inside look at the risks the journalists took to report this story. "One miner threatened the colonel with a stick. Then he doused the soldiers and me with gas and shouted, “We’re all going to burn!”" https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/world/americas/colombia-cartel-illegal-gold-mining-military-base.html27 Apr 2026 18:16 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkiojfyysc23https://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mkiifn24lc2e1/ Totally fascinating story from NYT on how homeowners associations and private property are spaces for political resistance in China: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/27/world/asia/china-homeowners-associations.html27 Apr 2026 16:27 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkiifn24lc2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mkgwfs5wxk2zHow one company embodies the rise - and fall - and rise again? Of rare earths in the U.S. Planet Money and i did a deep dive episode into the materials at the center of U.S.-China trade tension https://www.npr.org/2026/04/24/nx-s1-5798742/rare-earths-mining-china-usa27 Apr 2026 01:32 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkgwfs5wxk2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mk7lbly77225“Faraj helped her friend into a nearby building as an Israeli surveillance drone hovered above them… Another Israeli strike hit the building where they were hiding, causing it to collapse. “Amal was gone,” Faraj said. “And I was left alone." https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/04/23/israeli-strike-kills-journalist-in-southern-lebanon/24 Apr 2026 03:24 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk7lbly77225https://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mk4v2vq4js2t“When rescuers returned to help Khalil, the Israeli military dropped a sound grenade, blocking their access to the damaged building, Moufarrej and the senior military official said.” https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/lebanese-journalist-amal-khalil-killed-by-israeli-strike-amid-ceasefire/9s6ptekcs23 Apr 2026 01:42 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk4v2vq4js2thttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mjwnr55rcs2fThis case - of a former US military guy turned prison guard turned hired brawn for Chinese spies - is fascinatingly bizarre. Also among his targets was a sculpture of Xi Jinping as a coronavirus particle in the middle of the California desert, as I chronicle in my book Let Only Red Flowers Bloom. [contains quote post or other embedded content]20 Apr 2026 14:15 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjwnr55rcs2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mjv6q7r7fc2bStriking statement from China’s foreign press club, explicitly making clear its condemnation of China revoking visas, China detaining journos over coverage, not associated w/any media outlet. Media orgs - powerful ones - are not speaking up, and they should. https://fccchina.org/2026/04/20/fccc-statement-on-recent-attacks-on-press-freedom-in-china/20 Apr 2026 00:13 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjv6q7r7fc2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mjgfeeokic2gFunny, cool, so good at what he did Remembering NPR audio engineer Brian Jarboe https://www.npr.org/2026/04/13/nx-s1-5781039/remembering-npr-audio-engineer-brian-jarboe14 Apr 2026 03:02 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjgfeeokic2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3mjcbb4thfc23China’s ten points to improve relations with Taiwan suggests setting up more regular mechanisms for leaders to meet, edu exchanges, and also the broadcast of “healthy” Taiwanese TV, animations, to be broadcast in China: https://www.gwytb.gov.cn/topone/202604/t20260412_12760112.htm12 Apr 2026 11:38 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjcbb4thfc23https://bsky.app/profile/emilyzfeng.bsky.social/post/3miutfk5gtc2shttps://foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/03/minab-school-strike-iran-war-children-lost/07 Apr 2026 03:25 +0000at://did:plc:yipvolht2oni2hhbwk4ykpsp/app.bsky.feed.post/3miutfk5gtc2s