Synopsis
SHORTLISTED FOR THE MOORE PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE
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 of the internet, Chinese authorities began constructing a system of online censorship now known as the Great Firewall. But far from being barren, the digital world behind the firewall brimmed with new subcultures and tech innovations, offering many citizens previously unimaginable connection and opportunity.
Today, as the country's leadership intensifies its control of public discourse and Western headlines reduce the Chinese public to a faceless monolith, journalist Yi-Ling Liu presents an intimate portrait of the entrepreneurs, activists, artists, and dreamers navigating China's transformation into both the world's largest online user base and one of its most populous authoritarian states.
Drawing on years of firsthand reporting, The Wall Dancers equips readers with the tools to assess the past, present, and future of a global power. A vital exploration of the internet's power for both control and liberation, and an unforgettable work of human storytelling, it ultimately asks what it means to live within the technological systems that now shape all of our lives.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE
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 of the internet, Chinese authorities began constructing a system of online censorship now known as the Great Firewall. But far from being barren, the digital world behind the firewall brimmed with new subcultures and tech innovations, offering many citizens previously unimaginable connection and opportunity.
Today, as the country's leadership intensifies its control of public discourse and Western headlines reduce the Chinese public to a faceless monolith, journalist Yi-Ling Liu presents an intimate portrait of the entrepreneurs, activists, artists, and dreamers navigating China's transformation into both the world's largest online user base and one of its most populous authoritarian states.
Drawing on years of firsthand reporting, The Wall Dancers equips readers with the tools to assess the past, present, and future of a global power. A vital exploration of the internet's power for both control and liberation, and an unforgettable work of human storytelling, it ultimately asks what it means to live within the technological systems that now shape all of our lives.
Details
05 February 2026
336 pages
9781806172917
Imprint: Ithaka
Reviews
“A sensitive debut...Foreign observers, Liu argues, tend to portray Chinese people as either the enablers or the victims of their government's excesses. But reality, her book suggests, is messier, as the state and its citizens participate in a 'dynamic push and pull'”New Yorker
“I'd been wanting to find the perfect guest for a conversation about the internet in China for a long time, because I was curious about the realities of how censorship and moderation worked on the other side of the firewall. And while we did talk about that, her book is actually far more interesting than just a discussion about censorship... I definitely think it's one of the best books of the year, and well worth your time and reading”Joe Weisenthal, Bloomberg Odd Lots
“The Wall Dancers employs the stories of Ms. Liu's interviewees to show how 'dancing in shackles' is both possible and ever-changing...China is notorious for its internet restrictions...Ms. Liu acknowledges these limits to expression but highlights the people who have broadened and deepened their networks online...”Wall Street Journal, Wall Street Journal
“The Wall Dancers is history told in a gripping, novelistic style. It is at once a crash course in contemporary Chinese politics and culture and an epic story about human drive, desperation, and ingenuity against inordinate odds. Yi-Ling Liu has written a masterwork.”Jonathan Blitzer, New York Times bestselling author of Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here, Jonathan Blitzer, New York Times bestselling author of Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here