In a country where economic transformation has reshaped every aspect of life, what happens to those who refuse to follow the path set for them?

In this FT, NYT and Sunday Times book of the year, Yuan Yang shares the gripping, personal stories of four Chinese women navigating ambition, activism, and survival. From June, who fights for an education over a life of pig farming, to Sam, an activist forced into hiding, Private Revolutions is a powerful look at the quiet defiance shaping China’s future.

At The Conduit, Yang, in conversation with journalist and broadcaster Cindy Yu, will explore how individual resistance collides with state power, and what these women’s struggles reveal about modern China. Join us for an intimate and urgent conversation about resilience, freedom, and the price of standing up for yourself in an era of rapid change.

Event Schedule

6:00pm: Pre-event socialising and networking

A cash bar will be available for refreshments.

6:15pm: Event begins

7:30pm: Event ends

Speakers:

Yuan Yang was born in 1990 in China, where she lived with her grandparents for four years before her parents brought her to the UK. She returned to China as an adult, posted there as a correspondent for the Financial Times. After the mass expulsion of journalists from China in 2020, she was one of the few journalists writing in English left in the country, ultimately moving back to the FT’s London headquarters as their China-Europe Correspondent. In 2024, she was elected as the Labour MP for Earley and Woodley, becoming the first Chinese-born MP in British history. Private Revolutions is her debut book.

Cindy Yu is an expert on modern China. She is a writer, media commentator and podcast host. Her work focuses on Chinese politics and society, China’s foreign relations and the lives of Chinese diaspora overseas. Yu speaks from personal experience on this latter aspect having grown up in Nanjing. She moved to the UK at the age of 10 and went on to read Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the University of Oxford. Fluent in English and Mandarin, she also gained a Master of Science in contemporary Chinese studies. Now assistant editor at The Spectator, she leads the magazine’s China coverage. Her articles examine cross-Strait relations, CCP politics and China’s foreign policy. Yu also hosts the magazine’s “Chinese Whispers” podcast. There, Cindy Yu talks to experts, journalists and long-time China watchers about all things China.