China’s internet is known for a vast system of censorship and surveillance that has evolved alongside its booming digital economy. Yet the story of the Chinese internet is not simply one of authoritarian control or unrestricted growth. In her book, The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet, journalist and author Yi-Ling Liu explores how people navigate within the constantly shifting boundaries of censorship, carving out creative spaces for communities and political expression.

In an interview with Jacobin, Liu talks about how the Chinese internet has evolved from a space of relative openness into an increasingly tightly controlled digital ecosystem, and how the Communist Party of China’s efforts to regulate online life intersect with its broader attempts to shape social values. She also looks at the changing relationship between Silicon Valley and Beijing, arguing that the familiar opposition between a “free” American internet and an “authoritarian” Chinese one is becoming harder to sustain.