Perched up against the edge of a cliff in China’s southwest Guizhou province is the bamboo shack 21-year-old “retiree” Liu Youwen built from scratch.

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST: One of the most important scholars on Uyghur culture has been given a life prison sentence in China. Rahile Dawut is an expert on her culture's folklore and traditions.

Ms. Huijgen, a Dutch journalist based in China and a former adoptee, wrote from Beijing. As early as I can remember, I wished I hadn’t been Chinese. I hated my unruly black hair and my eyes ...