Cyrille Pluyette and Charlotte Cahné Publish Checkpoint China
French literature has long treated Asia as a distant frontier, but a new book brings the reality of contemporary reporting in Beijing directly to readers. French publisher Liana Levi released Checkpoint China, written by Cyrille Pluyette and Charlotte Cahné, retailing at €20 for 273 pages. The work follows a long history of French writing on the region that includes Victor Segalen and André Malraux, contrasting sharply with the accounts penned by mid-century intellectuals like Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Julia Kristeva, Barthes and Sollers.
Pluyette draws on his direct experience as the permanent correspondent in Beijing for Le Figaro between 2016 and 2019, before joining L’Express. Alongside his spouse and co-author Charlotte Cahné—who previously authored Beijing Blues in 2020—Pluyette traveled across the country to interview a wide range of individuals. The book transports readers to 2017, following a journalist protagonist named Diego who operates under intense surveillance while President Xi Jinping’s administration designates foreign reporters as one of the “seven perils” that threaten China.
Diego Investigates Detentions in Xinjiang
The narrative centers on Diego’s pursuit of stories despite severe operational limits. A former hostage of jihadists of Daesh, who endured imprisonment near Aleppo, the reporter refuses to abandon an investigation when his fixer, Lingzhi, reveals a personal crisis. Lingzhi’s partner is Uyghur, and her brother Erkin—an apolitical Sufi practitioner and traditional musician who plays the two-stringed dutar—has been imprisoned in one of the re-education camps in Xinjiang.
Motivated to uncover the truth behind the detentions, Diego boards a train for Kashgar. The book blends noir fiction with gonzo journalism, leaning on firsthand reporting rather than abstract theory. In a key sequence, Diego travels to Almaty to meet a woman who spent five months inside one of the camps. The authors use the encounter to draw a parallel to the largest enterprise of incarceration of an ethnic-religious minority since the Nazi camps.
State Surveillance and Visa Risks
Operating in China as a foreign journalist involves navigating strict checkpoints and constant police monitoring. The publication of Checkpoint China carries professional consequences for its creators. Given the critical depiction of the state security apparatus and the mass detention of Uyghurs, the authors face uncertainty regarding future visa approvals for China.
The text deliberately avoids romanticizing foreign correspondence, portraying the daily friction of information gathering under an authoritarian government. By anchoring the narrative in the documented realities of 2017, Pluyette and Cahné provide readers with an unvarnished look at the hurdles reporters face when investigating sensitive domestic policies in modern China.
Frequently Asked Questions About Checkpoint China
Who wrote Checkpoint China and what is their background?
The book was co-authored by Cyrille Pluyette and Charlotte Cahné. Pluyette served as the permanent Beijing correspondent for Le Figaro from 2016 to 2019 before joining L’Express, while Cahné previously wrote the 2020 book Beijing Blues.
What is the central plot of the book?
Set in 2017, the narrative follows a journalist named Diego who travels to Kashgar in Xinjiang after learning that his fixer’s brother has been placed in a re-education camp, exposing the realities of state surveillance and minority detentions.
Where can readers purchase the book and how much does it cost?
Checkpoint China is published by Liana Levi, spans 273 pages, and retails for €20.
