Hello, I’m Jessie
I’m a freelance writer, journalist and artist. I cover human rights, politics and culture with a transnational and feminist perspective. A Hongkonger now based in London, I’m a specialist on China and Asia. My work has appeared in The Guardian, BBC World Service, CNN, The Economist, Foreign Policy, WIRED and more.
Selected stories
Threats, fear and surveillance: how Beijing targets students in the UK who criticise regime
Chinese students tell the Guardian they are scared to return home and worry for their families after being followed and harassed
Beijing accused of using spying, threats and blackmail against Tibetan exiles
China ‘threatens relatives in Tibet’ to exert control over activists in exile, with greater transnational repression at Tibetan new year
Elderly Uyghur women imprisoned in China for decades-old religious ‘crimes’, leaked files reveal
Hundreds of women sentenced for practices such as studying the Qur’an, dating back as far back as 60s and 70s, analysis of Chinese police files shows
‘It’s difficult to survive’: China’s LGBTQ+ advocates face jail and forced confession
Trans and queer people and their supporters suffer ‘systemic persecution’ as the party pushes increasingly conservative values
‘Looty’: How a dog stolen from China sparked a British luxury craze
Meet “Looty,” a dog stolen by the British in the looting of China’s Old Summer Palace and gifted to the queen. Her journey sparked a craze–and left behind a legacy mired in British imperialism and racism
Uyghur filmmaker faces trial in Xinjiang and alleges torture
Ikram Nurmehmet, a director known for featuring Uyghur protagonists, faced trial in Xinjiang and alleges authorities tortured him in detention
Deported to a Country You Can’t Remember
Former child refugee Phoeun You was paroled from California’s San Quentin State Prison in 2021–only to be deported to Cambodia. He’s free, but can’t return to the only home he remembers
I Was a Chinese Protester. Here’s Why I Risked My Freedom
Speaking over an encrypted messaging app, “Zhao” reflected on the demonstrations and the young people powering them
Chinese Students Are At The Forefront Of Anti-Lockdown Protests
Young people in China are finding their political awakening
China's silenced feminist: How Sophia Huang Xueqin went missing
WATCH: BBC Eye investigates the disappearance of Sophia Huang Xueqin, a high-profile journalist who kick-started China’s #MeToo
Hong Kong's embattled gender movement is coming under fire amid Beijing's national security crackdown
With new leader, the future for progressive politics looks more challenging - for feminists in Hong Kong, it was already bleak
The End Game of China’s Zero-Covid Policy Nightmare
As most of the world decides to live with the virus, China is doubling down on a strategy to crush it. But at what cost?
Facing censorship at home, Chinese feminists are sounding the alarm over Peng Shuai abroad
Amid crackdowns on #MeToo whistleblowers, Chinese feminists in the UK and US are creating communities to fight against sexism and racism
Why tennis star Peng Shuai’s #MeToo allegation is such a threat to China’s leaders
Her accusation exposes systemic sexism and threatens the Communist Party’s legitimacy, Chinese feminists say
How the Chinese Communist Party is policing the past to secure its future
What a “historical nihilism hotline” and a new party resolution tell us about Xi Jinping’s vision for China
How a Taiwan influencer raised €140K for a Lithuanian ‘crisis pregnancy centre’
After Lithuania sent COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan, Jill Chang inadvertently directed her followers to a controversial ‘crisis pregnancy centre’ in Vilnius
Beijing is having trouble selling its citizens on a partnership with the Taliban
China’s propaganda machinery has been working in overdrive to convince Chinese people that partnering with the Taliban isn’t as problematic as it seems
Will new Olympics rules exclude or include transgender athletes?
Backlash against transgender and non-binary competitors in Tokyo has highlighted the problems preventing inclusion in sports at all levels
The cursed generation
Memoirs of a lost Hong Kong
‘The world has become bigger’: fighting for trans rights in Hong Kong
Despite its cosmopolitanism, Hong Kong society still holds conservative views on gender and sexuality. But a new generation is changing this.