Jessie Lau is a writer, freelance journalist, editor & artist
Hi there! I’m a writer and journalist from Hong Kong, now based in London. My work has appeared in The Guardian, CNN, The Economist, WIRED and many others. A generalist with expertise on China and Asia, I have over a decade of media experience. Now, I gravitate towards stories exploring the intersections of human rights, politics and culture. I fronted the BBC documentary “China’s Silenced Feminist” and executive-produced the Channel 4 News film “China’s Feminist Fightback." Formerly based in Beijing and California, I’m editor-in-chief and board member at NüVoices, a non-profit amplifying gender minorities working on China subjects. Commissions and cold calls are welcome.
Selected stories

Hong Kong Is Still Waiting for Its Feminist Uprising
Women and girls in the ongoing protest movement are up against a deeply unequal society

China’s slow response to coronavirus has shown the weakness of its centralised model
In a system where power is concentrated at the top, local officials are not incentivised to take decisive action

Hong Kong’s Minorities Face Racism From Police and Protesters
Ethnic tensions are coming to the fore, but many minorities find solidarity with activists

Hong Kong's Summer of Unrest
Five years after the Umbrella Movement, Hong Kong is once again in the midst of revolution and reclaiming

To win minorities’ support, China offers places at boarding school
It is too much of a shock for some

China’s war on Christmas hasn’t deterred kids from sending thousands of letters to Santa
Santa’s rising popularity is a stark contrast to China’s ongoing war on Christmas

Hong Kong, 20 Years After the Handover, Part IV: Dear Hong Kong: An Elegy For A City
There was a time when Hong Kong author Xu Xi thought she would never say goodbye to the city she calls home.

The Ghost Villages: A Guide to Hong Kong’s Abandoned Hakka Settlements
Each village is a time capsule showing a sliver of a forgotten life and a reminder of the city’s roots

Rooftop slums are a stark reminder of Hong Kong’s social and housing problems
Thousands live in illegal subdivided residential units, yet those on rooftops are particularly vulnerable to eviction because of their visibility

Ripe for change? Vibrant Hong Kong fruit market faces growing challenges after 103 years
Yau Ma Tei’s fruit market remains as vibrant as ever, but its future is becoming increasingly uncertain

Incarceration to convocation
An ex-con turned UC Berkeley researcher, Murillo is one of thousands of formerly incarcerated persons struggling to re-enter society.