Jessie Lau is a writer, freelance journalist, editor & artist
I’m an independent storyteller covering human rights, politics and culture with a transnational feminist perspective. Now based in London, I’ve also spent time in Beijing, California and Hong Kong, where I was born and raised. Over the past decade, my stories have appeared in The Guardian, The Economist, BBC, Los Angeles Times, Foreign Policy, New Statesman, Quartz, The Nation, Mekong Review, openDemocracy, Channel 4 News, CNN and elsewhere.
Selected stories
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
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
Banning WeChat will destroy a lone bridge between the US and China
WeChat is an instrument of censorship and surveillance. But, for Chinese Americans, it was also a way to connect
Why the Taiwanese are thinking more about their identity
Renewed resistance to China and successful handling of the coronavirus pandemic has led Taiwan to re-examine ideas about its identity – and its future
The Crisis in Wuhan ‘Forced Me to Become Political’
As the city prepares to reopen after two months of lockdown, a resident shares why she’ll never see Chinese society the same way again
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
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