Jessie Lau is a writer & journalist from Hong Kong, now in London.
Hi there—I’m a freelance writer and journalist telling global stories with an intersectional feminist approach. I’ve spent the past decade covering identity, politics, human rights and culture from Asia, Europe and the United States. My writing, reportage and films have appeared in The Guardian, BBC, Los Angeles Review of Books, CNN, The Economist, WIRED and many others.
A persistent generalist with expertise on China and Asia, I’m most interested in transnational stories grappling with gender, race, and empire. I serve as magazine editor-in-chief and board member at the global feminist non-profit NüVoices, as well as contributing editor at Translator, a publication of translated journalism. I’m also the founder of New Tide Media Network, a UK-based ESEA journalism community. Read a selection of my stories below + commission/pitch me here!

From London I watch the crisis engulfing Hong Kong
Watching from afar as Beijing passes the security law that tightens its grip on the territory, I feel grief and helplessness

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

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.