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My journalism covers the intersections of human rights, politics and culture. I interrogate identity and power with a feminist perspective; I make sense of China and East and Southeast Asia in a global context. My work has appeared in The Guardian, Financial Times, CNN, The Economist, BBC and more. Testimonial:

“Jessie is a talented and thorough journalist. I edited Jessie’s work on a couple of occasions at CNN and found her to be prompt, receptive to feedback and willing to shepherd sometimes complex or sensitive stories through multiple layers of review. (She’s) a pleasure to work with.” —Sheena Mckenzie, Editor

View a selection of my work below (digital, film, audio and print):

  • Can AI speak the language Japan tried to kill?

    More than a century after colonisation, the Ainu language almost vanished. Now machines are listening to hours of old recordings and learning to give it a new voice | BBC Future

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  • What happened to China’s fake Van Goghs?

    Dafen once produced 60 per cent of the world’s oil paintings—now this village of copyists is under threat | Financial Times

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  • The Women Who Fought Japan’s Empire

    Japanese colonialism is infamous for its brutalization of women, abducted and forced into sex slavery. Less known is women’s role in fighting against the Japanese Empire, brilliantly brought to life in two recent novels | Jacobin

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  • 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 imperialism and racism | CNN

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  • ‘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 country pushes increasingly conservative values | The Guardian

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  • Planning my multicultural wedding was already difficult. Finding a dress was even harder

    I wrote about how my wedding dress anxieties became less about the look itself, and more about what it had come to represent—my identity in a mixed-race marriage | CNN

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  • Deported to a Country You Can’t Remember

    The Biden administration sent Phoeun You, a former child refugee, to Cambodia after more than four decades in the US | The Nation

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  • China’s war on Christmas hasn’t deterred kids from sending thousands of letters to Santa

    One Christmas, 12-year-old Wang’s classmate died of cancer. It was the first time one of her friends had passed away, and she wasn’t sure how to feel. Wang had written a letter to Santa the year before, so she decided to sit down and write another | Quartz

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  • 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 | New Statesman

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  • Myanmar’s Women Are on the Front Lines Against the Junta

    Protesters are using the military's fear of women against it | Foreign Policy

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  • “We’re All Chinese, Aren’t We?”

    Jessie Lau ponders Emily Feng’s “Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping’s China” | LA Review of Books

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  • Hong Kong Is Still Waiting for Its Feminist Uprising

    Women and girls in the ongoing protest movement are up against a deeply unequal society | The Nation

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  • Why the US-China Rivalry Is Thwarting Transnational Solidarity

    The Black Lives Matter and Hong Kong democracy movement can learn a lot from each other | The Nation

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  • Beijing is having trouble selling its citizens on a partnership with the Taliban

    As Beijing gets ready to embrace the Taliban, China’s propaganda machinery has been working in overdrive to convince Chinese people that partnering with the militant group isn’t as problematic as it seems | Quartz

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  • “Young people feel hopeless”: the Thai protesters revolting against authoritarian rule

    The country’s dramatic youth-led protests are dividing generations, families and the nation | New Statesman

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  • Who Is the Real Mulan?

    The current film has sparked a fierce fight over Mulan’s soul: what she should represent, both as a symbol for women and for Chinese-ness | The Diplomat

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  • The Ghost Villages: A Guide to Hong Kong’s Abandoned Hakka Settlements

    Just a short minibus ride from the MTR, the rich history of Hakka villages lies in ruins along the Starling Inlet | Zolima Citymag

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Films

Over the years, I’ve worked on investigative documentaries as a multimedia reporter, producer, narrator, presenter, translator, fixer and researcher. Following the detention of China’s prominent #MeToo journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin in 2021, I fronted the BBC Eye documentary “China’s Silenced Feminist” investigating her “disappearance.” Watch it on YouTube or BBC iPlayer (UK access) I also executive-produced, reported and narrated the short film “China’s Feminist Fightback,” which explains the country’s dynamic feminist movement. It aired on the Channel 4 News show “Uncovered” on Facebook Watch.

Podcasts

I’m co-host of the NüVoices podcast, a biweekly show featuring interviews with women and gender minorities working on China related topics. Since we launched in Beijing in 2021, the podcast has been downloaded more than 40,000 times. The show is a part of NüVoices collective, a US-based non-profit with chapters across the world including in Britain, where I serve as head of the London chapter. Listen to all our episodes here.

Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: A Talk with Barbara Demick
Jessie Lau, NüVoices
The Impossible City: A Conversation with Karen Cheung
Jessie Lau, NüVoices
The Wall Dancers: A Conversation with Journalist and Author Yi-Ling Liu
Jessie Lau, NüVoices

The Guardian

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Financial Times

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BBC

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LA Review of Books

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The Economist

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CNN

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Times Literary Supplement

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WIRED Magazine

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The Guardian • Financial Times • BBC • LA Review of Books • The Economist • CNN • Times Literary Supplement • WIRED Magazine •

Print Portfolio

Communications & consulting

As a freelance consultant and communications specialist, I bring my core journalistic values–trust, credibility, editorial integrity, transparency and a commitment to ethical approaches–into all of the projects I take on. I offer insights in the following areas of expertise (broadly defined):

  • Developing new multimedia initiatives and platforms

  • Art, political and cultural communication

  • Diversity, equity and inclusion training

  • Strategic communications

  • Audience targeting, social media and multi-platform growth strategy

  • China government, economy and consumer culture analysis

  • Asia-focused foreign policy and geopolitical risk assessment

  • Intersectional feminist and de-colonial foreign policy

  • Human rights monitoring and impact assessment (particularly in Greater China)

  • Expert and source referral

  • Crisis communication and decision-making

Over the past decade, I’ve offered my expertise, shaped projects and delivered training workshops for various organisations. I’ve shared strategies on developing de-colonial, anti-racist and intersectional feminist policies with the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy (CFFP) in Berlin, as part of a year-long working group on improving the discourse around feminist foreign policy. I’ve also provided insights on a strategic communications webinar hosted by The Whitehouse Consultancy in London, and consulted on risk assessments for filming projects in China for BBC World Service and Channel 4 News.

My copywriting breaks down complex topics into engaging content; I deliver an organisation’s message to its target audience with nuance and clarity. I’ve worked on annual reports, research, copywriting and consulting projects for think tanks, charities and NGOs such as Media Defence, The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung and Limelight Foundation. Have a project I can help with, or just an idea? Let’s discuss how I can add value.

What people are saying

“I've witnessed Jessie launch and manage several successful multi-platform projects and media platforms, nurturing them from the ground up into exciting ventures with high levels of growth. Jessie is one of the most dynamic and entrepreneurial editorial leaders I know and I would highly recommend her to anyone seeking her expertise on media and communications."

—Joanna Chiu, Managing Partner at Nüora Global Advisors and author of China Unbound

“Jessie is someone I would work with again in a heartbeat. She brings strong editorial judgement, excellent writing, and professionalism that make collaborative projects run smoothly. I would warmly recommend her to NGOs, think tanks, foundations, and other mission-driven organisations looking for someone who can develop and deliver thoughtful, high-quality media and copywriting work with care and intelligence.”

—Inge Snip, Communications and Partnerships Manager at Limelight Foundation