Jessie Lau is a London-based writer and award-winning journalist from Hong Kong
I tell stories about identity and power with a feminist approach. I’ve spent over a decade reporting from Asia, Europe and the US for The Guardian, BBC, The Financial Times, LA Review of Books, The Economist, CNN and many more publications. Shortlisted for the inaugural Philip Hoare Prize for global creative non-fiction, I’ve also been recognised for my reporting by the World Association of News Publishers, among others. Now teaching journalism as a lecturer at Kingston University, I’m also a judge for the 2026 Orwell Prize in Political Writing.
Passionate about building platforms for marginalised communities, I founded New Tide, Britain’s only East and Southeast Asian journalism network, which was nominated for the Georgina Henry Award for Innovation. I’m also head of magazine editorial at NüVoices, a China-focused feminist nonprofit, and contributing editor at Translator, a publication of translated journalism. I’m open to commissions and pitches.
Featured stories
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
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
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 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.
Myanmar’s Women Are on the Front Lines Against the Junta
Protesters are using the military's fear of women against it
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
Hong Kong Is Still Waiting for Its Feminist Uprising
Women and girls in the ongoing protest movement are up against a deeply unequal society