https://www.scmp.com/rss/323706/feed Audrey Jiajia Li is a veteran Chinese journalist currently based in Singapore. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Audrey Jiajia Li Audrey Jiajia Li One of the most resonant words in the United States today is “affordability”. From rent and utilities to groceries and medical bills, prices seem to keep climbing. The term has helped Democrats win a string of local elections. It has also become a favourite target of US President Donald Trump. At a rally in Pennsylvania last month, the US president dismissed talk of affordability as a Democratic “hoax”. That stance came months after Trump revived the threat of sweeping tariffs, declared... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3338234/us-struggles-affordability-consumer-confidence-eludes-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3338234/us-struggles-affordability-consumer-confidence-eludes-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 13:09:55 +0000 Audrey Jiajia Li Audrey Jiajia Li In China, girls are taught early to be “appropriate” – to listen, not lead; to speak gently, not loudly. We grow up believing that quietness is likeability, and likeability is safety. But something is shifting. When Chinese writer Jiang Fangzhou said to me during a recent interview, “I can’t be waiting for some influential man to say, ‘I’ll give you an hour to talk about literature’. You can’t be waiting for a seat, for a microphone”, it struck a chord far beyond us. It was a generational... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3334195/why-chinese-women-me-are-done-being-quiet-and-appropriate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3334195/why-chinese-women-me-are-done-being-quiet-and-appropriate?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 01:30:09 +0000 Audrey Jiajia Li Audrey Jiajia Li On September 3, I watched the live broadcast of China’s military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II. The perfectly aligned formations, the roaring fighter jets, the cutting-edge unmanned combat systems – the spectacle spoke for itself. Scanning international media, I found commentary interpreting the parade as a show of force by China and Russia against the United States, or warning about the Taiwan Strait and wider region. On Weibo, Chinese sentiment was... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324655/remembering-chinese-war-pain-deemed-unworthy-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324655/remembering-chinese-war-pain-deemed-unworthy-west?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 01:30:07 +0000 Audrey Jiajia Li Audrey Jiajia Li In early 2014, during China’s “two sessions”, I interviewed the late Zong Qinghou, the founder and chairman of Wahaha, in Beijing. He was 69 at the time, attending the National People’s Congress for the 12th time as a delegate. He appeared before my camera, travel-worn and wearing a pair of well-worn cloth shoes that cost just 20 yuan. During the interview, he was energetic and sharp-tongued, speaking frankly about the invisible barriers faced by private enterprises. He asserted that market... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3319984/chinas-titans-industry-nationalism-double-edged-sword?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3319984/chinas-titans-industry-nationalism-double-edged-sword?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Aug 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Audrey Jiajia Li Audrey Jiajia Li In January 2017, just a week after taking office, US President Donald Trump signed the now-infamous travel ban, barring citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Harvard’s then-president, Drew Faust, issued a sharply worded open letter almost immediately, reaffirming the importance of international students and scholars to the university’s “identity and excellence”. Trump didn’t respond publicly, but it is well known that he holds grudges. By September... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3312830/trumps-war-harvard-shows-no-sign-stopping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3312830/trumps-war-harvard-shows-no-sign-stopping?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Jun 2025 12:30:07 +0000 Audrey Jiajia Li Audrey Jiajia Li “I need to find a new job!” my best friend Rebeca shouted. She has been working at the Singapore branch of a Chinese tech giant for a few years. The salary is competitive, 30 per cent higher than when she was with a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation, but the trade-off is she has no personal time, between frequent business trips and late-night online meetings. “They have no sense of boundaries whatsoever,” she said of her higher-ups. “I never imagined I’d experience the infamous 996... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3310461/im-not-lying-flat-just-choosing-saner-lifestyle-chinas-996?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3310461/im-not-lying-flat-just-choosing-saner-lifestyle-chinas-996?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 May 2025 01:30:08 +0000 When I heard about the enrichment classes offered at my son’s preschool in Singapore, I didn’t hesitate to sign him up. There were three options, all exciting: music, Character Smart (a play-based holistic development programme), or English speech and drama. Woody, 3½ years old, was already enrolled in Taekwondo and drawing. So the question arose: should I choose, or just sign him up for everything? Around then, I received a message from the mother of Yueyue, a classmate of Woody’s and a fellow... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3303250/singapore-my-children-are-freer-be-happy-i-was-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3303250/singapore-my-children-are-freer-be-happy-i-was-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Mar 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Almost 20 years ago, when I was a computing undergraduate, my seniors often said that for a good programmer, putting people first was the simplest, most fundamental principle. The software we write, whether for the back end of a complex system or a protocol used only by developers, ultimately serves people. The recent emergence of R1, the open-source reasoning model from DeepSeek, the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up, made me think of this again. DeepSeek’s team is small compared to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3298108/can-deepseeks-liang-wenfeng-stay-true-his-ai-ideals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3298108/can-deepseeks-liang-wenfeng-stay-true-his-ai-ideals?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:30:08 +0000 True to style, Taiwanese romance novelist Chiung Yao insisted on going to her death “gracefully”. Her farewell letter was an ode to female independence, autonomy and freedom. While some expressed respect for this ultimate act of self-determination and others admired the consistency of her ideals, what struck me the most was the realisation that the era in which love reigned supreme had definitively ended. In the 1980s and 1990s, reading Chiung Yao’s novels was a rite of passage. Her television... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3290558/death-romance-novelist-chiung-yao-strikes-chord-womens-freedom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3290558/death-romance-novelist-chiung-yao-strikes-chord-womens-freedom?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Dec 2024 01:30:09 +0000 China’s reputation as one of the world’s safest countries seems increasingly difficult to justify after a spate of seemingly random killings. Last month alone, two shocking attacks made global headlines: 35 are dead after a driver rammed his car into a crowd in Zhuhai city in Guangdong province, and another eight were killed in a knife attack in Yixing city in Jiangsu province. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for enhanced risk prevention, timely conflict resolution and strict measures.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3288836/spate-random-killings-rooted-chinas-social-and-economic-despair?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3288836/spate-random-killings-rooted-chinas-social-and-economic-despair?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Dec 2024 01:30:09 +0000 “Go back to China”– this is a phrase that has been occasionally hurled at Asian faces in the United States in the past few years, especially during the rampant spread of Covid-19. Behind it lies a complex backdrop: US-China tensions, rising populism and the economic fallout of the pandemic. Xenophobia often festers when people face adversity. Last week, a friend from China shared in a WeChat group that this phrase was recently uttered in Singapore, where she has lived for 10 years. A few days... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3281719/how-best-respond-hatred-reason-and-kindness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3281719/how-best-respond-hatred-reason-and-kindness?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Oct 2024 08:30:08 +0000 On April 5, my husband and I welcomed our first child. The baby arrived one month early, weighing only 2.5kg, but was healthy and strong. The thrill was beyond words as I heard his first shrill cry, a sound that symbolised the beginning of my motherhood after a long, bittersweet journey.  Even as I was savouring the moment, I could not help thinking of the baby I lost in 2019 after 22 weeks of pregnancy. For a woman in her upper-30s like me, conceiving her was a blessing. I bought tiny clothes... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3131535/born-pandemic-lesson-love-patience-and-perseverance-new-mother?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3131535/born-pandemic-lesson-love-patience-and-perseverance-new-mother?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 May 2021 01:15:06 +0000 The shootings in Atlanta that left eight people dead, including six women of Asian descent, have saddened many people. The Asian-American community has experienced heightened vulnerability during the past year, with nearly 3,800 incidents of anti-Asian bias reported. In 2020, reports of hate crimes against Asian-Americans in 16 US cities jumped by nearly 150 per cent from the previous year. To phrase the nuanced sentiments as “Asian hate” can be misleading, though. This current wave of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3128861/atlanta-shootings-stopping-asian-hate-requires-getting-root-wests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3128861/atlanta-shootings-stopping-asian-hate-requires-getting-root-wests?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Apr 2021 03:00:08 +0000 Overworked and exhausted, Chinese doctors and nurses fighting the coronavirus epidemic face a daunting task, caring for an increasing number of patients while risking infection due to a shortage of protective gear. They avoid eating or drinking during their long shifts, and many wear diapers to minimise bathroom breaks so as to make the most of their precious masks, suits and goggles. For women, there is the additional issue of periods. Due to a drastic lack of sanitary products, often their... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3052524/how-chinas-coronavirus-health-care-workers-exposed-taboo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3052524/how-chinas-coronavirus-health-care-workers-exposed-taboo?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Feb 2020 01:02:26 +0000 On February 6, two Wuhan doctors who had separately warned of a looming viral outbreak – Zhang Jixian and Li Wenliang – made the news for very different reasons. Dr Zhang, the 54-year-old head of the respiratory department at a Hubei provincial hospital, had received an award for championing the fight against the novel coronavirus pneumonia, Xinhua reported that afternoon. “With extremely acute professional awareness, Zhang was the first person to make the diagnosis and insist on reporting the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3049910/coronavirus-crisis-how-death-li-wenliang-doctor-and-ordinary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3049910/coronavirus-crisis-how-death-li-wenliang-doctor-and-ordinary?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Feb 2020 01:00:10 +0000 It’s disheartening to see the “Morey incident” spiral downward in two parallel universes, both of which I am fond of. I’m talking about the incident involving Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, who set off an international firestorm this month when he tweeted a since-deleted image captioned “Fight For Freedom, Stand With Hong Kong”. Immediately, the Chinese Basketball Association, Chinese sponsors and a Chinese sports channel said they would cease cooperation with the Rockets. The... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3034357/polarising-perspectives-nba-and-hong-kong-protests-both-china-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3034357/polarising-perspectives-nba-and-hong-kong-protests-both-china-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Oct 2019 19:00:04 +0000 Late last month, Jiayang Fan, a Chinese-American journalist, was harassed and interrogated by some demonstrators after she spoke Mandarin while covering the anti-government protests in Hong Kong. Derogatory insults and accusations like “yellow thug” and “commie agent” were thrown at her. “My Chinese face is a liability,” she tweeted, “just got asked if I’m from the US and am a reporter why I have Chinese face.” On September 18, the 88th anniversary of the Japanese invasion of northeastern China,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/xenophobic-undercurrents-hong-kong-protests/article/3032492?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/xenophobic-undercurrents-hong-kong-protests/article/3032492?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Oct 2019 11:06:46 +0000 Late last month, Jiayang Fan, a Chinese-American journalist, was harassed and interrogated by some demonstrators after she spoke Mandarin while covering the anti-government protests in Hong Kong. Derogatory insults and accusations like “yellow thug” and “commie agent” were thrown at her. “My Chinese face is a liability,” she tweeted, “just got asked if I’m from the US and am a reporter why I have Chinese face”. On September 18, the 88th anniversary of the Japanese invasion of northeastern... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3032041/hong-kongs-hatred-mainlanders-feeds-xenophobic-undercurrents-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3032041/hong-kongs-hatred-mainlanders-feeds-xenophobic-undercurrents-its?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Oct 2019 01:00:14 +0000 On June 16, I shared on my social media feeds a clip of thousands of Hong Kong demonstrators moving aside in seconds to allow an ambulance to pass, amid a two-million-person march against a controversial bill that would allow the extradition of suspects to the mainland. “It’s like Moses parting the Red Sea, so moving,” I wrote. Many friends of mine who are originally from mainland China also expressed their admiration of the courageous protesters. These friends are well-educated, informed, and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3024547/how-hong-kong-protesters-are-turning-their-mainland-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3024547/how-hong-kong-protesters-are-turning-their-mainland-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Aug 2019 22:30:10 +0000 As someone who calls Guangzhou home, I have for years sympathized with Hong Kong protesters’ pursuit of freedom and democracy, and shared their frustration with the authorities’ encroachment on political freedom in the territory. Over the past few weeks, however, I have grown increasingly concerned about the apparent radicalization of the movement. Last week, a video of young demonstrators jostling and swearing at an elderly man who arrived at the airport went viral. There were conflicting... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-protesters-must-not-become-monsters-they-are-fighting/article/3020929?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-protesters-must-not-become-monsters-they-are-fighting/article/3020929?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Aug 2019 10:28:28 +0000 As someone who calls Guangzhou – the Cantonese-speaking mainland city neighbouring Hong Kong – home, I have for years sympathised with Hong Kong protesters’ pursuit of freedom and democracy, and shared their frustration with the authorities’ encroachment on political freedom in the territory. Over the past few weeks, however, I have grown increasingly concerned about the apparent radicalisation of the movement. Last week, a video of young demonstrators jostling and swearing at an elderly man who... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3020794/hong-kong-protesters-must-not-become-monsters-they-are-fighting-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3020794/hong-kong-protesters-must-not-become-monsters-they-are-fighting-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Aug 2019 01:00:14 +0000 As someone who calls Guangzhou — the Cantonese-speaking city neighbouring Hong Kong — home, it is heart-wrenching to witness the deterioration, bit by bit, of the relationship between the two sides over the past decade. The result is that cultural, emotional and information gaps have widened significantly. These divides have reached new levels over the past few weeks as millions of demonstrators marched through the streets of Hong Kong to express strong opposition to an unpopular extradition... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3016214/divergent-values-its-increasingly-difficult-hongkongers-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3016214/divergent-values-its-increasingly-difficult-hongkongers-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Jun 2019 23:00:10 +0000 “Those more outstanding than you also work harder.” This is a trendy aspirational phrase in China in the digital era, meant to remind people who do not come from well-to-do families that the only way they can catch up is by working hard. Had the Stanford University admissions scandal involving, among others, sophomore Zhao “Molly” Yusi not made headlines, she would still be looked up to as living testimony of how diligence alone pays off in the end. But last week, the fairy tale unraveled. It... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/us-college-admissions-bribery-scandal-cautionary-tale-crazy-rich-chinese/article/3009486?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/us-college-admissions-bribery-scandal-cautionary-tale-crazy-rich-chinese/article/3009486?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 May 2019 09:24:59 +0000 “Those more outstanding than you also work harder.” This is a trendy aspirational phrase in China in the digital era, meant to remind people who do not come from well-to-do families that the only way they can catch up is by working hard. Had the Stanford University admissions scandal involving, among others, sophomore Zhao Yusi not made headlines, she would still be looked up to as living testimony of how diligence alone pays off in the end.  But last week, the fairy tale unravelled. It turned... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/3009203/stanford-admissions-scandal-cautionary-tale-crazy-rich?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/3009203/stanford-admissions-scandal-cautionary-tale-crazy-rich?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 May 2019 19:00:13 +0000 For those paying attention to China’s social media, it’s hard not to notice that the accusation of “insulting China” has been increasingly common in recent years. In the latest case, a new cosmetics advertisement for the Spanish fashion house Zara featuring a Chinese model has stirred up debate on the topic of “uglifying China.” Since the ad “Beauty is Here” was released on China’s Twitter-like Weibo last week, a number of angry Chinese internet users have accused the company of defaming China... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/audrey-jiajia-li-chinas-freckle-controversy-proves-it-needs-be-more-confident-and-inclusive/article/3000966?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/audrey-jiajia-li-chinas-freckle-controversy-proves-it-needs-be-more-confident-and-inclusive/article/3000966?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Feb 2019 09:44:50 +0000 For those paying attention to China’s social media, it’s hard not to notice that the accusation of “insulting China” has been quite common in recent years. Often, it doesn’t even have anything to do with politically sensitive events or content.  In the latest case, a new cosmetics advertisement for the Spanish fashion house Zara featuring a Chinese model has stirred up debate on the topic of “uglifying China”. Since the ad “Beauty is Here” was released on Sina Weibo last week, a number of angry... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2187153/whos-making-china-look-ugly-now-anger-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2187153/whos-making-china-look-ugly-now-anger-over?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Feb 2019 19:02:46 +0000 I didn’t rush to the cinema when The Wandering Earth, hailed as China’s first big-budget science fiction thriller, premiered during the Lunar New Year holiday. As it stars actor Wu Jing, I had seen quite a few comments putting it in the same category as the nationalistic The Wolf Warrior, in which Wu played a superhero who violently battled Western villains.  When I finally watched the film during the second weekend in February, it was already dominating Chinese social media, its daily gross... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/asia/article/2186129/chinas-blockbuster-wandering-earth-has-message?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/asia/article/2186129/chinas-blockbuster-wandering-earth-has-message?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Feb 2019 17:00:30 +0000 The Lunar New Year is around the corner. For many 30-something women like myself and my girlfriends, the thought of the upcoming reunions inspires a mix of excitement and anxiety. While we look forward to catching up with relatives and friends, many of us dread the annual ritual of being grilled with questions such as, “Are you still single?”, “How much does your boyfriend make?”, “When are you going to get married / have a baby?” and “Why don’t you have another baby, now that the one-child... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2184489/lunar-new-year-lets-have-fewer-questions-about?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2184489/lunar-new-year-lets-have-fewer-questions-about?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Feb 2019 07:30:30 +0000 When the renowned American political scientist Francis Fukuyama argued that liberal democracy rather than communism constituted the Hegelian-Marxist “end of history” in 1989, it was right at the beginning of the end of the cold war. Although the Tiananmen pro-democracy protests and subsequent government crackdown happened around the same time, Fukuyama still believed China, with its economic and political reforms, was heading towards the direction of a liberal order. But nearly 30 years have... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2175373/francis-fukuyama-china-us-relations-will-get?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2175373/francis-fukuyama-china-us-relations-will-get?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Nov 2018 19:00:15 +0000 While a TV reporter in China, I was selected as a finalist for the China News Award, the highest national journalism prize, two years in a row. The first time, I actually won. However, the award and finalist status were both retracted due to what authorities deemed “negative impact”, meaning my work was at odds with the “correct guidance of public opinion”. I eventually realised I would never make a good journalist by official standards, let alone win a prize.  In February 2016, when I read that... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/world/article/2167824/what-makes-good-journalist-china-someone-willing-go?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/world/article/2167824/what-makes-good-journalist-china-someone-willing-go?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Oct 2018 17:01:52 +0000 I have spent the past three years travelling between China, Singapore and the United States. So, when the American blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians premiered, I rushed to the cinema in its opening week. The movie is based on the novel of the same title by Singaporean-American writer Kevin Kwan, with its picturesque settings shot in Singapore. What’s more, the film has an all-Asian cast. It has been a long wait – a quarter of a century since The Joy Luck Club in 1993 – for a Hollywood film with an... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2161470/crazy-rich-asians-poster-child-diversity-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2161470/crazy-rich-asians-poster-child-diversity-its?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Aug 2018 18:00:45 +0000 When I received an invitation from the East–West Center to co-host a panel discussion during its International Media Conference last month in Singapore, on the current status of press freedom in China, I expected some confrontation from the audience. But I was certainly not prepared for what actually took place at the event. As the panel concluded, a woman in the audience, without raising her hand to request permission from the moderator to speak, started to shout at me: “What’s your... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/audrey-jiajia-li-chinese-are-increasingly-unwilling-speak-their-minds-overseas/article/2154032?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/audrey-jiajia-li-chinese-are-increasingly-unwilling-speak-their-minds-overseas/article/2154032?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jul 2018 09:00:15 +0000 When I received an invitation from the East-West Centre to co-host a panel discussion during its International Media Conference last month in Singapore, on the current status of press freedom in China, I expected some confrontation from the audience. But I was certainly not prepared for what actually took place at the event.  As the panel concluded, a woman in the audience, without raising her hand to request permission from the moderator to speak, started to shout at me: “What’s your... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/china/article/2153771/singapore-us-overseas-chinese-are-increasingly-fearful?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/china/article/2153771/singapore-us-overseas-chinese-are-increasingly-fearful?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jul 2018 18:00:30 +0000 When I covered the “two sessions” – the annual meetings of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference – for the first time as a local television journalist nearly 10 years ago, I didn’t realise how much media freedom, by Chinese standards, reporters enjoyed at the time. I was called on several times to ask high-ranking central government officials questions. When I raised a tough question about Pearl River pollution to the environmental protection... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2137170/chinese-social-media-storm-over-reporters-eye-roll?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2137170/chinese-social-media-storm-over-reporters-eye-roll?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Mar 2018 04:10:13 +0000 For many Chinese, watching the state broadcaster China Central Television’s annual Spring Festival Gala, allegedly the most-viewed show on Earth, has been a Lunar New Year’s Eve ritual since the early 1980s. Enthusiastically promoted by the nation’s top leadership, this yearly event is considered a mirror reflecting the ever-changing modern Chinese society. While feedback on the show is a mixed bag every year and has mainly come from its domestic audience, a comic skit this year raised many... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2133905/blackface-skit-tv-gala-sign-rising-china-needs-combat-racial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2133905/blackface-skit-tv-gala-sign-rising-china-needs-combat-racial?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Feb 2018 09:00:15 +0000 In late 2015, I was invited to join a WeChat group of Chinese intellectuals. Before long, I was asked to lead the group. Soon, though, I found myself in a rather awkward situation, when a male member began posting salacious material daily, including topless men and women kissing, touching each other or having sex. At first, nobody said anything but when several members, including myself, expressed disapproval, a furious debate erupted. A male member argued there should be a vote on whether such... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2127420/metoo-movement-china-starts-letting-women-say-no-offensive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2127420/metoo-movement-china-starts-letting-women-say-no-offensive?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jan 2018 04:24:09 +0000 The popular Chinese comedian Guo Degang tells this joke: a millionaire once claimed that while he couldn’t care for all the poor in the world, he would never turn a blind eye to people suffering from poverty in his neighbourhood. Later, he evicted them all from his neighbourhood and, sure enough, there have been no poor people there ever since. In her 2012 science fiction story Folding Beijing, Chinese writer Hao Jingfang imagined a future Beijing divided into three spaces, where residents of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2121930/beijings-cruel-eviction-its-migrant-workers-stain-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2121930/beijings-cruel-eviction-its-migrant-workers-stain-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Nov 2017 09:48:42 +0000 China’s ruling Communist Party unveiled its new top leadership at the 19th National Congress: seven men in their 60s, stiffly lining up to the world’s attention. Not surprisingly, no women. And, in the 25-person Politburo, there is only one. In the party’s near-100-year history, a woman has never made to the powerful Politburo Standing Committee. Also last month, the Harvey Weinstein scandal in Hollywood brought sexual harassment to the fore and sparked a global online follow-up movement, as... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2119281/china-model-gender-equality-reality-would-say-otherwise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2119281/china-model-gender-equality-reality-would-say-otherwise?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Nov 2017 02:15:30 +0000 “Why have our schools failed to produce world-class geniuses?” This was the famous question Dr Qian Xuesen asked in 2005 when then premier Wen Jiabao visited him. Dr Qian was a prominent Chinese scientist who studied and worked at MIT/Caltech in the US in the 1930s and subsequently returned to China to help lead its ­nuclear and space programmes. Just over a week ago, the Cambridge University Press (CUP) took down over 300 academic articles from a China Quarterly website, at the request of the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2108246/communist-party-censors-ban-all-criticism-chinas-classrooms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2108246/communist-party-censors-ban-all-criticism-chinas-classrooms?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Aug 2017 05:26:50 +0000 Chinese tycoon Wang Jianlin, chairman of Dalian Wanda, has sold off 70 billion yuan’s (HK$81 billion) worth of assets since the real estate and entertainment conglomerate’s loan records came under strict scrutiny from China’s banking regulator. Among the properties sold, a yet-to-be-completed massive film studio complex in the port city of Qingdao (青島) was let go cheaply. Just four years ago, Wang had announced his plans for a “Hollywood of the East” at a red-carpet event attended by Hollywood... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2105803/money-alone-cant-build-china-thriving-movie-industry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2105803/money-alone-cant-build-china-thriving-movie-industry?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Aug 2017 09:22:13 +0000 The sad end to Liu Xiaobo’s ( 劉曉波 ) ordeal battling liver cancer is as much a tragedy for his family and friends, as for fellow Chinese inspired by his vision. His life has ended, but his legacy shall live on and be cherished by those who shared his vision for democracy, liberty, the rule of law and an end to ­censorship. A gentle yet courageous intellectual, Liu left his mark in history through his roles in several major events, and through his deep conviction in the power of non-violence in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2102630/i-have-no-enemies-why-liu-xiaobos-passing-sad-story-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2102630/i-have-no-enemies-why-liu-xiaobos-passing-sad-story-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Jul 2017 09:36:05 +0000 Whenever a Chinese student gives a commencement speech at a major US college, it tends to draw tremendous interest back home, for the gratification of national pride it offers or simply as excellent English-learning material. Unfortunately for Yang Shuping of the University of Maryland, the graduation speech she delivered, drawing a parallel between the air pollution in China and the country’s ­restrictions on free speech, ­became a nightmare for her. Recalling her delightful first ­impression... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2096217/how-china-can-gain-clearing-air-over-freedom-speech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2096217/how-china-can-gain-clearing-air-over-freedom-speech?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 May 2017 09:43:22 +0000 Over the past few days, a two-year prison sentence handed down to seven Hong Kong police officers has become a hot topic on mainland social media platforms. Netizens’ opinions are wildly polarised. Many supporters of these officers found the jail term too harsh, while others hailed it as a victory for the rule of law. On October 15, 2014, the 17th day of the Occupy Central civil disobedience movement, a protester, Ken Tsang Kin-chiu, was arrested along with a few others; he then got knocked to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2073290/hong-kongs-firm-grip-law-occupy-police-assault-case-valuable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2073290/hong-kongs-firm-grip-law-occupy-police-assault-case-valuable?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Feb 2017 02:56:21 +0000 The US presidential election attracted unprecedented attention in China, with both the government and the public favouring Donald Trump to a great extent. To the West, this popularity seemed intriguing, especially since Trump blamed China for many of America’s problems. But the Chinese government’s preference for the unconventional Republican was a no-brainer, as he appeared to share many of the values they hold dear. As a pragmatic businessman, Trump appeared to care little about traditional... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2063110/why-chinas-trump-fever-has-cooled-so-quickly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2063110/why-chinas-trump-fever-has-cooled-so-quickly?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Jan 2017 06:15:15 +0000 Since the Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平) era, Singapore has been the only country admired by all four generations of China’s leadership. Recently, however, friction between the two countries over the South China Sea and the seizure of Singapore’s armoured vehicles in Hong Kong has led people to wonder whether the “Singapore model” remains relevant to China. Singapore, despite its small size, is known for miraculous economic modernisation, efficient and nearly corrupt-free governance, good urban planning... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2054140/singapore-still-model-authoritarian-state-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2054140/singapore-still-model-authoritarian-state-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Dec 2016 09:23:00 +0000