Writing
Journalism from Shenzhen — features, investigations, breaking news, street portraits, and the occasional column nobody asked for. Published in Shenzhen Daily and That's Magazines between 2015–2018. This is a selection — there's more than what's collected here.
Award · Shenzhen Press Group · 深圳报业集团
Excellence in Journalism (优秀新闻奖) — for breaking coverage of a massive police raid, reporting for Shenzhen Daily
Features & investigations
Investigation
Under Fire: How Easy Is It to Get a Gun in China?
The grey zones and black markets that supply China's gun buyers — reported from the seller side.
Ran in print. Never made it online — the censors saw to that. The PDF is the whole story.
Print only
Magazine PDF ↗Censored — print only
Cover story
The Hukou's Human Cost
How the household-registration system traps millions — opening with the suicide note of four left-behind children.
That's Magazines
Tech
China Bets Big on Troubled Tech
Inside the government-backed VR boom — and why it kept falling short.
Filed it as “troubled tech.” The timing turned out alright.
That's Magazines
City feature
Dama Drama: Why Do People Hate China's Dancing Grandmas?
The first generation of lonely mothers in China's history — and the neighbors at war with their loudspeakers.
That's Magazines
Business
Made in China: The Fidget Fad's Cash then Crash
The full arc of a toy trend, reported from the Huaqiang North kiosks that rode it up and down.
That's Magazines
Arts
Shenzhen Gets an Art Infusion
Graffiti artist Ceet Fouad, 400 corporate clients, and a factory town learning to buy canvases.
That's Magazines
That's Magazines
Feature
White Collar Fighters Talk Trash, Sweat Profusely in Shenzhen
Office workers throw punches at charity fight night — and take it way too seriously.
That's Magazines
City life
Where to Learn Public Speaking and Maybe Find Love
Toastmasters in Shenzhen — part self-improvement club, part unlikely dating scene.
That's Magazines
Investigation
Last Drop: The Shenzhen Expat Who Drank Himself to Death
A portrait of a man, a city, and the limits of reinvention abroad.
That's Magazines
News reporting
Investigation
Shady Business: Foreigners Stuck in the Visa Trap
The grey market that supplies visas to foreigners working illegally in Shenzhen.
2015-05-08
Shenzhen Daily
Feature
From Hobby to Career for Expat Musicians in City
Expat musicians turning side gigs into full-time careers in Shenzhen.
Photos also by Sky Gidge.
2015-06-04
Shenzhen Daily
News
Rideshare App Promotion Sees 110,000 Riders
A ride-hailing promotion floods the city with over a hundred thousand riders in a single push.
Co-byline with Han Ximin.
2015-07-23
Shenzhen Daily
Business
SZ-Based Firm Helps Launch Dozens of Startups
A Shenzhen incubator's track record of launching companies.
2015-08-21
Shenzhen Daily
Investigation
The Other Job Requirement: Be White
Racial discrimination in China's English teaching industry — where being a native speaker matters less than looking the part.
2015-08-31
Shenzhen Daily
Business
SZ Startup to Head to US for Investors
A Shenzhen tech startup sets its sights on American venture capital.
2015-09-07
Shenzhen Daily
Profile
Fresh Grad in SZ to Unlock Dream
A recent graduate bets on Shenzhen's promise of reinvention.
Co-byline with Sarb Singh.
2015-09-28
Shenzhen Daily
Profile
The Man Behind the Makers
A profile of Duncan Turner, managing director of HAX — one of the world's most active hardware accelerators, run out of Huaqiangbei in Shenzhen.
2015-11-06
Shenzhen Daily
News
Americans in Shenzhen React to Worldwide Travel Alert
American expats in Shenzhen respond to a global travel advisory.
2015-11-25
Shenzhen Daily
Breaking news
Two Foreigners Confirmed Dead in Futian
Two foreign nationals found dead in Shenzhen's Futian district.
Co-byline with Zhang Qian.
2015-12-04
Shenzhen Daily
Feature
Expat's Video Featured
An expat's video captures Shenzhen life and draws a wider audience.
2016-01-14
Shenzhen Daily
News
Laws Around Car-Hailing App Accidents Unclear
Ride-hailing accidents raise questions about liability in a regulatory grey zone.
Co-byline with Zhang Qian.
2016-01-15
Shenzhen Daily
Profile
Brazilian Runs Shenzhen Beauty Salons
A Brazilian entrepreneur builds a beauty business in south China.
2016-02-18
Shenzhen Daily
Breaking news
Hundreds Held in Police Raids, Tested for Drugs
Breaking coverage of a massive police operation sweeping Shenzhen's entertainment district — the story behind the Excellence in Journalism Award.
Won the Excellence in Journalism Award. Quoted by international press, including The Guardian.
2016-02-22
Shenzhen Daily
Business
Entrepreneur Launches Events App
A startup founder bets on a local events app for Shenzhen.
2016-02-23
Shenzhen Daily
Man on the street
Man on the street
The Street-Side Phone Seller
A day in the shadow economy with one of Shenzhen's informal mobile traders.
That's Magazines
Man on the street
Clippings and Colors: Roadside Manicurists
The street-side nail girls are so chatty the interview goes better if you don't ask questions.
That's Magazines
Man on the street
At the Ready: Residence Bao'an
Twelve-hour shifts, two free meals a day, and a grin with no top teeth — the man guarding the gate.
That's Magazines
Man on the street
Going Places: The Professional Mover
‘How's business?’ finally cracks them open — the men who move Shenzhen's renters for less than the companies do.
That's Magazines
Man on the street
Men of the Street: Construction Workers
The shock troops of the China miracle — Henan migrants sleeping six to a prefab, retiling the city ahead of everyone else.
That's Magazines
Inspect a Gadget
That's Magazines
That's Magazines
That's Magazines
Inspect a Gadget
Bluetooth Glove Phone
A glove. That is also a phone. From the future, or possibly 2007.
That's Magazines
That's Magazines
Inspect a Gadget
200 RMB Camera Drone
A drone for the price of dinner. Flies about as well as you'd expect.
That's Magazines
That's Magazines
That's Magazines
That's Magazines
That's Magazines
That's Magazines
Sino-Celeb
That's Magazines
That's Magazines
That's Magazines
Daytripper
Daytripper
Dafen Oil Painting Village
The village that hand-copies the world's masterpieces — and is trying to paint its own.
That's Magazines
That's Magazines
Daytripper
Shasi Village
A remote village with ancient temples where they still speak a Cantonese dialect — a world away from Shenzhen.
That's Magazines
That's Magazines
The funny ones
Humor
Gotta Smoke? What Your Cigs Say About You
Five famous Chinese cigarette brands and what smoking them says about you.
That's Magazines
That's Magazines
Humor
Bang for Your Buck: Cheap Dates
Romance on a budget in the world's hardware capital.
One of the most-read things I wrote. Also the most fun to write — the two are probably related.
That's Magazines
More
Interview
Take 5: YouTube Vlogger Winston Sterzel
Five questions with SerpentZA — the South African who made a career filming Shenzhen.
That's Magazines
Interview
Take 5: John Graham on White Collar Fight Night
The man who got Shenzhen's office workers into the ring.
That's Magazines
That's Magazines
That's Magazines
WATCH
How to Make Five-Spice Fish with Chinese Ingredients
Cooking with what's actually on the shelves.
That's Magazines
Arts preview
Music and Movie: The Tomorrow Festival
Five days of the most experimental music Shenzhen has ever heard, previewed.
That's Magazines