the new new world
Is Xenophobia on Chinese Social Media Teaching Real-World Hate?
Violent attacks on foreigners have prompted a debate about extreme nationalism online in a country that heavily censors information the government bans.
By Li Yuan
Li Yuan
I’m a journalist for The New York Times writing The New New World column, which focuses on China’s growing influence on the world by examining its businesses, politics and society. I’m based in New York City.
What I Cover
I cover China’s domestic politics, its economic ups-and-downs and its relations with the rest of the world — and how it all affects the lives of its 1.4 billion citizens. My column is deeply reported and aims to provide perspectives that can help the world better understand the country and its people.
My Background
As a Chinese national, I’ve covered the country for more than two decades. I have written about China’s censorship system, its rise as a technology power, its rivalry with the United States, its #MeToo movement, its draconian “zero-Covid” policy and its slowing economic growth.
Before joining The Times in 2018, I worked at The Wall Street Journal for 14 years in New York, Beijing and Hong Kong. I edited the Journal’s Chinese website for seven years before it was blocked by the Chinese government, which contributed to my deep interest in China’s censorship system.
I also host a weekly Chinese podcast, “Conversations with Yuan Li.” Every week I speak to top academics, economists, writers, artists in the Chinese-speaking world and ordinary Chinese who want to share their stories and perspectives free of censorship.
I grew up in China’s northwestern Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and studied both in China and the United States. I worked for the official Xinhua News Agency in Beijing, Bangkok and Kabul, Afghanistan, as an editor and a foreign correspondent.
Journalistic Ethics
As a Times journalist, I share the values and adhere to the standards of integrity outlined in our Ethical Journalism Handbook. I want all of my work to be accurate and fair. I protect my sources. I do not accept gifts, money or favors from anyone who might figure into my reporting. I do not participate in politics, nor do I make political donations. I make every effort to understand issues from multiple angles. When I am working, I always identify myself as a columnist for The Times.
Contact Me
Email: li.yuan@nytimes.com
X: @liyuan6
Latest
the new new worldAs China’s Internet Disappears, ‘We Lose Parts of Our Collective Memory’
The number of Chinese websites is shrinking and posts are being removed and censored, stoking fears about what happens when history is erased.
By Li Yuan
the new new worldChinese Firms Face Authoritarianism at Home and Hostility Abroad
The experience of TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, in Beijing and Washington shows how much the ground has shifted for China’s entrepreneurs.
By Li Yuan
the new new worldWhat Chinese Outrage Over ‘3 Body Problem’ Says About China
The Netflix series showcases one of the country’s most successful works of culture. Instead of demonstrating pride, social media is condemning it.
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the new new worldFilmmaker Draws Censors’ Wrath: ‘A Price I Have to Accept’
Wang Xiaoshuai is among the few Chinese artists who refuse to bend to state limitations on the subjects they explore.
By Li Yuan
the new new worldA Window Into Chinese Government Has Now Slammed Shut
Once a year, the premier held a news conference, explaining the economy and giving Chinese a taste of political participation. That has come to an end.
By Li Yuan
the new new worldChina Has Thousands of Navalnys, Hidden From the Public
China has no dissident with the kind of public profile that Aleksei A. Navalny had. The government has many critics, but they all disappear from view.
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the new new worldÉmigrés Are Creating an Alternative China, One Bookstore at a Time
From Thailand to America, Chinese denied a safe public space for discussion in their home country have found hope in diaspora communities.
By Li Yuan
How China Broke One Man’s Dreams
Gao Zhibin is among the thousands of migrants disillusioned with their home country who have risked the perilous crossing into the United States.
By Michael Barbaro, Li Yuan, Stella Tan, Shannon Lin, Jessica Cheung, M.J. Davis Lin, Michael Benoist, Paige Cowett, Marion Lozano, Rowan Niemisto, Dan Powell and Chris Wood
the new new worldWhat a Viral Post on Giraffes Says About China’s Fed-Up Investors
As their losses pile up, Chinese investors are losing confidence not only in the stock market but in the government’s ability to turn the economy around.
By Li Yuan
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