This story for the New York Times reports on the millions of Chinese homeowners who are waking up to the fact that they have no land rights. They own their apartments but not the land underneath – all land in China belongs to the government. So what does that mean for family wealth over the…
China’s last wild river
Photojournalist Adam Dean and I collaborated on this story for National Geographic about the crusade to save China’s last un-dammed river. For years, Yunnan Province has planned to build hydroelectric projects on the Nu River – which tumbles down from the Tibetan plateau on its way to Myanmar. Our story foreshadowed a government decision, announced…
A North Korean defector
In 1997, Hyeonseo Lee used China as an escape route to flee from North Korea’s executioners. She did it again in 2009 to help her mother and brother escape and find asylum in South Korea. Yet she keeps returning to China – most recently, to tell her story in Beijing.
Human rights
China’s refusal to tolerate dissent at home has split families apart, creating exiles who continue to fight for free speech from afar. The saga of Bao Tong and his son, Bao Pu, is one of these stories. Bao Tong once served as the right-hand man for China’s leader, Zhao Ziyang. Both were purged when the…
Commentary
Donald Trump’s candidacy plays into the hands of China’s propaganda apparatus, which seeks to portray the United States as bigoted and unstable. Already there are subtle signs China’s leaders are rooting for Trump to win. Possibly they’d prefer the flacid flexibility of Trump to the rigidity of Hillary Clinton, who has been outspoken in criticizing…
Corruption
China’s Communist Party sees internal corruption as one of the biggest threats to continued rule. While it has been selectively cracking down on graft, victims of past corruption often cannot get redress. Some who insist upon it are punished. Here are some of my stories on the dark (and light) side of the crackdown: McClatchy,…
Hong Kong
In 2014, I covered the buildup to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy street occupations, and the tumultuous clashes with police and thugs that followed. Here’s a selection of spot news, enterprise and continuing coverage from the dozens of stories I filed. 2016 Christian Science Monitor, January 26, Publisher warns of China’s campaign to ‘wipe out’ free speech…
Travel stories
A bike trip through the rice terraces and ancient villages of Guizhou, in southern China. A road trip across the steppes and stunning scenery of Mongolia. Delighting in unexpected hospitality, hiking and 好吃 food in Beitou, a historic spa district on the edge of Taipei. These are some of my travel stories from 2015. 2015 McClatchy,…
Smoke, mirrors and sustainability
China’s air pollution crisis is nowhere close to being solved. Yet water – the lack of clean, plentiful supplies – may be a bigger threat to the country’s economy. And pollution issues of all kinds are an increasing source of social unrest, posing another challenge for the Communist Party and its hold on power. 2015…
Chinese culture
Mao’s Cultural Revolution crippled the ancient arts in China, but it did not kill them. From kite making to martial arts to traditional Uighur music, artists are enriching the legacies of their elders. Below, some stories and videos of people trying to carry on those inheritances amid the convulsions of modern China. 2005 Miami Herald, February…
Xinjiang
China claims to be a “big family” of peoples. Xinjiang, in far western China, is a test of that bond. The family is not faring well. Xinjiang has been home to repeated outbreaks of violence, pitting Muslim Uighurs against police and Han Chinese. Reporting from this region is not easy. I was stopped and detained…
Recent works
Since the start of 2016, I’ve written dozens of stories about China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Korean peninsula for various publications. Below are works published by the Christian Science Monitor, The Guardian, The New York Times, National Geographic, NPR, The Sacramento Bee and other outlets. To view previous stories for McClatchy in 2015 and…
Stuart Leavenworth 