Reporting on trends
& China’s young people.
I cover social changes and trends in China, with a particular focus on the younger generation.
Available for assignments
Why Sally Rooney’s fiction resonates with young Chinese readers.
Read at The Economist (opens in a new tab)
The cultural revival of China’s north-east and the appeal of stories from its industrial heartland.
Read at The Economist (opens in a new tab)Music festivals and the business of drawing crowds to China’s smaller towns.
Read at The Economist (opens in a new tab)The growing popularity of women in China’s rock scene.
Read at The Economist (opens in a new tab)How internet fame, visiting crowds, and rising rents are reshaping daily life in Shanghai’s former French Concession.
Read at The World of Chinese (opens in a new tab)A look at We Were Smart, the documentary exploring shamate, young migrant workers and the search for belonging across China’s urban-rural divide.
Read at RADII (opens in a new tab)How QR-code ordering is changing dining in China, raising questions about privacy, customer service and access for older diners.
Read at The China Project (opens in a new tab)Chinese feminist films
A feature story I’m currently working on.
About my work.
I’m a Shanghai-based writer and journalist covering social changes and trends in China, with a particular focus on the younger generation.
I’m interested in how people’s everyday choices reveal wider shifts in society: the books they read, the films they watch, the communities they build, the places they visit, and their changing expectations of work.
Previously, I worked in The Economist’s Beijing bureau and as a staff writer at RADII. My reporting explores the connections between politics, economics, society and culture.
I hold a master’s degree in public policy from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.
Available for editorial commissions, reporting projects and writing collaborations.
siyuanmeng9@gmail.com Connect on LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)