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My Background
I didn’t set out to be a writer, certainly not one who writes in English. I wanted to be a scientist instead. Of course, that’s what I always wanted to be. Ever since I was little, I have been told that I have an inquisitive mind and ask good questions. “Surely signs of a to-be scientist,” they would say. With a mother in medical profession and a father in bioethics and philosophy of science, it had never occurred to me that there was anything else I would have liked to do but to be a scientist.
So I went ahead and abroad. At the age of 18, I left Beijing for the University of Essex, England, to study biology—with a great sense of adventure but hardly any English. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and went on to do a Ph.D at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in Glasgow, Scotland. While discovering the European culture and enjoying the enchanting Scottish landscape and amiable hospitality of the people, the seed of doubts was sowed during this period of time.
But I did not take it seriously until having spent six years as a postdoctoral research fellow in neuroscience—first at the City University of New York and then at King’s College London. That was my first mid-life crisis. I knew I couldn’t go on. But I had no idea what else I could or would like to do. I had never thought of any other career alternatives. Then one day, I came across a story of a prisoner-turned prison correspondent and my life was changed forever.
A habitual thief, Eric Allison had spent most of his life behind bars. He had not work for 40 years and suddenly, at the age of 60, started a new career as the first prison correspondent of the Guardian newspaper. Over the years and during his countless trips in and out of detention, Allison had become an activist advocating for prison conditions and campaigning issues on racism and abuse in prison. After writing endless petitions and campaign leaflets, he realised that he got a similar buzz from writing as he did from stealing. I almost cried out: “That’s me! That’s exactly how I feel!” Well, not the buzz from stealing, of course. But the buzz from writing and the astonishing things one can do with words.
So that was the beginning of my love affair with writing. To get an idea of the basics of the industry, I did an evening class in freelance journalism. Tim Radford at the Guardian and Mark Henderson at the Times kindly took me on and offered me the wonderful opportunity to see journalism in action—utterly intimidating but infinitely exhilarating. I started pitching stories and writing for the BioMedNet, Economist, Irish Times and Nature—as a hobby—while I was a research scientist at King’s College London and then an associate editor at Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
It soon became clear that writing is a calling I could not resist and that I need the freedom to explore my interest and potential as a writer—not only as a science writer but as a writer and commentator who may be able to bridge the gap between China and the rest of the world to some extent. China is going through an interesting period of development. There isn’t a single day passed without reports about China in the world media. But to most non-Chinese, China remains a gigantic enigma. As a result of this lack of understanding, many reports about China are superficial and simplistic. I aim to present China to the world in more realistic terms.
In my spare time, I enjoy reading, watching plays, seeing art exhibitions, walking along the river Thames and wandering around the Summer Palace. I have recently taken on photography, so I could tell stories about China not only in words but through pictures.
Past and present clients:
Economist
Nature
New Scientist
Lancet Neurology
Lancet Oncology
Chemistry World (UK)
China Daily
BBC News website
Guardian
Irish Times
Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
Diagnostic Imaging Europe
Science Museum's Dana Centre (UK)
British Neuroscience Association
Journal of Experimental Biology
BioMedNet
Portfolio:
2007
Butterflies of the soul, British Neuroscience Association News Bulletin, spring 2007
Debates on translational research: a balancing act, Lancet Neurology, March 2007
Neuroeconomics: The triumph of unreason? Economist, 11 January 2007
Interview: The blue revolutionary, New Scientist, 6 January 2007
Opinion: Laws are not enough for environmental miracle, China Daily, 4 January 2007. Read the article on my website
2006
Animal research: Mighty mouse, News Feature, Nature, 14 December, 2006
Stem cells: An appointment with chance, Economist, 30 November 2006.
Read the article on my website
Cell biology of the neuron: Shootin1 for the axon, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, December 2006
Synaptic physiology: Making connections through MeCP2, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, December 2006
Infant pain: Does it hurt? News Feature, Nature, 9 November, 2006. Read the article on my website
Psychiatric disorders: Depression gene in action, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, November 2006
Epigenetics: Learning without learning, Economist, 21 September 2006 Read the article on my website
Is the end in sight for Sony’s laser blues? Guardian, 14 September 2006
Shedding light on the world, BBC News website, 8 September 2006 Read the article on my website
Top prize for ‘light’ inventor, BBC News website, 8 September 2006
Radiology: Your bosom buddy, Economist, 10 August 2006
Phantom limb and chronic pain: A hall of mirrors, Economist, 20 July 2006 Read the article on my website
Open access: One size does not fit all, British Neuroscience Association News Bulletin, summer 2006
Epigenome: Unfinished symphony, News Feature, Nature, 11 May 2006 Read the article on my website
Neurobiology: Garlic sensation, Research Highlights, Nature, 30 March 2006
Cancer: Deadly decisions, Research Highlights, Nature, 23 March 2006
Neurobiology: Astrocytes’ starring role, Research Highlights, Nature, 23 March 2006
Neurobiology: Some nerve, Research Highlights, Nature, 2 February 2006
Battle of the wills, British Neuroscience Association News Bulletin, spring 2006
2005
The human epigenome: Life story, the sequel, Economist, 20 December 2005
Regeneration: A new stop signal, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, December 2005
Neurogenetics: Fear not, Economist, 24 November 2005.
Ornithology: Flight of navigators, News Feature, Nature, 6 October 2005. Read the article on my website
Animal behaviour: Chicken little, Research Highlights, Nature, 1 September 2005
Neuroscience: Underlying Alzheimer’s, Research Highlights, Nature, 25 August 2005
Fish sing, fish hear, Journal of Experimental Biology, 15 August 2005
Treating depression: 50 years on, and still no progress? British Neuroscience Association News Bulletin, spring 2005
The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, the Science Museum’s Dana Centre, 13 January 2005
2004
Printer forensics: Band aid, Economist, 28 October 2004.
Read the article on my website
Aquaculture: The fishing fields, Economist, 9–15 October 2004
Craving food: it’s all in the brain, Science Museum’s Dana Centre, 22 September 2004
Playing the gene game, the Science Museum’s Dana Centre, 9 September 2004
The sweet challenge, Journal of Experimental Biology, 1 September 2004
Spine injuries may benefit from depression drug, Irish Times, 26 August 2004
Why divers have diminutive wings? Journal of Experimental Biology, 1 August 2004
To be or not to be…, British Neuroscience Association News Bulletin, summer 2004
The green toy land at Dana, the Science Museum’s Dana Centre, 22 July 2004
In search of our inner savant, the Science Museum’s Dana Centre, 24 June 2004
Science and comedy: an unlikely marriage made in heaven? the Science Museum’s Dana Centre, 8 June 2004
Nanomedicine: A bunch of rosettes, Economist, 3 June 2004
Material science: Light, and magic, Economist, 20 May 2004
Marathon: a battle of body and mind, the Science Museum’s Dana Centre, 15 April 2004
Multiple Sclerosis: Weapons of sheath destruction, Economist, 11 March 2004
Fear and loathing in the unconscious, Irish Times, 4 March 2004. Read the article on my website
Improve or impair: a bedtime story, News & Feature, BioMedNet, 19 February 2004
2003
Prion proteins: A new twist in the tale, Economist, 30 December 2003
Emotion and memory: Thanks for no memory, Economist, 13 November 2003. Read the article on my website
Therapeutic cloning in Parkinsonian mice, Research Update, BioMedNet, 30 October 2003
Untangling the genetics of dyslexia, News & Feature, BioMedNet, 29 October 2003
When seeing is not believing, News & Feature, BioMedNet, 27 October 2003
Semaphorin and integrin interaction in angiogenesis, Research Update, BioMedNet, 1 September 2003
Semaphorin and integrin in promoting axon growth, Research Update, BioMedNet, 28 August 2003
A novel signaling receptor for GDNF, Research Update, BioMedNet, 31 July 2003
Radial glia and CNS development, Research Update, BioMedNet, 26 March 2003
Links
Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Nature
http://www.nature.com/nature/index.html
New Scientist
http://www.newscientist.com/home.ns
Lancet Neurology
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home
/622235/descriptio#description
Lancet Oncology
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_
home/621215/description#description
Chemistry World (UK)
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/Issues/2007/February/index.asp
China Daily
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/
BBC News website
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Irish Times
http://www.ireland.com/
Nature Reviews Neuroscience
http://www.nature.com/nrn/index.html
Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
http://www.nature.com/nrd/index.html
Diagnostic Imaging
http://www.diagnosticimaging.com/
Journal of Experimental Biology
http://jeb.biologists.org/
Science Museum (UK)
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/
Dana Centre (UK)
http://www.danacentre.org.uk/
British Neuroscience Association
http://www.bna.org.uk/
Nature Publishing Group
http://www.nature.com/index.html
Elsevier Ltd.
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/
Royal Society of Chemistry (UK)
http://www.rsc.org/
Company of Biologist
http://www.biologists.com/web/index.html
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