Yuan Yang (Chinese: 杨缘; born 1990[2]) is a British-Chinese politician and journalist. She has served as a Member of Parliament for Earley and Woodley since July 2024. She was formerly the UK-based Europe-China correspondent for the Financial Times. Yuan is the first Chinese-born British citizen to be elected to the House of Commons.
Yuan Yang 杨缘 | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Earley and Woodley | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | New seat |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1990 (age 33–34) Ningbo, Zhejiang, China[1] |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | Balliol College, Oxford |
| Known for | Rethinking Economics, Britain's first Chinese-born MP |
Early life and education
Yang was born in China, growing up in Sichuan in the southwest of the country.[3] At the age of four, she moved to the north of England with her parents - moving between Manchester and Leeds.[4] Yang became "very passionate about writing" as a child, and explained that her passion was "encouraged by my teachers and by a group called The Yorkshire Writing Squad that I joined as a teenage".[5]
Yang read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Balliol College, Oxford, graduating in 2011 with a first-class honours degree.[6] In 2008 amid the 2007–2008 financial crisis, she co-founded Rethinking Economics, a non-profit campaign that Yang described as coming from the belief that "students should be able to choose among different schools of thought" with regards to economics education.[7][8][9] Yang expressed the hope that the campaign would provide a space for students wanting to address "real world economic issues, broader questions of economic justice and reforming the real economy"[10]
Yang attended the London School of Economics from 2012-2013, studying for an MSc in Economics. Yang studied abroad at Peking University in 2013 as part of a government sponsored study abroad program.[11]
Journalism career
In a 2021 interview with Quartz, Yang noted that she initially intended to become a poet but pivoted to journalism by accident.[12]
She began her journalism career as a Marjorie Dean intern in the economics section of The Economist magazine.[13]
In 2016, she returned to China as an economics correspondent for the Financial Times. She has served as deputy Beijing bureau chief for the FT, and covered China's technology sector and economy. Yang is also a regular contributor to BBC News.[8]
In May 2024, Yang's book[2] 'Private Revolutions' was published by Bloomsbury Publishing.[14] The book is about the coming of age of four women born in China in the 1980s and 1990s, in a society about to change beyond recognition.
Political career
In December 2023, Yang was announced as the Labour Party candidate for Earley and Woodley[15] in the 2024 general election.[16] In July 2024, she won the newly created constituency with 18,209 votes, beating the Conservative party candidate who received 17,361 votes,[17] and becoming the UK's first Chinese-born MP.[18]
References
- ^ Patterson, Christina (19 May 2024). "Private Revolutions by Yuan Yang review — growing up in modern China". The Times. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ a b Yang, Yuan (9 May 2024). "Private Revolutions". Bloomsbury Publishing. Bloomsbury Publishing. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ https://qz.com/2043655/yuan-yang-the-witness-to-declining-press-freedom-in-china
- ^ https://qz.com/2043655/yuan-yang-the-witness-to-declining-press-freedom-in-china
- ^ https://qz.com/2043655/yuan-yang-the-witness-to-declining-press-freedom-in-china
- ^ "Annual Record" (PDF). Balliol College Annual Record. Balliol College. p. 100.
- ^ "Students weigh the value of new economics course". Financial Times. 10 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Yuan Yang, the British-Chinese journalist witnessing the decline of press freedom in China". Yahoo Finance. 23 August 2021.
- ^ "Yuan Yang". Financial Times.
- ^ https://www.worldeconomicsassociation.org/newsletterarticles/interview-with-yuan-yang/
- ^ https://qz.com/2043655/yuan-yang-the-witness-to-declining-press-freedom-in-china
- ^ Timsit, Annabelle (23 August 2021). "Yuan Yang, the British-Chinese journalist witnessing the decline of press freedom in China". Quartz. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Internships". Marjorie Deane Financial Journalism Foundation. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Bloomsbury wins four-way auction for 'major talent' Yuan Yang". Book Seller. 8 February 2022.
- ^ "Yang Yang PPC – Earley and Woodley CLP". Earley and Woodley Labour CLP. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ "Yuan Yang selected as Labour candidate for new Earley and Woodley MP seat". Reading Chronicle. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
- ^ "General Election 2024: Labour's Yuan Yang wins Earley & Woodley seat". Wokingham Today. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Tse, Hans (5 July 2024). "Yuan Yang becomes UK's the first Chinese-born lawmaker". Retrieved 5 July 2024.