Yue He Parkinson

Freelance writer

Yue He Parkinson is a bilingual freelancer writer and author based in the UK who combines Chinese and Western empathy and know-how. She writes for the South China Morning Post, is columnist of Financial Times Chinese, and a TV commentator contributing for BBC World News and Phoenix Television China. She is the author of China and the West: Unravelling 100 Years of Misunderstanding (2021), and China’s Ukraine Dilemma: The Shaping of a New World Order (2022).

A woman hands out sheet of paper in protest over Covid-19 restrictions in mainland China, during a commemoration of the victims of a fire in Urumqi, at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), in Hong Kong, China, 29 November 2022. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Society

Why first-generation Chinese immigrants in the UK fear speaking up

By Yue He Parkinson 30 Jan 2023

Freelance writer He Yue muses about why first-generation Chinese immigrants in the UK are keeping silent about Chinese politics, even for those who have opinions about what is happening in China. It seems that the opportunities for democracy and freedom while living abroad are still not enough to get them to share how they really feel, even in private chat groups among friends.