One of the most important trends in global science over the past five years has been the rise of China as a scientific superpower. By some metrics, China’s scientific output now surpasses that of the United States, in both the quantity and quality of research produced. Increasingly even the most elite Western journals, like Science and Nature, feature the work of Chinese teams, or international teams led by Chinese academics.
And yet — because of language barriers, press restrictions and other factors — China’s scientific rise is a subject the news media outside of China has struggled to capture. When I became The Times’s Science editor earlier this year, one of my top priorities was hiring a dedicated reporter for this topic, someone who could bring an incisive, engaging and (where necessary) skeptical perspective to explaining the advances and also the culture of Chinese science.
I’m delighted to announce that Zeyi Yang, currently a senior writer covering China for Wired magazine, has agreed to take on this role. Born and raised in Wuhan, China, Zeyi graduated from Peking University in Beijing with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. Since completing graduate work at Columbia, he has worked as a journalist in the United States, striving to demystify news about China for American readers. Before Wired, he reported for MIT Technology Review, Protocol and Rest of World. He was a recipient of the 2024 American Society of Magazine Editors’ NEXT Award for Journalists Under 30, and he has been recognized by organizations like the Asian American Journalists Association and the Online Journalism Awards.
While much of his reporting has centered on technology, rather than pure science, Zeyi is well versed in the world of Chinese research and is eager to dive into this new beat. He will initially join The Times in New York, with the intention of relocating to one of our Asia bureaus in mid-2027. Though he will be based on the Science desk, Zeyi will join some of the International desk’s meetings to coordinate with (and occasionally contribute to) their China coverage.
Zeyi’s first day will be Monday, Sept. 28. Please join me in welcoming him to The Times, and to the Science desk.
— Bill
