Harriet Kariuki

on November 17, 2018

Harriet Kariuki is a young analyst from Kenya with an interest in Chinese investments in Africa. Her specialty is in the African startup space, where she has worked with several startups in different capacities such as creating disruptive sales, business development, and social media strategies. She has specifically focused on innovation in Africa’s informal economy, working across diverse industries, from financial services to government policies to professional childcare services for corporates.

As a Research Analyst at Botho Emerging Markets Group, dedicated to Africa-focused investment advisory and strategy consulting, Kariuki is in charge of identifying African opportunities and facilitating local and/or foreign investment. In this capacity, she also works with Chinese investors interested in the region. In her free time, she writes analytical pieces on Africa’s leapfrogging ability with growing investment (such as China’s Belt and Road Initiative) as well as tech startups in the region.

Kariuki holds an M.A. in Economics from Peking University and a B.A. in Political Science and East Asian Studies from Harvard University. She has lived in several East Asian countries and speaks Korean, Japanese, and Mandarin.

A Girl Is Not a Child, But a Fairy from an Ancient Tribe | Jiemian

on November 15, 2018

Photographer Yi Hui shares intimate portraits of her daughter, Duoduo. Yi has been photographing Duoduo, now 11 years old, since she was born. Yi asked Duoduo how she felt about the photos and Duoduo responded that they reveal her true self. When Yi asked Duoduo to describe that true self, Duoduo declared that she didn’t believe she was a child, “but a fairy from an ancient tribe.”

Lives along the Great Wall | Jiemian

on November 15, 2018

Photographer Mu Ge drove 80 thousand miles and across eight provinces tracing the path of the Great Wall in northern China, exploring the lives of those who live along the country’s most well-known and historic symbol. As he observed its people and landscapes, the question he most needed to answer became clear: “What is China?”

Bike Graveyards | Sohu “Rear Window”

on November 15, 2018

Forty years ago, China was a country on pedals: Roughly 60 percent of all trips were made on a bicycle. But as the economy blossomed, these two-wheelers, once considered status symbols, gave way to cars. Over the past couple years, however, some 60 companies have sprung up to give the tech-savvy, app-happy generation an easy way to get around: shared, dockless bikes. Fueled by venture capital, the companies have dumped more than 20 million cheap, brightly colored bikes onto Chinese streets.

A Fading Practice | Sina “Witness”

on November 15, 2018

As land in China becomes more expensive, the bereaved are increasingly choosing cremation and other alternatives like sea burials to honor their dead. While still practiced in some parts of rural China, traditional funerals involving long, elaborate rituals and tomb burials are disappearing. Photographer Zhao Diao returned to his hometown in Shanxi, northern China, to document the funeral rituals that have persisted there for centuries.

Cherish Forever | Sohu “Rear Window”

on November 15, 2018

Bai Shan has been photographing his mother Yang Yongzhen for more than a decade. Choosing from roughly 20,000 photos, Bai compiled Yong Zhen, meaning “Cherished Forever,” a collection named after her. He threads together photos from family albums and writings from Yang’s diaries, which she has kept since her husband passed away in 2004. Cherished Forever is an intimate and raw book that showcases Yang’s love for her family, her longing for her husband, the difficulties raising children as a single mother, and the discrimination she has received as a widow in China.