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China Briefing | 26-year Post veteran reflects on career as a journalist, reporting on China, and why he wants to return to Hong Kong
- After 26 years with the Post, it’s time for a break, and a return to Hong Kong
- Wang Xiangwei has held many roles – from business reporter to editor-in-chief and editorial adviser, but is now taking a well-deserved break
Reading Time:5 minutes
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As I sit down to write this column to reflect on my career as a journalist, my mind keeps drifting to A Good Life, the title of the autobiography of US journalist Ben Bradlee, one of the greatest newspapermen in modern times and for whom I have the utmost respect.
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I cannot think of a more fitting description to summarise my life’s work as I have decided to move on from the hustle and bustle of reporting and writing for 33 years. I am leaving the South China Morning Post, a newspaper I have worked at and loved for more than 26 years.
When I landed in Hong Kong in 1993 after a study-work stint in London, I was in awe of almost everything about the freewheeling city and its can-do spirit, but unsure of my footing as a fledgling reporter.
I found my calling in 1996 when I joined the Post, where I started as a China business reporter. In 2000, I took over as China Editor, driving the Post’s China-related coverage, one of its most important sections. At the time, Beijing was on the cusp of joining the World Trade Organization, and its membership in 2001 paved the way for the country’s economic lift-off in the next two decades.
In 2012, I became the Post’s Editor-In-Chief and held the position until the end of 2015, when I relocated to Beijing to be closer to my family and remained as an editorial adviser.
As a senior editor over the past two decades, I have been privileged to lead the expansion of our China coverage in breadth and depth. More importantly, I have pushed for the Post to find a unique voice and carve out a distinct position as Asia’s leading media platform, where readers can find authoritative, insightful and independent news and commentaries on Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.
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