Sophia Yan
@sophia_yan
Followers
22K
Following
5K
Media
2K
Statuses
11K
@Telegraph Senior Foreign Correspondent | Marie Colvin Award Winner | Tweets: 🌍🌏🌎🎹🎶🥃🍜🧘🏻♀️| Now: IST Then: TPE PEK HKG TYO NYC DCA HNL
Joined July 2012
#Wuhan postcard: Kite-flying, #cat on leash smelling 🌸, city skyline along the #Yangtze, and #socialdistancing to the max 🐶🐯 #coronavirus #China
247
418
3K
#Wuhan resident Chen Min, 65, died within 10 days of developing fever, cough. Docs never tested her for #coronavirus. She's not incl in official govt count of 56 dead & suggests scale of problem is *far* greater than #China has acknowledged @Telegraph.
91
2K
2K
Harvard Medical School research looking at satellite images found that # of cars parked at major #Wuhan hospitals at points last autumn was much higher than preceding yr, suggesting #coronavirus outbreak may have started much earlier previously thought
290
1K
2K
.@CitySamuel: “#Beijing is already a very successful exporter not just of goods, but of its own ideology: #totalitarian #censorship. One of its most successful targets is the #UK.” @TelegraphWorld @Telegraph.
58
2K
2K
More #Wuhan postcards: Entrance to Carrefour; makeshift takeout window through metal barrier; makeshift barrier, period - everything plus the kitchen sink; #Communist Party disaster relief tent (these are still everywhere)
42
205
1K
Richard Chan, 48, pepper sprayed & arrested yday by police who were quite rough w the silver-haired local elex candidate. Officer sprayed directly into his eyes, then grabbed him & sprayed at close range again. @Telegraph was there w @_jasmineleung_
134
1K
1K
#China's crackdown on its tiny congregation of #Jews. ~100 practising in a community of ~1,000. That such a small group can attract the #CommunistParty’s ire shows how far the suppression goes @TelegraphWorld @Telegraph #religiousfreedom #Hanukkah.
50
506
807
The #Yangtze River lit up at night; view from the Hankou side. A sealed path due to #coronavirus. And 2 signs letting everyone know there are no #COVID19 illnesses, fevers etc in this #epidemic-free compound for 30 consecutive days #Wuhan
23
108
802
#China bulldozes a #mosque. Spot now under construction for a commercial tower that will have a @HamptonbyHilton @HiltonHotels. @Telegraph spent 9 days in #Xinjiang - with 30 goons on our tail. Here's the first in our series. Read:
118
488
703
#China’s #Uighur #Muslims forced to eat pork to break #Ramadan fast in #Xinjiang where millions are being held in internment camps. My dispatch from #Kashgar where @giuliamarchi & I were kidnapped twice and police van tried to slam into us @TelegraphWorld
43
814
667
Mobility curbs remain: Only 1,000/day allowed #Wuhan-#Beijing via lottery system. @TelegraphWorld went by rail. Below: My ID + #train ticket + negative #coronavirus test results (valid within 7 days) being examined before allowed entry into station
17
156
620
Upon arrival in #Beijing we were separated into clusters depending on the #city district you will do 14d #quarantine in - either at home or a government-arranged facility depending what your housing compound allows. Hazmat suits repeating “Haidian District,” calling for people
23
172
598
Man in #China quarantine who can't afford cost told he can't leave & health code will remain red until he pays up. Obvi quarantine/red code can't go out to work. Offers to work off debt at hotel but hazmatter says not poss. End of video – electricity out & not giving him meals.
51
266
578
This translation cracks me up every time. “一米线” (yimi xian) = 1 meter line BUT “米线” (mixian) = rice noodle. So auto-translate spits out “please wait outside a noodle” instead of “please wait outside the 1m line.” Dunno abt you but I never mind waiting outside FOR NOODLES 🍜
17
134
579
"Despite Beijing’s attempts to cover up the true scale of the outbreak in #China, British scientists are now warning Downing Street that the CCP has probably downplayed the number of cases by a factor of 15 to 40" -Con Coughlin @Telegraph #coronavirus
65
299
560
Dog in #Wuhan basking in the sun after months of lockdown isolation. Tens of thousands of people expected today to leave the city, ground zero of the #coronavirus pandemic, as curbs loosen. Some restrictions remain w residents subject to housing complex rules re: going outside
48
92
543
Also sign on door informing my neighbours of #quarantine situation. Must report temp 2x/day. So send recs for recipes, books, movies, podcasts. Have already organised all cabinets. When I’m out, you can be sure I will be🏃🏻♀️🤸🏻♀️🤾🏻♀️⛹🏻♀️🏇🏻⛰🏝🚲🙌 (Below throwback to #Beijing hike)
37
51
522
UK MPs have launched an inquiry into detention camps in #China's Xinjiang province, likening them to the Nazi genocide of the Second World War @Telegraph.
27
272
450
At my door there is now an alarm 🛎! If I open, it pings person responsible for those in home q in bldg. I know bc I put my trash out the 1st evening (for collection from my door daily 8a) & immediately got msg about opening door. I explained - was fine - but wow! In real-time!.
16
92
420
Yday, covering protests in #HongKong. App 12 full-gear riot police were doing random ID check. I & other media rushed over when 3 young men were stopped. One officer kept saying I was blocking the road when I was clearly on the sidewalk. Not rly sure why he was so fixated on that
59
143
409
Pro-Beijing activists are offering £10,000 on social media for the addresses of dissidents living in the UK incl Simon Cheng, Nathan Law. Met Police have launched an investigation. Story . @Telegraph
15
222
341
Then we were shuttled to register personal details - down to which train seat you were in - before being escorted in small groups straight to our #quarantine doors. All arrivals #Beijing - domestic or international (tho #China banning foreigners from entry) - must q for 14 days
8
89
314
‘We’ll never really know’: Inside #Wuhan as city at heart of #coronavirus outbreak tries to return to normal. Adding to fears the #death toll may be far higher than reported, crematorium workers spoke of extraordinary increases in their workload @Telegraph
29
115
272
Another tiny tribe — #China’s last nomadic #reindeer herders, only a few dozen #Ewenkis — coming under Communist Party suppression. My @TelegraphWorld dispatch from -40C weather + waist-high snowdrifts near the #Russian border in the far north of China
15
147
269
#HongKong teachers who supported anti-govt protests are getting investigated, reprimanded, even fired, as #Beijing tightens its grip, justifying actions under sweeping #nationalsecurity law @_jasmineleung_ @TelegraphWorld @Telegraph
14
267
273
Listings on @airbnb in #China explicitly ban Uyghurs, Tibetans, people from HK, Macau, Taiwan. Rights groups say this runs counter to Airbnb's nondiscrimination policy that supports "inclusion and respect." More @TelegraphWorld
16
162
271
Semi-break from #coronavirus tweets: My mother insists on sending me screenshot updates on the health situation in #China bc she “thought maybe u cant get a real news” (also she clearly means inside, not outside China) #chinglish #ohasianmoms
13
16
257
Foreign countries that dare to “bully” #China will see “their heads bashed bloody against the Great Wall of Steel forged by over 1.4 billion people,” said leader Xi Jinping in landmark speech for ruling Communist Party’s centenary. Not mincing words.
90
141
253
Undercover cops dressed as protesters yday shot 2 live rounds as warning. Police also arrested alleged protesters found w hammers, spray paint, fake press passes. So police going as protesters & protesters as journos. As a journo dressed as a journo, this makes me NERVOUS AF.
11
96
242
Our exclusive dispatch aboard the #US aircraft carrier sailing through the #SouthChinaSea to combat #China's growing aggression in the region #waterwars #geopolitics @TelegraphWorld @Telegraph
57
115
223
.@Telegraph exclusive: #China continues to harass exiles on British soil, say victims. These threats are a way to “silence them from using their voices to raise awareness of #humanrights violations,” says @FrancesEveCHRD @CHRDnet @TelegraphWorld.
41
165
220
@Telegraph To be clear: Her symptoms were consistent w the new virus infection though docs at 3 hospitals in #Wuhan kept sending her home w basic cold meds, even when a CT scan showed shadows in her lungs – not enough beds. She was finally placed in isolation Jan 15 & died 6 hours later.
8
104
201
Listen @Telegraph's new documentary podcast "#HongKong Silenced." Come along with me to explore how lives were turned upside down since the #nationalsecuritylaw came into force – exactly one year ago today. Follow on your podcast app!
15
157
235
Work news‼️. From Taiwan 🇹🇼 to Turkey 🇹🇷…. After 11 years in Asia — mostly in Hong Kong + Beijing, w stints in Tokyo + Taipei — I’m excited to take up a new post as senior foreign correspondent @Telegraph based in Istanbul! . (Ok so technically can still be in Asia if I wish 😆)
28
6
234
Westminster School pulling the plug on its #China operation after a new Communist Party ruling stipulated that all lesson plans must be approved by Beijing @Telegraph
13
97
210
.@Telegraph is in Guangzhou, Guangdong province - the 2nd hardest hit w the #coronavirus sweeping #China - after Hubei province. Body temperature checkpoints are here in the airport as officials try to screen for suspected cases - but few travellers afoot
16
92
195
Doesn’t matter how long I #live #abroad - funny #translations get me every time. I present: “Grape Preserved Fruit Centers Covered In Smooth Lactic Acid Bacteria EXTRAORDINARILY DELICIOUS Lactic Acid Bacteria Grapes” #lostintranslation #chinese #english #bacteria #grapes
9
37
176
#China confirms 1,975 #coronavirus cases and 56 deaths - current as of midnight Sat local time. US arranging 230-seat charter flight today to evacuate American diplomats, citizens. The French are using a coach bus. Brits advised to leave, unclear if UK govt arranging transport.
14
190
182
.@Telegraph EXCLUSIVE: ‘I didn’t think I would ever be let out’: How #China brutally tortured Simon Cheng Man-kit, a #UK consulate worker, over #Britain’s role in #HongKong (thread) @TelegraphWorld.
17
197
195
@Telegraph People are slipping through the cracks partly because #China's healthcare system - on a regular day – already struggles to support the population of 1.4 billion. With a major health crisis, the strain is even more visible.
7
67
163
#China's mosque 'renovations' - removing Arab-style onion domes, #Islamic filigree, Arabic script - as broader #Muslim suppression campaign continues .@TelegraphWorld
12
146
184
“One minute felt like one year” - life inside #China’s #Xinjiang internment camps. Spoke w 8 former detainees - many released late last yr and fled to #Kazakhstan in Jan - giving us most updated picture of conditions and treatment inside @TelegraphWorld.
11
136
176
@Telegraph @Dali_Yang Big issue: Ms Chen's family wasn't told until after she died that she was contagious (and was only quarantined in her last few hours alive). Another family member has developed symptoms.
7
80
151
‘I didn’t think I would ever be let out’: How #China brutally tortured Simon Cheng Man-kit, a #UK consulate worker, over #Britain’s role in #HongKong. Details of harrowing detention made public for the first time @Telegraph @TelegraphWorld.
11
189
170
Happy Monday from #Beijing, where after weeks of #smog (150-300 AQI), we are now greeted by a #sandstorm, making the #airquality so bad it’s off-index. 9000+!!! 🤦🏻♀️ PS #London is 25 AQI, #NewYork 36 #pollution #breathe #air
22
63
158
Zhang Hai, 50, files 1st lawsuit in #China against govt that seeks restitution for #coronavirus pandemic cover-up. "If the govt didn’t cover up the disease in the early stages, my father wouldn’t have died. What they did amounts to murder" @Telegraph
10
85
158
@Telegraph Doctors later told her family she had “that” type of pneumonia, “highly likely” from a coronavirus infection. “Those words are very obvious hints to patients and relatives, but there are no written records or reports,” Ms Chen’s stepson, Kyle Hui, 40, told The Telegraph.
1
58
129
What #Hamas’s secret global investment portfolio looks like. These property assets in Turkey are part of int’l network that US govt says is funnelling funds to Hamas, making senior leaders 💵.My 1st @Telegraph investigation since moving to Istanbul 2wksago.
13
57
152
How #China is seeking to influence global public understanding of Xi, Beijing etc – by controlling foreign production firms that then make slick propaganda films about China w no mention of human rights abuses. @Telegraph investigation .
35
62
132
@Telegraph @Dali_Yang Read my full dispatch @TelegraphWorld @Telegraph @TelGlobalHealth #coronavirus.
5
56
122
And watch here - stay tuned for more to come from @Telegraph @TelegraphWorld investigation in Xinjiang.🎥📸 @HubeLorenz
20
62
132
🙏 to those who hv heard me moan on deadline!😂 Big 🙏🙏@TelegraphWorld @jswinch for always supporting my work. An even bigger 🙏🙏🙏 to all those who welcomed me into their lives to tell me abt the best & the worst - so I cld capture their stories for the world💛#journalismrocks.
The Marie Colvin Award 2020 is awarded to @Telegraph China correspondent @sophia_yan – judges said she has a “tenacity and seriousness of purpose that Marie Colvin would have admired” #BJA2020
31
13
141
Meet Lao Mao (aka “Old Cat”) the hero rescuing #pets 🐶🐱🐸🐥🐍🐢 in Wuhan, the epicentre of the #coronavirus outbreak, for stranded owners who can’t get back home. Your heartwarming #weekend read ❤️ in the midst of virus news 😷🤢 by @YiyinZ1 @niccijsmith
1
51
137
"They send cars to follow me, to intimidate me," @JimmyLaiApple told @Telegraph in July. But "if I leave I would disgrace myself and undermine the democratic movement. I would be a fool to leave. I will be here in #HongKong until the last day.”.
Our report today on the arrest of Jimmy Lai and other media professionals for @TelegraphWorld led by @sophia_yan with additional reporting from @_jasmineleung_ + myself.
4
93
131
Reflections on covering #China over the last decade before I got turfed out as tensions rose. Tried to write pithy tweet but have too many things to say. Even my long dispatch isn't enough space. But it's a start. Read here:.#pressfreedom.
11
57
128
'We are very scared': Chinese #Muslims in Ningxia fear they are next for internment camps. My dispatch after criss-crossing the province from Yinchuan to Tongxin. #China @TelegraphWorld @Telegraph
25
139
122
5
25
131
.@Huawei accused of “deeply sinister” attempt to infiltrate #UK universities by hiring network of “campus ambassadors." Job ads seeking students who would “spread #Huawei goodwill." Huawei recently banned from UK 5G following US sanctions.#China @Telegraph.
9
75
114
My local grocery store in #Beijing now has these facial recognition temperature scanners. Upon registering me, the machine says “normal #temperature, normal temperature.” #coronavirus #pandemic #China
17
72
115
@Telegraph @Dali_Yang Also: New diagnostic testing kits were set out Jan 16, which made it easier to confirm cases. But those are now running out, along w other med supplies. #China has sent 450 military docs to Wuhan. Goes back to buckling health system. Perhaps govt will accelerate planned reforms.
4
52
108
This is the kind of signage at #HongKong protest. Students not violent - dont think they need CY reminding peace http://t.co/gDPD0zt8cW.
6
139
113
Worker tells @Telegraph ~5,000 bodies for urgent cremation at *just* ONE of eight crematoriums in Wuhan. #China says its official death toll is 3,300+. People may have died from other illnesses, but 5k is a staggering figure regardless
16
74
103
Ancestors of those in #China claiming Jewish heritage – prob merchants from Persia – settled >1,000 yrs ago in Kaifeng, then a bustling imperial capital during Northern Song Dynasty. Through dynasties, wars, natural disasters, Cultural Revolution, they kept their history alive.
1
23
103
@Telegraph It's unclear why Ms Chen was never tested. There was a major political event thru Jan 17, possible local officials wanted to avoid trouble during that time, says @Dali_Yang.
1
37
101
#Xenophobia a growing problem as #China sees increase in imported #coronavirus cases - except #Beijing conveniently fails to draw attention to detail that 90% such illnesses are Chinese nationals returning home @TelegraphWorld
12
81
111
Hear @nathanlawkc @tedhuichifung @ReginaIplau + many more - nurse, teacher, barrister, civil servant, journalist - share their stories from the 2019 mass protests in #HongKong & the aftermath under the #nationalsecuritylaw 🎧 @Telegraph pod series:
9
68
115
Uncle Xi, Chairman of Everything, Mao 2.0, Steamed Bun Xi.Chinese leader Xi Jinping has many names, but what do we really know about him? How has #China changed with him at the helm?.Come find out with me in How To Become A Dictator – a new podcast from @Telegraph, coming soon
4
41
115
BBC's @TheJohnSudworth & his family were followed by plainclothes goons all the way through the airport as they left #China over safety concerns. Surveillance/harassment of foreign journos here has become routine - even when on their way out #mediafreedom
16
66
109
#HongKong protesters create a peaceful human chain tonight, calling for attention to a broader pro-democracy movement on the 30th anniversary of the Baltic Way, when ~2m people formed a human chain of 650km to protest against Soviet rule
4
39
101
Mass #protests that have besieged #HongKong all summer show no signs of foreign influence or interference, according to the city’s police force, signalling a split between Beijing and the police. More to come @Telegraph @TelegraphWorld #antielab.
5
66
100
Rows of riot police. but where are the protesters? They’re moving super fast!! We canvas the area - blocked off by police, loads of press milling, looking for action before turning back & telling police that we can’t find them either🤷🏻♀️One officer mutters: “motherf*cker!”
2
46
104
Started as a cub reporter in #Washington when @BarackObama @JoeBiden took office in 2009. Here’s a fun snap from ages ago. Whatever your politics, #America sadly remains deeply divided - I hope that we can find a way to bridge those differences
6
2
104
American violinist Yi-Wen Jiang blasted by Chinese state media for his anti-Communist Party views. & loses his job, in the US. Complicated story on fallout from Chinese govt pressuring artists, athletes, academics etc to avoid comments critical of China.
3
65
93
A painting previously owned by Chinese businesswoman Whitney Duan (disappeared by the Chinese state years ago) is appaz now on auction in Beijing.
6
45
94
Exhausted protesters resting. Nearing midnight here. #OccupyCentral #UmbrellaRevolution #HongKong
http://t.co/ZgeDWhiHlK.
9
203
94
How #China forces #Xinjiang Muslims into slavery after torturing them in 're-education’ camps. Sometimes agreeing to work - for little or no pay - is a condition for release from detention camps. More in @Telegraph @TelegraphWorld Xinjiang series:
10
55
87
Economists are very worried about #China's stock market http://t.co/h22d95ehGD
@CNNMoney
http://t.co/9IcFcIoCuD.
12
176
92
Crowdfunding military resistance. National Bank of #Ukraine opens special account so people globally can send funds (in diff currencies) directly to support the military against Russian invasion. “Support the Armed Forces of Ukraine!” says announcement .
8
50
91
Happy #Valentine’s Day from #snowy, #coronavirus-hit #China! Or in #emoji form: ❤️😷👀☃️❄️🦠🤢🤯🤪🤷🏻♀️ (I swear I’m smiling under the mask) LOVE, SOPHIA
7
7
87
#HongKong teacher flies 3000 miles from Afghanistan to join pro-democracy protests http://t.co/4v127tZajH
@CNNMoney
http://t.co/7ZcewKQAwG.
13
120
85
Next in @Telegraph @TelegraphWorld #Xinjiang series. #Xinjiang 2.0: #China’s move to make reality match propaganda - at least on the surface - by decommissioning some camps, imprisoning people, and ramping up surveillance in the name of #coronavirus. Read:
9
42
76
#China defence minister Wei Fenghe’s response to me when I press for PLA to recognise #TiananmenSquare crackdown “How can we say that China did not handle the Tiananmen incident well?. The central government took measures to stop that turbulence” #SLD19 #Tiananmen30 #humanrights.
7
78
83