Emma Leaning

Columnist
Walk for life: 'Creating Hope Through Action' in Shanghai - MENTAL in China
MENTAL

Walk for life: 'Creating Hope Through Action' in Shanghai

In China 120,000 lives are lost to suicide yearly. That's one life every five minutes. Suicide lurks within our communities, workplaces, friendships and families. But there's hope.
Stronger together: the unbreakable bonds of community - China Opinion
Opinion

Stronger together: the unbreakable bonds of community

If you've been to a festival, game or gig and felt electricity in your veins or a lump in your throat, then you've experienced what I'd put at the heart of community: connection.
Turning 50: connection, community and the conversations that matter - China Opinion
Opinion

Turning 50: connection, community and the conversations that matter

Society is increasingly polarized and there’s a lot of misunderstanding, mistrust and even hatred between people. How can we shift the conversation from volume to value?
Moving forward with grief: reflections on loss and healing - MENTAL in China
MENTAL

Moving forward with grief: reflections on loss and healing

Suffering and social outpouring aside, something struck me about Qiqihar. When a life is stolen, something beyond a person’s physicality is taken too. What is that?
Home sweet home? Expat life and the fear of going back - China Opinion
Opinion

Home sweet home? Expat life and the fear of going back

As expatriates, we walk a tightrope between the foreign and the familiar. We exist between places wherever we are, meaning we are never fully home and never wholly ourselves.
Airing out: the beauty and significance of Shanghai's colorful laundry lines - China Opinion
Opinion

Airing out: the beauty and significance of Shanghai's colorful laundry lines

The fluttering lines above our streets create connection. They remind us that we are not alone but rather part of the shared cloth of everyday life.
Mirror mirror on the billboard: an identity crisis and the powerful ties that bind us - China Opinion
Opinion

Mirror mirror on the billboard: an identity crisis and the powerful ties that bind us

What happens when a billboard reflects back a suspiciously accurate version of ourselves? I found myself face-to-face with an Apple advertisement featuring a model resembling me.
An eerie figure appears on Yandang Road in Shanghai - China Opinion
Opinion

An eerie figure appears on Yandang Road in Shanghai

We can (and should) celebrate local entrepreneurs who infuse our lives with creativity and passion while acknowledging convenience's role in a fast-paced existence.
Triumph over blindness: exclusive interview on inspiring journeys guided by literature - Lifestyle in China
Lifestyle

Triumph over blindness: exclusive interview on inspiring journeys guided by literature

Columnist Emma Leaning sits down with two extraordinary individuals and discusses how literature has guided their path to resilience, connection, and the pursuit of dreams.
Peaks and pages: conquering mountains and connecting people through words - China Opinion
Opinion

Peaks and pages: conquering mountains and connecting people through words

Storytelling is how we find purpose in a world that’s often dark and confusing. And what could be darker or more confusing than going blind?
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