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Jennifer Pak

China Correspondent

SHORT BIO

Jennifer is Marketplace’s China correspondent, based in Shanghai. She tells stories about the world’s second-biggest economy and why Americans should care about it.

She arrived in Beijing in 2006 with few journalism contacts but quickly set up her own news bureau. Her work has appeared in many news outlets, including the BBC, NPR and The Financial Times. After covering the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Jennifer moved to Kuala Lumpur to be the BBC’s Malaysia correspondent. She reported on the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 and Edward Snowden’s brief escape to Hong Kong. Jennifer returned to China in 2015, based in the high-tech hub of Shenzhen, before joining Marketplace two years later.

In 2022, Jennifer, along with 25 million Shanghai residents, was locked down for over 60 days and had to scramble for food. The coverage of the pandemic she and her team produced helped earn them a Gracie and a National Headliner Award in 2023. You can see the food Jennifer was able to get during the Shanghai lockdown here and keep up with her tasty finds across China on Instagram at @jpakradio.

Episodes by Jennifer (2)

Marketplace Tech

Why there's no TikTok in China

Apr 3, 2024
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Make Me Smart | Episode 239

U.S.-China relations are bad, but are they 'new Cold War' bad?

Jul 21, 2020
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Latest Stories (224)

Is China’s multibillion-dollar tutoring industry coming to an end?

by Jennifer Pak
Aug 16, 2021
Top Chinese education stocks dipped by 70% within hours last month. But what does it feel like on the ground in China?
The hit Chinese TV series "A Love for Dilemma" focuses on the senseless education rat race in China, driven in part by tutoring schools.
"A Love for Dilemma"
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What U.S. businesses should know about China’s anti-foreign sanctions law

by Jennifer Pak
Jul 27, 2021
U.S. businesses in China are advised to audit supply chains and revisit contracts.
When the U.S. blacklists Chinese companies, it's relatively straightforward for American businesses: just cut ties. But China’s new anti-foreign sanctions law complicates things a bit more.
Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images
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Where have all of Shanghai's newsstands gone?

by Jennifer Pak
Jul 21, 2021
The kiosks have dwindled in Shanghai, and since the U.S.-China trade war began, it's hard to get people to answer even simple questions.
Gao Dongde, left, has been buying newspapers from Qu Yali's family for decades. He no longer lives in the neighborhood, but he still comes to pick up his newspapers from Qu because there are no newsstands near his current home.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace
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As the CCP celebrates its centennial, how communist is China's economy?

by Jennifer Pak
Jul 6, 2021
Starting in 1978, China’s ruling Communist Party has steadily embraced market reforms and transformed the country into the world’s second largest economy. What remains of the Chinese socialist system?
Young Chinese listening to punk music at the MIDI rock music festival in June.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace
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China's competitive coffee shop scene keeps owners on their toes

by Jennifer Pak
Jun 21, 2021
Nearly 19% of small and micro-sized businesses in China shut down during the pandemic. What does it take for a coffee shop to stay standing?
Keiichi Nakayama said his coffee shop, Rumors, was the first in Shanghai to specialize in hand-poured coffee more than a decade ago.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace
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Chinese citizens greet new 3-child policy with humor

by Jennifer Pak
Jun 21, 2021
Women in China have taken to social media to push back against having one more child.
A father with his son on a low-cost train heading into the Chinese countryside. People in rural China cite the cost of raising a child as a main reason they don't want to have more children.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace
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Chinese students, parents stressed by demands of extracurricular classes

by Jennifer Pak
Jun 9, 2021
Academic competition pressures families to enroll children in tutoring courses. But some parents are resisting.
Fifth-grader Ziyou cracks under pressure in "A Love for Dilemma," a Chinese TV series about the education rat race.
"A Love for Dilemma"
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China's 3-child policy met with tepid public reception

by Sabri Ben-Achour , Jennifer Pak , Meredith Garretson and Erika Soderstrom
Jun 1, 2021
There's skepticism about whether the policy change will actually address China's shrinking workforce and older population.
One reason? "The work of raising a child, like in many countries, falls disproportionately on women, and women in China have complained of being penalized at workplaces for being a mother," says Marketplace China correspondent Jennifer Pak.
Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images
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China's movie post-production companies feel the pinch

by Jennifer Pak
May 19, 2021
How one visual effects and animation firm that services Hollywood and China productions is weathering the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dachang Movie Town near Beijing is where reality shows and feature films are shot.
Jennifer Pak/Marketplace
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In China, it’s heads for a real estate win, or "rotten tails" — you lose

by Jennifer Pak
May 10, 2021
Owning property (or not) can determine your future in China. But it’s a gamble that doesn’t always pay off for those who have invested their life savings.
Last year, musician Chen Peng took Marketplace to the development in Zhengzhou where he bought a two-bedroom condo. The development remains unfinished today.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace
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