Yaxue Cao is the founder and editor of ChinaChange.org, a website devoted to news and commentary related to civil society, rule of law, and rights activities in China. The site works with China’s democracy advocates to bring their voices into English and to help the rest of the world understand what people are thinking and doing to effect change in China. Reports and translations on China Change have been cited or hyperlinked by The New York Times, Time magazine, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Washington Post, The Economist, New Republic magazine, and The Atlantic, and Congressional reports. Cao has published short stories in American literary quarterlies and translations in The New York Times and on the Foreign Policy website. She grew up in northern China during the Cultural Revolution and studied literature in the U.S. She lives in Washington, D.C.

Last Updated: December 23, 2014

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11.30.15

Court in China Adds Last-Minute Charge Against Rights Leader During Sentencing

Yaxue Cao from China Change
On August 8, 2013, Guo Feixiong (real name Yang Maodong) was arrested and then indicted on charges of “gathering a crowd to disrupt order in a public place.” The heavy sentence came as a shock to everyone following the case. More shockingly, the...

China in 2014 Through the Eyes of a Human Rights Advocate

Yaxue Cao from China Change
This time last year, volunteers and I were busy writing and translating articles to prepare for the New Citizens Movement trials. Many Chinese voices were speaking out forcefully against these trials: law professors, rights lawyers, liberal...