Write For Us

Like to write? Got something to say about being a foreigner in China? Why not contribute your thoughts and opinions to the Lost Laowai China Blog?

We’re looking to put some fresh expat piss into the writer pool here. If you’ve got a unique voice, some solid writing ability and, most importantly, something to say, we’d be happy to have you on board.

General topic writers are always welcome, but if you’re willing to tackle blogging a particular “beat”, or specific areas of life in China, that’s cool too. Some beats include:

  • Business life in China
  • Chinese entertainment (movies, the music scene, bar scene)
  • Food and drink
  • China Tech (anything to do with technology and Web news coming out of China)
  • Learning Chinese
  • Teaching ESL
  • Chinese current events and politics
  • Shanghai city life
  • Beijing city life

Of course these are just a guide, so by all means suggest your own beat. We love suggestions. We’re groovy like that.

Additionally, here are some requirements (they’re few, but important):

  1. An ability to write. Alright, this might sound stupid to mention, but we’re a bit short staffed, and not looking to be full-time editors of other people’s work. If you can string basic sentences together without too much trouble, please move to #2.
  2. Fluent in English. Again, this goes back to #1. If you are not a native English speaker, please don’t be dissuaded. We’re happy to have writers whose first language isn’t English, but you should have a pretty good understanding of written English.
  3. Interesting, funny or both. We’re not just looking to add mass to the medium. We want to create and maintain a quality resource for our readers. You should have the ability to write engaging posts with a unique style or voice.

FAQ

I already have a blog, can I still be a writer here?
You sure can. In fact we offer you a spot in your Author Profile to display a link to your blog to help promote it. We do ask however that the content at least attempt to be original, as it doesn’t make much sense to just repost (word for word) something you’ve written for your private site.

How often am I required to write?
This is up to you. You can post twice a day or twice a month. We’re more interested in what you’re writing, not how much you write it. However, our payment structure rewards writers who write more.

What about topics?
It’s all pretty much fair game, but should relate to China and/or foreigners in China. Humour, rants, insights, warnings, WTF moments, casual observances… it’s all open. The only thing we ask is that you be mindful not to be too litigious in your writing - the small sums ads on this site pull in barely cover costs, never mind lawsuits.

If I have my own blog, what would I write here?
Stories about monkeys? Really, who are we to say? Generally speaking personal blogs are designed to give friends and family outside of China a glimpse of what you’re up to. Writing for us could be your opportunity to delve a bit deeper into your prose and pull out some gems of the written word. Lost Laowai is a growing community that receives a solid amount of traffic and in turn could give you a wider exposure as a writer.

So, you don’t pay then?
We don’t do this for the money, and our opinion is that neither should our writers. We write about China because we love to. That said, we are a monetized site and we feel you deserve a piece of that - please check out our Payment Structure page for more information.

Do I retain copyright over my work?
Absolutely. We maintain no rights over your work or any media you attach to it, other than the right to present it on this site. What’s yours is yours and you’re free to republish it as you see fit. Of course should you republish it, we’d love for you to say that it was “originally published on Lost Laowai” or some such thing. Remember thy roots ma brothas and sistas ;-).

Still interested? Fire us off an with your details and any links to your writing we can review and we’ll be happy to consider you.