FULL ESSAY IN ENGLISH
What Is an Hour Worth?
A boatman on the Nile, a Swiss lake and the price of an hour’s work. In Cairo, I reconsider what development means for the people who live with its consequences.
Read the English essay →WRITING · TRAVEL · SOCIAL OBSERVATION
Henry Li.Writing as Ruian · 睿安
I’m Henry Li, writing in Chinese under the name Ruian (睿安). I write about people I meet while travelling, and how public events shape everyday lives.
I studied International Politics and Security Studies in the Department of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford. After nearly a decade at a Big Four accounting firm, I started my own business in cross-border medical consulting.
I have travelled to 52 countries. My essays often begin with a conversation, a border crossing or a familiar street, exploring how institutions and culture shape individual experiences.
My writing has appeared in Crossing .
SELECTED WRITING
A few places to begin.
Start with a complete essay in English, or explore introductions to my Chinese writing.
More from my journal
English introductions · Full originals in Chinese
01BORDERS & PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
After “Go Home”: The Overnight Journey from Tehran to Astara
When flights are cancelled, I leave Tehran by road with two companions and head for the Astara border crossing. This personal account follows the practical uncertainties of getting out: changing information, checkpoints, a tired driver and the relief of reconnecting after crossing into Azerbaijan.
Read the original in Chinese : After “Go Home”: The Overnight Journey from Tehran to Astara02CITIES & PUBLIC MEMORY
Coming Home: Change and Continuity in Hong Kong
Returning to familiar streets in Hong Kong, I notice changes that short, repeated visits make especially visible. Markets in Wan Chai, Victoria Park and voices on the Airport Express become starting points for thinking about public memory, mainland connections and the everyday life that continues through political and social change.
Read the original in Chinese : Coming Home: Change and Continuity in Hong Kong03TECHNOLOGY & EXPRESSION
When DeepSeek Began to Question My Motives
A routine attempt to verify a South China Sea news report becomes an extended conversation about political boundaries. Through changes in answers, refusals and the interface’s displayed reasoning, I examine the distinction between checking evidence and judging a user’s intentions, while keeping uncertainty about the system’s underlying mechanisms explicit.
Read the original in Chinese : When DeepSeek Began to Question My MotivesPUBLISHED WORK
Published in Crossing.
Selected reader contributions to Crossing. The descriptions below are in English; the published articles are in Chinese.
My Crossing author pageWHAT I WRITE ABOUT
- Movement & borders
- Border crossings, life across countries, and personal choices amid changing circumstances.
- Cities & social change
- How cities change, seen through their streets, work and everyday exchanges.
- Expression & culture
- How people make themselves heard, and where technology and popular culture meet public life.
CONTACT & COLLABORATION
Let’s be in touch.
For writing commissions, interviews, editorial collaborations, or work opportunities in writing, research and cross-cultural projects, please get in touch.
A short note about your topic or project, the proposed collaboration and timing is helpful. For work opportunities, please include a role description.