Chai Jing

Chai Jing (柴静, born 1976) is a Chinese former television journalist, reporter, and documentary filmmaker. She gained widespread recognition for her investigative journalism on social and environmental issues in China.

Chai Jing began her career as a television host for Hunan Broadcasting System before joining China Central Television (CCTV) in 2001. At CCTV, she worked on several news programs, including "Oriental Horizon" and "News Investigation," where she covered a range of topics, from SARS outbreak to social inequality and corruption.

She became particularly well-known for her in-depth reporting on environmental issues, culminating in her independently produced documentary, "Under the Dome" (穹顶之下), released in 2015. The documentary explored the severe air pollution in China and its impact on public health. "Under the Dome" gained immense popularity online, attracting hundreds of millions of views within days of its release. However, it was subsequently removed from Chinese websites by government censors.

While praised for raising public awareness about environmental problems, Chai Jing also faced criticism regarding some of the scientific claims made in "Under the Dome" and the funding sources for the project.

After the release and subsequent censorship of "Under the Dome," Chai Jing largely withdrew from public life. Her work remains a significant example of investigative journalism in China, sparking public discourse on environmental protection and the role of media in addressing social issues. Her work continues to be discussed and analyzed in the context of Chinese media, environmental policy, and censorship.