{{Short description|Chinese journalist and environmental activist (born 1976)}} {{family name hatnote|Chai|lang=Chinese}} {{distinguish|Chai Ling}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}} {{Infobox YouTube personality | name = Chai Jing | image = | alt = | caption = Journalist Chai Jing | native_name = 柴静 | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|01|01|df=y}} | birth_place = Linfen, Shanxi, China | death_date = | death_place = | education = B.A. in Accounting, Changsha Railway University (now Central South University) <br> Training program in TV production, Communication University of China<br>Master of Fine Arts, Peking University | alma_mater = | spouse = Zhao Jia | children = | occupation = Journalist | years_active = 1994–2015<br>2023–present | known_for = | notable_works = ''News Probe'', ''Insight'', ''Under the Dome'' | youtube_handle = chaijing2023 | youtube_display_name = 柴静 Chai Jing | youtube_years_active = | youtube_genre = | youtube_subscribers = 953K<!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT UPDATING stats_update BELOW --> | youtube_views = 47M<!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT UPDATING stats_update BELOW --> | stats_update = 16 July 2025 }}

'''Chai Jing''' ({{lang-zh|s=柴静|p=Chái Jìng}}; born on 1 January 1976) is a Chinese investigative journalist. Chai began her career as a radio host in Hunan in 1995 and joined China Central Television (CCTV) in 2000.<ref>{{Cite web |title=柴静：再没有一个地方像东方时空那么残酷 |url=http://news.sina.com.cn/m/2013-05-10/102627082946.shtml |access-date=2025-11-04 |website=news.sina.com.cn}}</ref> She is known for her CCTV shows ''News Probe'' ({{lang-zh|s=新闻调查|p=|labels=no}}) from 2003 to 2009 and ''Seeing'' ({{lang-zh|s=看见|p=|labels=no}}) from 2011 to 2013, which featured boundary-pushing investigative and human-interest reporting, including the state broadcaster’s first coverage of the gay community in 2005. In 2015, after leaving CCTV following the shutdown of ''Seeing'' amid tightening press controls, Chai produced the documentary ''Under the Dome'' ({{lang-zh|s=穹顶之下|p=|labels=no}}) about China’s air pollution.<ref name="dw">{{Cite web |date=7 March 2015 |title=China zensiert Smog-Film |trans-title=China censored Smog film |url=https://www.dw.com/de/china-zensiert-smog-film/a-18301403 |access-date=8 March 2015 |website=DW News |language=de}}</ref> The documentary was banned on March 7, 2015, marking her blacklisting in China. That same year, she was named one of ''Time'' magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The 100 Most Influential People |url=http://time.com/3823269/chai-jing-2015-time-100/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161209182057/http://time.com/3823269/chai-jing-2015-time-100/ |archive-date=9 December 2016 |access-date=5 December 2016 |magazine=Time}}</ref> In 2017, Chai relocated to Spain, where she continued her work as an independent journalist on YouTube.

== Career ==

=== Hunan Radio === In 1991, Chai enrolled in Changsha Railway Institute (now Central South University Railway Campus) in Changsha, Hunan Province, majoring in accounting.{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}} While still a college student, Chai wrote a letter to Shang Neng, her favorite host at local radio station, asking for a job opportunity.{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}} Shang offered her a job at the station. After graduation in 1995, Chai hosted a radio program, ''Gentle Moonlight'' ({{lang-zh|s=夜色温柔|p=yè sè wēn róu|labels=no}}).{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}} Three years later, at age 22, she enrolled in Beijing Broadcasting Institute (now Communication University of China) to study television production, while hosting another Hunan radio program, ''New Youth'', ({{lang-zh|s=新青年|p=xīn qīng nián|labels=no}}).{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}} In 2001, she joined China Central Television (CCTV) as a reporter and presenter, meanwhile working on a Master of Fine Arts at Peking University.{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}}

=== China Central Television === In 2000, scouted by TV producer Chen Mang, Chai joined CCTV, and became a host and reporter for ''Horizon Connection'' ({{lang-zh|s=东方时空•时空连线|p=dōng fāng shí kōng•shí kōng lián xiàn|labels=no}}) the following year. In 2003, she was reassigned to ''News Probe'', and rose to prominence for her high-risk, on-the-ground coverage of the SARS crisis.

At CCTV, she established herself as one of China’s most prominent investigative journalists, known for her boundary-pushing reports and human-interest features, which stood out, and often came under censorship pressure, at the propaganda-heavy, party-line-toeing state broadcaster. Her notable reports for ''News Probe'' include subjects such as abused women who killed their husbands, left-behind children, and, in 2005, the gay community—the first time the state broadcaster had covered a group whose existence the Chinese government had long denied. Despite eliciting mixed reactions within the media industry for its perceived sentimentality and focus on grassroots and marginalized groups rather than the traditional CCTV subjects of state affairs, her work leveraged the state broadcaster's stature to become a formidable instrument of public scrutiny, particularly in exposing abuses by local authorities.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2025-07-02 |title=柴靜： 從中國官媒的知名記者和「公知」到出走海外的獨立媒體人 |url=https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/articles/cz6ggp5nl7yo/trad |access-date=2025-11-04 |website=BBC News 中文 |language=zh-hant}}</ref>

In 2009, after she investigated Chongqing’s "anti-crime" purge under Bo Xilai and cases of farmland expropriation from farmers in Inner Mongolia, the Chinese censors issued an internal directive prohibiting media outlets from conducting any “investigative reporting on legal or political institutions.” Chai was subsequently removed from ''News Probe'' and left investigative journalism to anchor ''24 Hours'' ({{lang-zh|s=24小时|p=èr shí sì xiǎo shí|labels=no}}) and host ''One on One'' ({{lang-zh|s=面对面|p=miàn duì miàn|labels=no}}) for CCTV News.<ref name=":0" />

Beginning in 2011, she became one of the hosts of ''Seeing'' ({{lang-zh|s=看见|p=kàn jiàn|labels=no}}), a news magazine that focused on human-interest stories but, amid tightening media controls, generally avoided investigative reporting. In 2013, Chai published her memoir ''Seeing'' ({{lang-zh|s=看见|p=kàn jiàn|labels=no}}), named after her program of the same title, chronicling her journalism career at CCTV. The book became one of the most popular works of Chinese nonfiction in the following decade until its ban. Later that year, ''Seeing'' was suspended after airing a program on the Zhu Ling poisoning case. In 2014, Chai resigned from CCTV.<ref name=":0" />

=== ''Under the Dome'' === {{Main|Under the Dome (film)}}

While pregnant in 2013, Chai was told her daughter had a benign tumor. Following her daughter's birth, Chai undertook her own year-long investigation into China's environmental problems, spending nearly 1 million yuan ($167,000) producing a documentary called ''Under the Dome'' ({{lang-zh|s=穹顶之下|p=qióng dǐng zhī xià|labels=no}}), which was released for free online viewing on March 1, 2015.<ref name="The Guardian">{{cite news |date=March 2, 2015 |title=Phenomenal success for new film that criticises China's environmental policy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/02/china-environmental-policy-documentary-under-the-dome-chai-jing-video |access-date=3 March 2015 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> The documentary, with Chai as a matter-of-fact on-stage presenter, was viewed more than 150 million times by March 3 and has since been censored in China.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wildau |first1=Gabriel |title=China censors curb discussion of pollution documentary |url=https://www.ft.com/content/3fc780c6-c164-11e4-8b74-00144feab7de |access-date=5 March 2015 |work=Financial Times}}</ref>

=== YouTube === In July 2017, she moved to Barcelona, Spain with her husband and daughter. In August of the same year, she personally witnessed the terrorist attack on La Rambla and used the incident as an inspiration to investigate Islamic terrorism in Europe. She and director Ming Fan took several years to produce the six-episode documentary series ''{{ill|Stranger: Talking to Jihadists|lt=|zh|陌生人 (纪录片)}}'' ({{lang-zh|s=陌生人：对话圣战分子|labels=no}}), with her husband Zhao Jia as photographer. It had been broadcast on her personal YouTube channel on 17 August 2023, with one episode per week.<ref>{{Cite web |title= Stranger: Talking to Jihadists on YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4Rznb378pI&list=PLVdcW7y2oiRCHI8sl7Hp4cLQYhYE0gDNK&index=13 |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=www.youtube.com}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=July 2025}} On August 13, the trailer posted on WeChat was quickly blocked.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-16 |title=央視前主持柴靜訪「聖戰份子」 紀錄片預告遭微信封禁 |url=https://news.mingpao.com/pns/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B/article/20230816/s00013/1692118454178/%E5%A4%AE%E8%A6%96%E5%89%8D%E4%B8%BB%E6%8C%81%E6%9F%B4%E9%9D%9C%E8%A8%AA%E3%80%8C%E8%81%96%E6%88%B0%E4%BB%BD%E5%AD%90%E3%80%8D-%E7%B4%80%E9%8C%84%E7%89%87%E9%A0%90%E5%91%8A%E9%81%AD%E5%BE%AE%E4%BF%A1%E5%B0%81%E7%A6%81 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816134213/https://news.mingpao.com/pns/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B/article/20230816/s00013/1692118454178/%E5%A4%AE%E8%A6%96%E5%89%8D%E4%B8%BB%E6%8C%81%E6%9F%B4%E9%9D%9C%E8%A8%AA%E3%80%8C%E8%81%96%E6%88%B0%E4%BB%BD%E5%AD%90%E3%80%8D-%E7%B4%80%E9%8C%84%E7%89%87%E9%A0%90%E5%91%8A%E9%81%AD%E5%BE%AE%E4%BF%A1%E5%B0%81%E7%A6%81 |archive-date=2023-08-16 |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=Ming Pao}}</ref> Chai has since become an independent journalist, producing news programs on her YouTube channel.

In 2025, her YouTube program re-interviewed Gao Binghan, a Kuomintang veteran of the Chinese Civil War who had received the 2012 Touching China Award following her CCTV interview with him amid the improved cross-strait relations. After the second interview, against the background of what Chai described as “under the cloud of war” in the Taiwan Strait, her CCTV-era memoir ''Seeing'' (2013), a bestseller which was translated into English in 2023, was banned in China, with remaining copies pulled from bookstores and its Douban page and Baidu Encyclopedia entry removed.

== Personal life == From around 2000 to late 2001 or early 2002, Chai was in a relationship with Su Qun, a sports reporter and CCTV basketball commentator. She later dated Zhao Jia, a photographer, but they broke up in 2002. The two rekindled their relationship in 2012 and married in early 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |title=柴靜舊情史曝光曾當"小三" 老公趙嘉借女人"上位"--傳媒--人民網 |url=http://media.people.com.cn/BIG5/n/2013/0117/c40606-20228392.html |access-date=2025-10-25 |website=media.people.com.cn}}</ref> That same year, Chai gave birth to their daughter, Chai Zhiran, in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=官员谈柴静赴美生子:成本低为国籍无罚款 |url=http://npc.people.com.cn/n/2014/0307/c376899-24566903.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250410043004/http://npc.people.com.cn/n/2014/0307/c376899-24566903.html |archive-date=10 April 2025 |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=People's Daily Online |language=zh}}</ref>

== Controversy ==

=== False allegations === On September 19, 2009, a blogger, Wujinger1 ({{lang-zh|s=吴静儿1|p=wú jìng er yī|labels=no}}), posted a false article, "Famous CCTV hostess Chai Jing arrested today on suspicion of taking bribes".{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}} The next day, Chai blogged a denial of the rumor. Several months later, on 13 July 2010, Wujinger1 ran another false article, "CCTV hostess Chai Jing was taken away by the procuratorate again today", alleging that she was again being investigated on corruption charges. It was later discovered that Wujinger1 was named Wu Zhibo, who wanted to seek attention.{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}} He apologized to Chai, saying she was his idol, and he wanted the public to know more about Chai.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peopleforum.cn/redirect.php?fid=11&tid=27878&goto=nextoldset |title=Chai Jing Is Arrested, Again? - Focus discussion - |work=People Forum |date= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924124946/http://www.peopleforum.cn/redirect.php?fid=11&tid=27878&goto=nextoldset |archive-date=2011-09-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date= |title=柴静：第一次独立思考 发掘背后的真相 |url=http://eladies.sina.com.cn/qg/2011/0811/12321084960_2.shtml |access-date=2012-02-17 |website=Sina Women |language=zh}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.womenofchina.cn/html/report/136529-1.htm |title=Chai Jing: I Am A Reporter |date=2011-12-23 |work=Women of China |editor=Zhao Chenxi |access-date=2011-12-31 |archive-date=2012-01-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119232052/http://www.womenofchina.cn/html/report/136529-1.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Other work== * ''One on One'' ({{Lang-zh|c=面对面|labels=no}}) is a 45-minute personal interview and biographical show of celebrities, current events and authority figures. * ''Seeing'', which began in 2010, was hosted by Chai on weekends. The multimedia program observes life changes and people's desires, thoughts and perceptions in the rapid transformation of the time. The goal is to improve understanding among people.<ref name="Insight">{{cite web |date=2010-08-10 |title=《看见》官网 |url=http://cctv.cntv.cn/lm/kanjian/ |access-date=2012-02-17 |website=China Network Television |language=zh}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://space.tv.cctv.com/podcast/mianduimian |title=面对面 CCTV.com |language=zh |publisher=Space.tv.cctv.com |access-date=2012-02-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202075343/http://space.tv.cctv.com/podcast/mianduimian |archive-date=2012-02-02 }}</ref>

==Publications== * {{cite book |last=Chai |first=Jing |language=zh |trans-title=Use My Lifetime To Forget |title=用我一辈子去忘记 |year=2001 |publisher=Hainan Publishing House}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://t.book118.com/txt-jingdian/%B5%E7%D7%D3%CA%E9%BC%AE/%CE%C4%D1%A7/1/%D3%C3%CE%D2%D2%BB%B1%B2%D7%D3%C8%A5%CD%FC%BC%C7.%B2%F1%BE%B2.txt |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716010724/http://t.book118.com/txt-jingdian/%B5%E7%D7%D3%CA%E9%BC%AE/%CE%C4%D1%A7/1/%D3%C3%CE%D2%D2%BB%B1%B2%D7%D3%C8%A5%CD%FC%BC%C7.%B2%F1%BE%B2.txt |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-16 |script-title=zh:用我一辈子去忘记 |trans-title=Use My Lifetime To Forget |language=Chinese}}</ref> * {{cite book |last=Chai |first=Jing |language=zh |trans-title=Insight |title=看见 |year=2013 |publisher=Guangxi Normal University Press |isbn=978-7549529322}} ** English translation: {{cite book |last=Chai |first=Jing |translator-last=Yan |translator-first=Yan |title=Seeing: A Memoir of Truth and Courage from China's Most Influential Television Journalist |year=2023 |publisher=Astra House |isbn=978-1662600678}}

==Awards== * 2003: Correspondent of the Year for investigative journalism on the fight against SARS * 2008: Annual Green Characters Moving China in 2007 * 2009: Capital Association of Female Reporters speech contest award * 2010: Golden Camera Prize of the Potatoes Festival. She was chosen as one of the Annual Top Ten Hosts of CCTV

==See also== *Pollution in China *Investigative journalism *{{ill|Stranger: Talking to Jihadists|lt=|zh|陌生人 (纪录片)}}

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== * [http://t.qq.com/chjguancha Chai Jing's weibo] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111129081622/http://t.qq.com/chjguancha |date=2011-11-29 }} * [http://blog.sina.com.cn/chjguancha Chai Jing's blog] * [http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTAxMzQ1NzY0_ev_1.html?from=y1.3-idx-grid-1519-9909.86808-86807.1-1 ''Under the Dome''] on Youku * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6X2uwlQGQM "Under the Dome"] on YouTube, including full English subtitles

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chai, Jing}} Category:1976 births Category:Living people Category:Chinese activists Category:Chinese women activists Category:Chinese environmentalists Category:Chinese women environmentalists Category:Chinese television presenters Category:Chinese women television journalists Category:People from Linfen Category:Chinese documentary filmmakers Category:Women documentary filmmakers Category:Writers from Shanxi Category:21st-century Chinese women writers Category:21st-century Chinese journalists Category:Chinese women television presenters Category:Chinese YouTubers Category:Peking University alumni Category:Chinese expatriates in Spain Category:China Central Television presenters Category:China Central Television newsreaders and journalists Category:Mandarin-language YouTube channels Category:Chinese investigative journalists Category:Central South University alumni