Anna Hartley is an Australian writer.

She has lived in Paris and Beijing since 2011.

Her work has been published in The Washington Post, France 24, Forbes Travel Guide, The Houston Chronicle, The New Zealand Herald, The Vancouver Sun, the Beijinger, and Babbel Magazine.

So this is what it's supposed to feel like: reflections on a second pregnancy

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This second pregnancy is nothing like my first. I am calm, cocooning. I do my exercises, occasionally even yoga. I have an ample supply of comfortable maternity clothes and a giant (and I mean giant) horseshoe pillow that encloses and immobilises me in a firm hold at night. Sshhh. It whispers. I got you. 

I am on top of my medical appointments. I take my vitamins and monitor my blood pressure. I have been registered at the maternity hospital since around the third month of my pregnancy. My husband and I spent about 15 minutes discussing a baby name, decided, smiling, and haven’t wavered since. 

I am, in short, having almost the opposite experience as my first pregnancy. 

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Masters Dissertation | Reaching for the Stars: Enabling Renewable Energy Communities in France with the CELESTE Decision Support System

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Masters Dissertation | Reaching for the Stars: Enabling Renewable Energy Communities in France with the CELESTE Decision Support System

In January 2024, I completed a Master of Science in Sustainability in Energy Provision and Demand Management from the Centre for Alternative Technology Graduate School of the Environment.

For my dissertation, for which I received a distinction grade, I created a prototype software (CELESTE) designed to educate, inspire, and empower users to develop their own Renewable Energy Communities in France.

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International women's day: Millions in China lack access to sanitary products

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International women's day: Millions in China lack access to sanitary products

Many women​ and young girls in China​, especially in rural areas, cannot afford feminine hygiene products. The lack of basic menstrual knowledge and the common menstruation taboo in China only worsen the situation. FRANCE 24 met with Chinese women who are fighting to change the situation.

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Nouvel an chinois : face à la pandémie, les familles appelées à ne pas voyager

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Nouvel an chinois : face à la pandémie, les familles appelées à ne pas voyager

Rentrer en famille célébrer l'Année du Buffle malgré un voyage parsemé de restrictions anti-Covid? Ou rester seul à #Pékin​ comme l'incitent à le faire les autorités? Le dilemme agite les Chinois travaillant dans la capitale. Reportage France 24 de Charles Pellegrin, Anna Hartley et Zhifan Liu.

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“That’s Not Jianbing, It’s a Galette!” French and Chinese Cuisine in Solidarité→

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“That’s Not Jianbing, It’s a Galette!” French and Chinese Cuisine in Solidarité

France and China both have proud language traditions, a long history of cultivating the arts, and *ahem* overly-hierarchical and opaque bureaucratic systems. But best of all, they both have very old and interesting culinary traditions. Here are a couple of dishes that connect these two diverse nations.

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2019 Year in Review: The Books That Caught Our Eye and Stoked Our Imaginations→

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2019 Year in Review: The Books That Caught Our Eye and Stoked Our Imaginations

The biggest Beijing book news this year was arguably the closure of our beloved Sanlitun bookstore and hangout, The Bookworm. Yet while this certainly left a big hole in our community, when it comes to actual books, 2019 still offered plenty to be happy about. We look back on a selection of the Beijing and China-related books that caught our eye this year, and made waves both here and abroad.

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Hey You! Yes, You: Meet Aurélie, Who Rode More Than 7,000km From France to Beijing

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Hey You! Yes, You: Meet Aurélie, Who Rode More Than 7,000km From France to Beijing

At just 33 years old, French travel enthusiast Aurélie Gonet has achieved more than most people attempt in a lifetime. Since leaving her hometown of Dijon, France on Mar 3 this year, she has ridden over 7,000km by bicycle and traversed 16 different countries.

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