Hsiao-Hung Pai is a writer best known for her books Chinese Whispers: The True Story behind Britain's Hidden Army of Labour, which was shortlisted for the 2009 Orwell Prize, and Scattered Sand: The Story of China's Rural Migrants, which won the Bread and Roses Award in 2013. Pai's third book, Invisible: Britain's Migrant Sex Workers, was published in 2013. As part of her research for the book, Pai worked undercover as a maid in brothels all over the country. Pai's first work of fiction, Hidden Army of Labour, was published in the Chinese language in Taiwan and China.
Pai has lived in the UK since 1991. She is a contributor to the Guardian and many UK-Chinese publications.