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Crystal Tai
Crystal Tai covered business trends and cultural criticism, with a special focus on Northeast Asia, for the Asia desk until December 2019. Before joining the SCMP, she contributed to Quartz, i-D Magazine, Monocle, Wallpaper, Lonely Planet and other publications. Her broadcast commentary has been featured on BBC Radio, CGTN and other media. She continues to make freelance contributions to the Post.
RM, V, J-Hope, Jungkook, Suga, Jin and Jimin belong to no ordinary boy band, but a multibillion-dollar enterprise making up a chunk of South Korea’s GDP.
Women make up the majority of Japan’s workforce and are driving consumer spending. But while brands are taking note, society has yet to recognise the extent of their contributions.
‘Koreans can relate to zombie films. The notion of an outbreak … surviving on your own in isolation, these were things many could see themselves doing.’
Fans of the South Korean soft power export have banded together to troll the US president and champion Black Lives Matter. Analysts say most of these fans are politically aware, liberal and masters of social media.
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Vishen Lakhiani is the co-founder of Mindvalley, a self-help website with courses ranging from how to heal from a broken heart to achieving career success.
As the once insular nation turns to immigration to address its falling birth rate, there has been an influx of migrant brides – and there is revulsion at how they are being treated.
Activists want the government to revise laws on power harassment, or ‘pawa hara’, to include companies that force female employees to wear heels.
While many Hongkongers have been affected by six months of chaos, some of those hit the hardest – the poor, disabled and elderly – struggle in silence, as hard lives get even harder.
Korean students have found themselves at the centre of a political storm, in conflict with Chinese students over differing views on Hong Kong’s unrest.
Images of tear gas-filled protests at Chinese University going viral alongside photos of the 1987 movement against strongman Chun Doo-hwan.
Alfred Babin was among a little known group of soldiers who fought for Hong Kong and spent years in a Japanese prisoner camp. His son says these 1,975 Canadians deserve greater recognition.
The movie has shed light on the struggles of women in the country’s deeply patriarchal and conservative society. It has also exposed a chasm in perspectives between the genders that is proving too much for some romances to bear.
The death of Alexander Urtula, whose South Korean girlfriend sent him thousands of abusive text messages, should force a rethink of laws and attitudes to social media and gender-based bullying, experts say.
The Canadian leader has kept relatively quiet regarding the Hong Kong protests, but campaigners hope that will change now the election is behind him. Others say he is unlikely to risk jeopardising trade with Beijing.
A growing number of lonely hearts are tapping into genetic testing in their search for a soulmate. Some governments see it as a fix for low birth rates, but experts warn that the science is far from conclusive.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will need to partner with smaller parties to govern after he won a second term in national elections that resulted in his government reduced to a minority.
Kate Middleton stayed the right side of respectful with her shalwar kameez in Pakistan, while Trudeau crossed the boundaries of taste with his turban in India.
A boycott of Japanese goods poses a dilemma for Korean fans of brands like Uniqlo and Muji. Some pretend to support the boycott while getting their fix another way – even if it means flying to Tokyo for a T-shirt.
With the main parties neck and neck, the Conservative leader raises the issue in an appeal to both expats and the Chinese diaspora. It is a high-stakes gamble that risks alienating as many voters as it attracts
The likes of Saudi Arabia also saw an upswing in travellers from the mainland – but overall fewer Chinese tourists went abroad this year, with a 15 per cent drop from 2018 attributed to more opting to visit local historical sites.
Despite Prime Minister Abe’s plan to see 10 Japanese universities in the world’s top 100, rankings have slipped since 2013 – as a result, experts say, of a lack of English-language innovation, university funding and internationalisation
Tight accommodation is a harsh reality for many residents of Asian cities where population density is high. Four tiny home dwellers offer their thoughts on living small.
If you thought your Hong Kong flat was small, would you live in a 100 sq ft hut in a forest? Believe it or not, a growing number of millennials are choosing to do so as part of the ‘tiny house movement’.
Observers said the decision to move the Mnet Asian Music Awards away from Hong Kong showed the costs from potential disruptions and safety issues were more concerning than the bilateral row between Seoul and Tokyo.
A handful of local and foreign companies are seeing opportunities in catering to increased demand from Hongkongers for overseas property and migration services.
Park, popularly known as Micky, has been told to pay the woman more than US$80,000. She is one of four women to have made sexual assault claims against the troubled star.
Eatery that decorated its walls with a North Korean flag and propaganda-style messages such as ‘more alcohol for the comrades!’ is being probed by local police on suspicion of breaching the national security act.
Experts and fans say it captures the lives of overseas Filipino workers, who finally feel seen after often being regarded as invisible in their daily jobs.
Panda twins born in Berlin’s zoo have sparked a national debate on China and panda diplomacy in Germany, with calls to name them Hong and Kong in recognition of the ongoing protests in the city.
Protesters in Hong Kong may have been scathing about the chief executive’s attempt to appease the public, but regional leaders have been a little more supportive
