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SCMP

We have selected seven Lifestyle stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. Want to learn Cantonese? These influencers are sparking a Canto revival
You may have noticed a surge in Cantonese influencers on social media this year. Language teachers have long used digital platforms to increase their student numbers, but these influencers are not there to teach – they simply share their love for Cantonese.
2. The Chinese sex worker who built an empire in America’s Old West

When you think of those who lived on the American frontier, the sort of person who springs to mind is probably a rough-and-rowdy Caucasian cowboy with a scruffy face and spurs on his boots. But then there was Ah Toy – pronounced “Ah Choi” in Cantonese – who became one of the best-known Asian women in 19th century California.
3. In this quiet family holiday home in Tokyo, Japanese tradition meets modernity

Stepping through the black metal front door of this Tokyo flat, guests notice tatami first, as they remove their shoes. Not underfoot, but rising up the entrance wall, its lower half in black rush matting, its upper portion broken into pleasingly abstract colour blocks like a Mondrian painting. Up close, it carries a soft, faintly sweet, grassy scent.
4. How the Shenzhen Natural History Museum was designed to reflect its landscape
For the crowds that are flocking to the newly opened Shenzhen Natural History Museum, the sprawling structure is commanding as much of their attention as the dinosaur fossils and other specimens that it houses.
5. Hong Kong’s elderly risk ‘hidden malnutrition’. Expert tips on staying healthy
Hong Kong boasts the world’s highest life expectancy, but living longer does not always mean living well. Beneath the longevity statistics lies a quiet crisis: “hidden malnutrition” among the elderly, who consume enough calories to survive, yet suffer from severe, unseen nutrient deficiencies that silently strip away their independence.
6. How Curry and Pepper showed Stephen Chow’s comedy genius before superstardom hit

As Stephen Chow Sing-chi’s latest directorial effort, Kung Fu Soccer, prepares to open in Hong Kong cinemas on August 13 following a lucrative but critically divisive release in mainland China, many fans are finding themselves nostalgic for the 1990s version of the “King of Comedy” they once loved.
7. What The Odyssey tells us about the age-old concept of hospitality

Christopher Nolan’s reimagining of Homer’s The Odyssey is the very definition of a visual feast, an epic tale that has one thinking about it long after leaving the cinema.


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Influencers spark Cantonese revival; Stephen Chow’s comedy genius: 7 Lifestyle highlights

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SCMP Highlights

Donnie Wong, Andrew Bui and Mihi Matshingana are among a surge of Cantonese-speaking influencers making a splash on social media this year. Photos: Donnie Wong, Andrew Bui, Frites Macau

Olivia Cheng (right) plays pioneering Chinese madam Ah Toy in the US martial arts crime drama series Warrior. Ah Toy was the first recorded Chinese sex worker in San Francisco, who went on to own a chain of successful brothels. Photo: HBO Max

The living area in a Hong Kong property investor’s Tokyo flat designed by Jason Caroline Design. Photo: Time & Style

Jacky Cheung (left) and Stephen Chow in a still from Curry and Pepper (1990), a film that Chow starred in before his breakout role in the God of Gamblers spoof All for the Winner.

An image of Polyphemus, a cyclops who found Odysseus and his men in his cave in Homer’s The Odyssey. Image: Weltgeschichte 1898

Hong Kong’s dining battle; TV host fights insomnia, depression: 7 Lifestyle highlights

The Red Cuisine owner Joyce Yuen serves dishes at her restaurant in Quarry Bay, Hong Kong. Many restaurants in the city are struggling with falling customer numbers as more locals head to Shenzhen for cheaper meals. Photo: May Tse

Hong Kong actor and TV star Kenneth Chan talks about his experiences with insomnia and depression, the treatment he sought, and how he has been able to return to the entertainment scene. Photo: Courtesy of Kenneth Chan

Spectators watch the Fire Dragon Dance of Sar Kong Mun San Fook Tuck Chee in March 2026. Every three years, the dragon is offered back to the deities through fire, reducing its physical form to ashes. This act is not an end but a renewal. Photo: Yeo GT

Visitors at “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Meet Mona Lisa & Portraying the Renaissance” exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Sha Tin in May 2026. Photo: Dickson Lee

An amuse bouche of wagyu tartare with three house-made pickles. Photo: Co

How Erling Haaland gets great sleep and its role in fighting chronic inflammation

Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland has gained attention not only for his extraordinary performances on the pitch, but for his rigorous wellness routine. Photo: Instagram/erling

Melissa Lee, a naturopathic doctor at Integrated Medicine Institute, says chronic inflammation can last for months or years. Photo: IMI

Exercise is a cornerstone for healthy ageing, says geriatric specialist Dr Kong Tak-kwan. Regular cardiovascular and resistance training reduces systemic inflammation. Photo: Matilda International Hospital

Dr Ho See-yunn says conditions linked to inflammaging are showing up in younger people, largely driven by modern lifestyle habits and exposure to environmental toxins. Photo: Dr Ho See Yunn

Mediterranean staples such as colourful fruits – like these featured in Erling Haaland’s Instagram feed – are anti-inflammatory and can promote healthy ageing. Photo: Instagram/erling

Shenzhen’s new museum; Hong Kong’s old cookbooks on exhibit: 7 Lifestyle highlights

The Shenzhen Natural History Museum’s Dinosaur Hall is crowded with visitors on its soft opening day on July 25. Photo: Elson Li

The Hope & Sesame team receive their award for Best Bar in Asia 2026 at the Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026 awards ceremony at Wynn Palace, Macau, on July 28. Photo: Asia’s 50 Best Bars

Leslie Evangelista, a personal trainer and the head strength and conditioning coach at Hong Kong Sports Clinic, says that while someone in their 20s can “borrow from tomorrow and get away with it ... a midlife body keeps the receipts”. Photo: May Tse

A copy of Lisa Yam’s World, a Hong Kong cooking magazine popular in the 1980s and 1990s, features in “Treasured Recipes”, an exhibition at PMQ Taste Library that traces Hong Kong’s rich culinary heritage through food-themed literature. Photo: PMQ Taste Library

Lifestyle

Culture

From a quiet modern home in Tokyo to The Odyssey’s age-old concept of hospitality, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting


From a quiet modern home in Tokyo to The Odyssey’s age-old concept of hospitality, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting.


Influencers spark Cantonese revival; Stephen Chow’s comedy genius: 7 Lifestyle highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From a quiet modern home in Tokyo to The Odyssey’s age-old concept of hospitality, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting

1. Want to learn Cantonese? These influencers are sparking a Canto revival

From a quiet modern home in Tokyo to The Odyssey’s age-old concept of hospitality, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting