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Chinese culture

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Chinese superstitions
Martial arts
Lunar New Year
Chinese history
Hong Kong culture
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)
A portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi, one of the most powerful and influential women in Chinese history. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Chinese culture

‘Cleverest woman that ever lived’: the rise of China’s Empress Dowager Cixi

Beginning royal life as a low-ranking concubine, Cixi controlled Qing-dynasty China for nearly half a century from behind the scenes.

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Books and literature

‘Night of Horrors’: LA’s Chinese massacre of 1871 brought to fore in new book

SCMP Highlights

TCM for a new generation, Dragon Boat Festival picks: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Food and Drinks

Think matcha is Japanese? Think again, says this Hong Kong tea brand

Hong Kong bar owner Gavin Yeung founded matcha brand Celadon after being ‘floored’ by its long history in China before reaching Japan.

The company uses powder from China’s Zhejiang province to spotlight the green tea’s true Chinese origins, which, the founders say, are contrary to “everything this generation knows about matcha”. Photo: Chloe Loung
The company uses powder from China’s Zhejiang province to spotlight the green tea’s true Chinese origins, which, the founders say, are contrary to “everything this generation knows about matcha”. Photo: Chloe Loung
Food and Drinks

An American pastry chef reinvents the hotpot with immigrant-inspired twists

Inspired by her cross-cultural upbringing, Natasha Pickowicz breaks traditional hotpot rules to blend regional Chinese styles with new ingredients.

Food and Drinks

7 top places for sticky rice dumplings in Hong Kong for the Dragon Boat Festival

These hotel restaurants are offering a range of traditional and modern ‘zongzi’ for the Dragon Boat Festival on June 19.

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Chinese culture

How a Chinese empress shaped her country without ever taking the throne

Empress Xiaozhuangwen secured power, averted crises and deposed enemies while raising and guiding China’s longest-serving emperor.

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A painting of Empress Xiaozhuang (1613-1688), known for most of her life by the title Grand Empress Dowager. After securing power by having her son ascend the throne in 1643, she raised his successor, her grandson Kangxi, who would go on to be China’s longest-ruling monarch, reigning from 1661 to 1722. Photo by: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
A painting of Empress Xiaozhuang (1613-1688), known for most of her life by the title Grand Empress Dowager. After securing power by having her son ascend the throne in 1643, she raised his successor, her grandson Kangxi, who would go on to be China’s longest-ruling monarch, reigning from 1661 to 1722. Photo by: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Chinese culture

Is the Year of the Horse’s fifth month lucky for you? Forecasts for all signs

Feng shui master Andrew Kwan breaks down this lunar month’s prospects for all 12 Chinese zodiac signs in work, finances, romance and health.

Chinese culture

Who was Yang Guifei, the Chinese beauty blamed for toppling a dynasty?

One of ancient China’s ‘Four Beauties’, Yang besotted an emperor, was the target of a rebellion, and in death became a tragic romantic icon.

SCMP Highlights

Tokyo Sézanne’s missing stars; beating arthritis at 68: 7 Lifestyle highlights

From a little-known haven on Hokkaido island to how optimism make you live longer, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting.

Sézanne at Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi, Japan. The restaurant has been quietly stripped of its three Michelin stars. Photo: Sézanne
Chinese culture

How China’s ‘Excalibur of the East’ souvenir swords sparked airport warning

Tourists with replicas of the ancient Sword of Goujian, from the Hubei Provincial Museum, were told not to hand-carry them onto planes.

Visitors take photos of the ancient Sword of Goujian at the Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, in central China’s Hubei Province, on May 17, 2026. An airport notice at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport warning not to hand-carry replicas of the sword on board planes has gone viral on Chinese social media. Photo: Xinhua
Visitors take photos of the ancient Sword of Goujian at the Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, in central China’s Hubei Province, on May 17, 2026. An airport notice at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport warning not to hand-carry replicas of the sword on board planes has gone viral on Chinese social media. Photo: Xinhua
Chinese culture

The dark story of Consort Wan, 17 years older than the emperor who loved her

Wan Zhen’er became a beloved consort of Emperor Chenghua against all conventions, but records indicate a pernicious side to her tale.

Chinese culture

Origin of Hong Kong’s ‘peace buns’, Cheung Chau Bun Festival’s iconic snack

‘Ping on bao’ are both happily eaten and the focus of the festival’s famous bun scrambling competition. One baker explains how he makes them.

Chinese culture

She rejected her Chinese heritage as a child. Now, she writes about it

Scottish-born Eliza Chan, who once dropped out of medical school, is a fantasy writer who marries Eastern myths with Western folklore.

Eliza Chan speaking at the Manchester Literature Festival in 2025. The writer, who grew up in Scotland, went from rejecting her Chinese heritage to embracing it. Photo: Chris Payne
Chinese culture

Is the Year of the Horse’s fourth month lucky for you? Forecasts for all signs

Feng shui master Andrew Kwan breaks down this lunar month’s prospects for all 12 Chinese zodiac signs in work, finances, romance and health.

How’s your luck in the Year of the Horse’s fourth month? Feng shui master Andrew Kwan gives his predictions for all 12 Chinese zodiac animal signs. Photo: Shutterstock
How’s your luck in the Year of the Horse’s fourth month? Feng shui master Andrew Kwan gives his predictions for all 12 Chinese zodiac animal signs. Photo: Shutterstock
Chinese culture

Why Chinese-Canadian Derek Kwan is so much more than a ‘token Asian’ actor

As Hallmark’s mahjong movie faces a backlash, actor Derek Kwan talks about championing authentic Asian narratives by making his own films.

Asia travel

Best things to do in China’s Nanjing, from food and architecture to history

Planning a weekend in Nanjing? Here’s an itinerary to consider for visiting the bustling metropolis in eastern China.

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Chinese culture

Beautiful, power-hungry: how Wu Zetian became China’s only female emperor

A legitimate ruler for 15 years – but de facto leader for years more than that – Wu Zetian is remembered as a complex character.

Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history, reigned as a legitimate leader in China during the last 15 years of her life in her short-lived Wu Zhou dynasty (690-705). Photo: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history, reigned as a legitimate leader in China during the last 15 years of her life in her short-lived Wu Zhou dynasty (690-705). Photo: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Chinese culture

It started with Crazy Rich Asians. How mahjong is booming across the US

Thriving mahjong clubs in places like Denver are fostering community and connection across generations and cultures.

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Chinese history

Inside the 14k, the Hong Kong triad that went global

From its roots in mainland China to expansion in Hong Kong and beyond, we look at the history of one of the most notorious triad societies.

Chinese culture

Is the Year of the Horse’s third month lucky for you? Forecasts for all signs

Feng shui master Andrew Kwan breaks down this lunar month’s prospects for all 12 Chinese zodiac signs in health, love, work and finances.

How’s your luck in the Year of the Fire Horse’s third month? Feng shui master Andrew Kwan gives his predictions for all 12 Chinese zodiac animal signs. Photo: Shutterstock
SCMP Highlights

Family of 7 ‘hot’ dentists; Hainan chicken rice roots: 7 Lifestyle highlights

From Joey Yung’s journey to Cantopop stardom to a mother’s inspiring weight loss story, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting.

The Chen family (from left): Aleq, Audree, Jennifer, Leon, Nina, Nasdaq and Niq. All seven members of the family are dentists. Photo: Niq Chen
The Chen family (from left): Aleq, Audree, Jennifer, Leon, Nina, Nasdaq and Niq. All seven members of the family are dentists. Photo: Niq Chen
Chinese culture

Turning walnuts into ‘jade’? Social media goes nuts over old Chinese tradition

You will not actually make jade by rolling walnuts around in your palm, but this Chinese tradition can boost hand strength and calm anxiety.

Food and Drinks

Forced to stop selling stinky tofu, this Taiwanese restaurant fought back

The owner of Southern California’s Golden Leaf reveals how a neighbour’s vendetta has seen the popular street food dropped from his menu.

Chinese culture

The origin of triads, from secret societies to global criminal networks

While Hong Kong triads are now known for their criminal enterprises, their roots lie in secret societies that stretch back hundreds of years.

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Suspected members of triad societies are guarded by officers in Tung Tau Estate, Kowloon, in 1973. Hong Kong’s triads have evolved from secret societies into global criminal networks. Photo: SCMP
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