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In December 2025, China’s Basketball Hall of Fame inducted nine new members, including Li Shaofen, one of the first female basketball players in the country. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo/nfnews

China Personalities

China basketball hall of fame honours pioneer wife of infectious disease expert

Household name blazed a sporting trail then branched out into health, sports science; fans say she should be hailed for her own achievements.

Japan zoo makes workers mimic pandas after 4 bears return to China, launches fan club

‘Hold on tight’: China woman wins 22 pig-catching contests, biggest hog weighs 73kg

Trending in China

China woman, 62, gets pregnant through IVF after death of only child, sparks debate

Grey-haired expectant mother’s baby journey charted online; she says sweet food makes foetus ‘kick’ her belly, faces criticism on social media.

A 62-year-old Chinese woman became pregnant through IVF after her son, who was her only child, died in January. Photo: Shutterstock/Douyin
A 62-year-old Chinese woman became pregnant through IVF after her son, who was her only child, died in January. Photo: Shutterstock/Douyin

China Personalities

Hong Kong singer G.E.M. praised for debut sci-fi novel, nominated for China Galaxy Award

Dubbed country’s Taylor Swift, Cantopop star says inspiration for book came from ‘atomised’ life people led during Covid-19 pandemic.

Trending in China

China police officer praised for mediating dispute among 7 kids with respect, patience

Reflecting on his approach to the dispute, officer says every matter they mediate holds significance, regardless of scale.

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Gender & Diversity

Explainer | Why China custom requires new wife to leave husband’s home, hide from family lantern

Decorations normally seen as a sign of ‘light and hope’, but turn taboo for newlywed women during annual festival.

We explain why, in northern China, a custom known as “hiding from the lanterns” requires new wives to leave home and hide from the groom’s family lantern during their first Lantern Festival after marriage. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock
We explain why, in northern China, a custom known as “hiding from the lanterns” requires new wives to leave home and hide from the groom’s family lantern during their first Lantern Festival after marriage. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

China Personalities

China beauty influencer pays off US$57,000 family debt; accused of faking cerebral palsy

Self-taught ‘angel with broken wings’ content creator rises from rural beginnings; builds own business despite disability.

People & Culture

Japan insecticide firm holds memorial to honour bugs killed during product testing

Unusual 40-year-old tradition sees monk chant and employees pray for dead cockroaches, mites and fleas; critics find ceremony ‘ironic’.

Trending in China

China husband gets 50 tonnes of produce from mystery donor to raise cash for sick wife

Hard-working man needs US$285,000, sells donated root vegetables at street stall after kind donor sends them in batches by the truckload.

A woman in China with leukaemia who needed US$285,000 for her treatment, gets 50 tonnes of sweet potatoes after her husband tearfully pleaded for help online. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

Trending in China

China ski resort’s US$700 birthday service, instructors carry women down slope

Backers of ‘tacky’ on-piste activity say it offers guests ‘emotional value’; detractors say ‘close physical contact’ blurs boundaries.

A ski resort in China is offering a unique birthday package in which women guests pay US$700 for a ski instructor to carry them down the slope. Photo: RedNote
A ski resort in China is offering a unique birthday package in which women guests pay US$700 for a ski instructor to carry them down the slope. Photo: RedNote

People & Culture

Japan gamer, 12, plans to quit school for esports, backed by parents, sparks debate

Boy with capacity for focus far exceeding ordinary child aims for top of professional gaming; once concentrated on game so much, he wet himself.

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Trending in China

China mum shares kid’s recovery from underdeveloped hip joint, gets online support

Young child’s struggle to walk after malformed joint diagnosis is charted on social media by her mother; video clips get more than a million likes.

People & Culture

Korean professors fined for taking students’ tests to inflate scores, stop budget cuts

Teachers sat ‘key’ exams to keep poorly performing people at university amid school closure threats; one academic faces extortion bid.

Three professors and an assistant teacher in South Kores have been fined for taking tests for students to inflate scoring rates in an attempt to prevent budget cuts. Photo: Shutterstock

Trending in China

Tourist couple leave babies with China guard; locals play with twins, change nappies

Pakistani couple head off to explore mountain park alone, return a while later with ice creams; cute baby coughs up milk over feeding passer-by.

A foreign couple in China left their twin babies with a security guard at a tourist site to enjoy some time alone. Locals and tourists engaged with the infants, impressing many with their kindness. Photo: Douyin
A foreign couple in China left their twin babies with a security guard at a tourist site to enjoy some time alone. Locals and tourists engaged with the infants, impressing many with their kindness. Photo: Douyin

Trending in China

China woman films dog eating from plate at eatery; shop vows to sue after closure

Owner of ‘awesome’ canine praises animal for emptying dish of mutton rolls; online observers accuse pet-loving diners of a lack of ‘discipline’.

People & Culture

Inspirational one-armed Malaysian man works as food delivery rider to save for wedding

26-year-old suffered horrendous injuries after being dragged along road in an accident; shuns use of prosthetic arm as it causes too much pain.

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People & Culture

Indonesian wife, 24, surprised husband, 62, was groom at event she attended at 9

After a young Indonesian woman married a much older man who had wed twice before, she realised they had met at one of his other nuptials when she was a child.

A 19-year-old Indonesian woman finds out after marrying a man aged 57, that she attended a previous wedding of his when she was just nine years old. Photo: SCMP composite/QQ.com
A 19-year-old Indonesian woman finds out after marrying a man aged 57, that she attended a previous wedding of his when she was just nine years old. Photo: SCMP composite/QQ.com

China Personalities

Profile | Mystery Chinese woman steals show at 2024 Cannes Film Festival, but who is she?

A mystery woman from China, who stole the show on the red carpet at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, has been revealed to be a rich online influencer and wife of a famous mainland musician.

Trending in China

Singaporean influencer becomes grandmother at 34, jokes that she ‘inspired’ son

A popular online influencer in Singapore who has become a grandmother at the age of 34 has pledged to support and guide her 17-year-old son.

Trending in China

Man has child by surrogate without telling family as he wants to be grandfather

A 50-something woman in China was shocked to find a baby in her home when she got in from work one day, and that the child belonged to her husband who had hired a surrogacy agency without telling her.

A man had secretly hired a surrogacy agency to get a baby girl after his only daughter told him she did not want to have children. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM
Joe Wong poses for a portrait after his Joe Wong: The Twin Tariff Show in Hong Kong. Photo: Alexander Mak

Joe Wong, Ronny Chieng and the rise of Asian voices in comedy

Asian comedians were once forced to resort to stereotypes to find a platform – but a wave of pioneering stars is changing that.

Reading Time:8 minutes
Lam Lau with his son Aidan at Lau Kee Boat Noodles in Hong Kong, which has been in business since 1981. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

How a vanishing Hong Kong boat culture has kept its cuisine afloat

Reading Time:7 minutes
An aerial shot of Nam Chung, in the northeastern New Territories of Hong Kong. Photo: Alexander Mak

She was at the height of her career. Then she moved to a village of 30

Reading Time:7 minutes
A dessert of durian espuma, blackberry and jasmine by Miko Calo. 06NOV25 SCMP / Jocelyn Tam

Michelin Guide’s arrival in Philippines brings distinction for country’s top chefs

Reading Time:6 minutes
Amy Lo Choi-wan of UBS, Mary Huen Wai-yi of Standard Chartered and Bonnie Chan Yiting of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing are all members of Women Chief Executives Hong Kong (WCE). Photos: Jocelyn Tam and HKEX

What it takes to lead HKEX, UBS and Standard Chartered – and still have a life

Reading Time:6 minutes
Ng Sze Kiat, founder of Bewilder, a Singapore-based design studio that works with fungi. Photo: courtesy Bewilder

Mushroom magic: is mycelium set to be the next ‘it’ material in homeware?

Reading Time:5 minutes
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MULTIMEDIA
Article

Stalking, illegal tracking, assault: is China’s fan culture off the rails?

When obsession tips over into stalking a number of studies have found that the stalked celebrity often represented an idealised version of the stalker. Photo: CGTN
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His son’s rare disease turned this Chinese father into a home-grown drug-maker

Despite having only a high-school education, a father in Kunming taught himself how to produce drugs for his son who suffers from Menkes disease. Photo: Weibo
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Zip line ‘retires’ after 20 years in China

Thrilling commuter zip line ‘retires’ in southwest China after 20 years
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China’s female comedians tackle stereotypes

China’s new wave of young women stand-up comedians tackle stereotypes
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