appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Letters

Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words
In Chinese culture, the horse symbolises strength, freedom and vitality. Yet as the Year of the Horse is celebrated with images of grace and power, real horses continue to suffer in industries that treat them as expendable.
Near Egypt’s Great Pyramids, Peta investigators documented a graveyard where horses used for tourist rides were dumped after collapsing from exhaustion, dehydration and untreated injuries. In racing jurisdictions across Asia and beyond, horses are whipped, pushed past their limits and often euthanised when injuries make them unprofitable. Those who survive could face slaughter.
This suffering persists under the banner of sport, tourism and tradition. But tradition does not justify harm. Cities worldwide are replacing horse-drawn carriages with charming electric vehicles that don’t force animals to toil in traffic and heat. The modern pentathlon has already removed horses from its events, recognising that compelling animals to perform dangerous feats for entertainment is incompatible with modern values.
Cultural pride is strongest when it evolves to reflect our highest values.
The Year of the Horse should mean more than symbolic praise. It should mean aligning celebration with compassion. A year meant to respect horses should not be built on their exploitation.
Jackie Tang, campaigns and fundraising coordinator, Peta (Asia)
Ramadan offers chance for serenity through shared tables
Hong Kong’s Muslims will begin fasting for the holy month of Ramadan on Thursday. Ramadan arrives like a quiet serenity, softening hearts weathered by the city’s cold social winds. Through fasting and late-night tarawih prayers, it reconditions the soul, melting away layers of anger and discord.
Fasting is more than abstaining from food; it is autumn rain rinsing dust from crowded streets, or a fertile valley where every sincere act blooms into eternal reward. The month unfolds in stages: mercy in its opening days, forgiveness in the middle, and salvation in its close. Renewal works on two fronts – taming the ego within, while binding communities through zakat (almsgiving) and open-handed welcome.
Ramadan reminds us that truthfulness extends beyond hunger. It calls for honest words and upright deeds. In Hong Kong’s restless financial heart, that feels urgent.
The richness of iftar (breaking of the fast) lies not in lavish spreads but in the company around the table. A meal for two stretches to feed three when shared with an unexpected guest. This is diplomacy at its most human: no podiums or protocols, only warm plates dissolving prejudice with each shared bite.
In 2026, as images of Gaza families preparing to break the fast amid rubble fill our feeds and online conspiracies stir venom against Muslims, Ramadan offers a gentler challenge. Rage tempts, but patience persuades.
Hong Kong shows how it can be done. Mosques blend halal dim sum with Arab mezze, opening doors to non-Muslims. Relief drives for Gaza go along with neighbourly chats. Stereotypes of faith as rigid or remote begin to crack – not through megaphones, but through mango lassi and quiet stories.
Threats and slogans only harden grudges. Real power reserves a warm seat in the heart for everyone: the critic, the stranger, the sceptic. Ramadan 2026 tests Hong Kong on this point. Can we trade online fury for fact-checking grace? Channel grief into shared tables rather than shouted chants? Let serenity settle where suspicion once stood?
Muslims and neighbours alike have a chance to do so. In a city that rarely pauses, Ramadan offers a chance to let heaven’s calm guide us towards unity on earth.
Ilnur Minakhmetov, Yau Ma Tei
Mastering Chinese can help ethnic minorities act as a bridge
I refer to the letter, “Vulnerable families in Hong Kong must simply master Cantonese” (January 26). The local ethnic minority is a tremendous treasure to Hong Kong. The Global South is gradually occupying an increasingly central place in the international economy. Mainland Chinese companies are also taking the initiative to go global and expand into the Southeast Asian, Middle East and African markets.
Ethnic minority community members who grow up in Hong Kong and know the Chinese way of life and culture well can act as a bridge. To achieve this, it is of paramount importance that they master the three languages of the city: Cantonese, English and Mandarin.
A. Chan, Guangzhou


Year of the Horse 2026 eighth month predictions for all 12 Chinese zodiac signs

Who’s taking over the unseen work of organising Chinese New Year?

Year of the Horse 2026 sixth month predictions for all 12 Chinese zodiac signs

Year of the Horse 2026 fifth month predictions for all 12 Chinese zodiac signs

Lunar New Year

As we celebrate the Lunar New Year, let’s ensure we do better by horses

Horse-themed goods on sale at the Lunar New Year market at Victoria Park in  Causeway Bay on February 15. Photo: Dickson Lee

Which Crazy Rich Asians star are you, according to the Chinese zodiac?

Crazy Rich Asians was a 2018 landmark film. According to the Chinese zodiac, which star of the hit film are you most like? Photo: Handout.

Henry Golding, Constance Wu and Sonoya Mizuno. Photo: Handout

Pierre Png and Gemma Chan. Photo: Warner Bros

Nico Santos. Photo: @nicosantos/Instagram

Henry Golding. Photo: SCMP Archives

Awkwafina. Photo: @crazyrichasians/Instagram

Jimmy O. Yang. Photo: Warner Bros

Ken Jeong. Photo: @crazyrichasians/Instagram

Constance Wu. Photo: Warner Bros

Michelle Yeoh. Photo: Handout

Gemma Chan. Photo: Handout

Chris Pang at the Los Angeles premiere of Crazy Rich Asians in 2018. Photo: AP

Ronny Chieng on the red carpet at the 2025 Emmy Awards. Photo: Reuters

Thousands flock to Hong Kong temple for Lunar New Year incense stick ritual

Worshippers including veteran actress Lana Wong (centre) offer incense sticks at Wong Tai Sin Temple. Photo: Sam Tsang

Crowd control measures are strictly enforced, with a one-way flow of worshippers. Photo: Sam Tsang

 Devotees are in good spirits, including one man in a Year of the Horse headpiece. Photo: Sam Tsang

The best days to start work after the Lunar New Year 2026 break for good fortune

What is the best day to head back to work after the Lunar New Year break? A feng shui master reveals which dates are the luckiest and which to avoid. Photo: Shutterstock

This year, February 20 is an auspicious day to go back to work for most. Photo: Getty Images

March 3 is a good day to work, as long as you are not born in the Year of the Horse. Photo: Shutterstock

8 lucky Lunar New Year foods to attract an abundance of wealth and health in 2026

A traditional shared Lunar New Year dish, poon choi is made from layers of premium ingredients and signifies fullness and prosperity. Photo: Ser Wong Fun

Chinese traditional radish cake lo bak go. Its name evokes the meaning “to gather good omens”. Photo: Getty Images

Residents from Yuen Long district enjoy a poon choi feast, with 1,600 people sitting at 140 tables at the annual Hong Kong-wide “Neighborhood First Reunion Lunch” at Ping Pak Lane Park, Ping Shan. Photo: Dickson Lee

A whole steamed fish represents an unbroken year of prosperity, and the slivers of ginger and spring onion symbolise growth and vitality. Photo: Shutterstock 

Spring rolls are a symbol of wealth because of their golden colour and resemblance to gold bars. Photo: Shutterstock

Longevity noodles are made from one unbroken noodle and symbolise a long and healthy life. Photo: Instagram/limjenjen

Braised mushrooms with fat choy. The name in Chinese sounds like “to collect and retain good luck”. Photo: Weibo

Salted egg yolk prawns signify wealth and joy. Photo: Jonathan Wong

What are ‘enemy signs’ in the Chinese zodiac? Horses have 3; how to find success with them

Curiously, when two people born in the Year of the Horse are together, the effect is similar to an internal clash of energies. This can lead to severe self-sabotage and restlessness. Horse couples need to control their temper and channel more emotional investment into their partnership. Photo: Reuters

Rats clash with Horses because of their opposing natures. If romantic and business partners are Rats and Horses, they should give each other freedom and try not to judge. Photo: Shutterstock 

Those born in the Year of the Ox tend to clash with Horses, but coexistence is not impossible; it just requires greater effort and understanding. Photo: Shutterstock

Horses are often at odds with each other, and should pay attention to managing their emotions. Horses who are partners should keep their tempers under control. Photo: Shutterstock

Opinion

Readers discuss the exploitation of equine animals, the spirit of Ramadan in Hong Kong, and why members of the ethnic minority community should master Chinese


Readers discuss the exploitation of equine animals, the spirit of Ramadan in Hong Kong, and why members of the ethnic minority community should master Chinese.


.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Readers discuss the exploitation of equine animals, the spirit of Ramadan in Hong Kong, and why members of the ethnic minority community should master Chinese

Readers discuss the exploitation of equine animals, the spirit of Ramadan in Hong Kong, and why members of the ethnic minority community should master Chinese