https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/322677/feed Learn all about what makes Hong Kong special: its people, their history, habits and quirks. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Gloria Tso Gloria Tso Founded in Hong Kong in 1999 by designer Ed Ng and architect Terence Ngan, AB Concept has since expanded to become a global firm with offices in Kyoto, London, Taipei and Milan serving clients across even more locations, from New York to Beijing. It is now widely recognised as a pioneering force in luxury design, having established partnerships with leading high-end hospitality brands such as Four Seasons, The Ritz-Carlton, Rosewood Hotels, Waldorf Astoria and W Hotels. Specialising in bespoke,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/lifestyle/design/article/3370129/meet-hong-kong-designer-ed-ng-co-founder-ab-concept?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/lifestyle/design/article/3370129/meet-hong-kong-designer-ed-ng-co-founder-ab-concept?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:00:11 +0000 Zabrina Lo Zabrina Lo On a typical day, Kat O – a tranquil island within the Hong Kong Unesco Global Geopark, in the northeastern waters of the New Territories – sees just a small number of visitors, who arrive mostly for a scenic hike through its heritage trails. However, with an island-wide festival taking place from October 11 to 15, things are about to get lively. In the run-up to the festivities, villagers are busy completing a giant bamboo theatre, traditional puppets and parade lanterns, while local artists... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3370266/why-dajiao-festival-hong-kongs-kat-o-island-held-once-every-10-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3370266/why-dajiao-festival-hong-kongs-kat-o-island-held-once-every-10-years?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 08:15:05 +0000 Isabelle Hon Isabelle Hon The last basket of dim sum is sold, the roller shutter comes down, and another Cantonese restaurant in Hong Kong closes. Nine months into 2026, this scene has already played out at least 30 times. The causes are familiar – sky-high rents, thin margins, rising costs, and dining habits reshaped by the pandemic years. Legislative Council figures show that between 2018 and 2025, the number of Cantonese restaurants and banquet halls in Hong Kong fell from 1,790 to 1,500, representing a 16 per cent... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/100-top-tables/article/3369901/why-hong-kongs-cantonese-restaurants-are-closing-and-who-saving-them?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/100-top-tables/article/3369901/why-hong-kongs-cantonese-restaurants-are-closing-and-who-saving-them?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 06:00:07 +0000 Gloria Tso Gloria Tso Architect Betty Ng founded Collective Studio, a Hong Kong-based firm that also specialises in interior and exhibition design, in 2015. She now oversees the studio’s operations – including teams in Perth, Madrid and London – with her former Harvard University classmates Juan Minguez and Chi Yan Chan. Together they spearhead some of Asia’s most forward-thinking design projects, from the expansive Asia-Pacific headquarters of Christie’s in Hong Kong to the radical, environmentally friendly Ludan... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/lifestyle/design/article/3370122/meet-architect-betty-ng-founder-hong-kongs-collective-studio?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/lifestyle/design/article/3370122/meet-architect-betty-ng-founder-hong-kongs-collective-studio?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:00:09 +0000 Dorothy So Dorothy So Francisco Oliveira, the Portuguese founder of bakery brand Santa Nata, was reminded of home when he tried Hong Kong’s iconic pineapple bun for the first time. “When I ate the pineapple bun, I immediately thought of the pao de deus,” he says, referring to a popular Portuguese baked treat he has eaten since childhood. Translated as “bread of God”, pao de deus is a brioche found in pastry shops across Portugal. It is generously slathered with sugar and coconut before baking to create a golden,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3370023/did-portuguese-breads-and-pastries-shape-hong-kongs-most-iconic-baked-goods?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3370023/did-portuguese-breads-and-pastries-shape-hong-kongs-most-iconic-baked-goods?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2026 04:45:06 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 2.5/5 stars A seemingly deranged rubbish collector makes for an unorthodox cinematic sleuth. Yet this is precisely the conceit of The Mage, a supernatural whodunnit that pairs the pungent outcast with a cynical police detective to make sense of a spate of gruesome deaths in Hong Kong. Beneath the grime is Josie Ho Chiu-yee. The billionaire heiress has long exhibited a fascination with the wealth spectrum’s lower end in the stylised horror films produced by her own studio, 852 Films, having... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369798/mage-review-josie-ho-scavenges-lost-souls-supernatural-detective-thriller?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369798/mage-review-josie-ho-scavenges-lost-souls-supernatural-detective-thriller?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Oct 2026 13:15:05 +0000 Wynna Wong Wynna Wong Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District is betting on property development to ease its financial pressures amid a widening operating deficit, but experts have warned that land sales will only provide temporary relief and cannot replace a sustainable long-term funding model for the arts hub. The warning comes as the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority prepares to tender a prime residential site in the first half of next year, a potentially lucrative project that property experts expect to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3369960/land-sales-offer-only-temporary-relief-west-kowloon-arts-hub-experts-warn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3369960/land-sales-offer-only-temporary-relief-west-kowloon-arts-hub-experts-warn?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:31 +0000 Gloria Tso Gloria Tso Formerly an associate at Joyce Wang Studio, interior architect Ella Bridgland now heads up her own firm, Studio Ella, which she started in 2022. Bridgland relocated to Hong Kong in 2017 after having worked for some of London’s most prominent design and architecture firms and has since carved out a niche for herself in the city’s design scene, specialising in high-end residential and boutique commercial projects. Beyond offering bespoke furniture design, art advisory and interior architecture... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/lifestyle/design/article/3369807/meet-ella-bridgland-founder-studio-ella-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/lifestyle/design/article/3369807/meet-ella-bridgland-founder-studio-ella-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak While cinemas worldwide have suffered waves of closures over the past decade, Hong Kong’s longest-running art house theatre has bucked the trend. As Broadway Cinematheque celebrates its 30th anniversary, shifting audience preferences appear to be playing to its strengths. In November 1996, Broadway Cinematheque (often simply called BC) opened in Kowloon’s Yau Ma Tei district as one of Hong Kong’s few cinemas screening international films that would not otherwise make it onto the city’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369767/how-broadway-cinematheque-hong-kongs-longest-running-art-house-cinema-thriving-30?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369767/how-broadway-cinematheque-hong-kongs-longest-running-art-house-cinema-thriving-30?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 23:15:05 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 1/5 stars A fine line separates a labyrinthine murder thriller from an infuriatingly fragmented mess. With Mastermind, emerging Hong Kong writer-director James Hung Ling-ching (The Seventh Lie) crosses it with reckless abandon, delivering a detective mystery with such irredeemably awful plotting that genre fans will rarely have felt so insulted. Set over a single, relentlessly storm-soaked night in H City – a fictional, dystopian metropolis of 5 million starved of proper rule of law – the film... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369912/mastermind-review-louis-koo-plays-detective-ludicrously-bad-hong-kong-mystery-thriller?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369912/mastermind-review-louis-koo-plays-detective-ludicrously-bad-hong-kong-mystery-thriller?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 10:15:05 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu During a whirlwind September press tour in Thailand, Josie Ho Chiu-yee cuts a glamorous figure at the centre of the Bangkok International Film Festival, where she even receives a royal souvenir from Thailand’s Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi, a prominent patron of Thai cinema. But what Ho, a daughter of the late Macau casino magnate Stanley Ho Hung-sun, has come to promote is much darker and grittier: her latest feature, The Mage. As both lead actress of the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369749/why-josie-ho-diving-back-macabre-her-new-horror-crime-thriller-mage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369749/why-josie-ho-diving-back-macabre-her-new-horror-crime-thriller-mage?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2026 08:15:05 +0000 Alice Wu Alice Wu One of Hong Kong’s top high schools made the mistake of apparently banning Cantonese from graduation videos. Only English and Mandarin were permitted, according to “language standards” issued to Form Six students. The guidelines said that if Cantonese was detected in video submissions, the audio would have to be muted and sound effects redone. A post on the matter quickly went viral last month, a backlash erupted and the authorities stepped in. Good Hope School acted swiftly, activating its... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3369580/hong-kong-can-speak-better-mandarin-not-expense-cantonese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3369580/hong-kong-can-speak-better-mandarin-not-expense-cantonese?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Christie’s auctioneer Rupert Banner leans forward with practised showmanship as bidding stalls on a rare Yongzheng bowl near New York’s iconic Rockefeller Centre. He pauses as if willing offers from thin air, scanning dozens of in-person buyers and phone banks connecting with China, London, Texas. It will be a bad look if the frenzy abates for this delicate peach-decorated bowl highlighted on Christie’s glossy Chinese sale catalogue and online advertising. But bidding soon resumes with a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3369654/chinese-art-takes-long-march-home-us-museums?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3369654/chinese-art-takes-long-march-home-us-museums?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Oct 2026 14:00:12 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis It is easy to misremember the Hong Kong New Wave of the late 1970s and 80s. Nearly five decades after its inception, that iconic chapter in the city’s cinema history is generally thought of as a socially inclined art-house movement that addressed everyday issues – a stark contrast to the martial arts films that dominated the local box office at the time. While partially true, viewing New Wave films merely as local iterations of 1960s and 70s rarefied European art-house cinema misses the mark.... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369332/how-hong-kong-new-wave-directors-hijacked-martial-arts-and-crime-films-make-art?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369332/how-hong-kong-new-wave-directors-hijacked-martial-arts-and-crime-films-make-art?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:15:07 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Thousands of Hongkongers, domestic helpers and tourists have taken advantage of the extended lantern show in Victoria Park as the National Day “golden week” holiday began in mainland China. Many people arrived early at sunset on Thursday to avoid the huge crowds that had previously gathered for the International Lantern Spectacular, organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, which has attracted more than 500,000 visitors since its debut in September. Before many of the lanterns were turned on in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3369474/extended-victoria-park-lantern-show-attracts-thousands-national-day?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3369474/extended-victoria-park-lantern-show-attracts-thousands-national-day?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:41:16 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 3.5/5 stars Philip Yung Tsz-kwong’s Cyclone is an alternately transgressive and lyrical drama charting the sexual escapades of a transgender woman fleeing her traumatic past. The film takes its name from the protagonist’s chosen alias – a literary allusion that may enlighten and confuse audiences in equal measure. It references Cyclone Mei, a fabled villainess from Louis Cha Leung-yung’s wuxia epic The Legend of the Condor Heroes. Forged by a tragic childhood into a ruthless killer, she is the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369188/cyclone-review-philip-yungs-transgender-drama-bold-lyrical-and-utterly-divisive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369188/cyclone-review-philip-yungs-transgender-drama-bold-lyrical-and-utterly-divisive?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Sep 2026 10:15:05 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak After months of speculation, the independent, non-profit art institution Para Site – which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year – has formally announced its departure from Quarry Bay on Hong Kong Island, where it has been based for more than a decade. It will be adopting a fully nomadic model as a response to the evolving arts ecosystem, says its executive director, James Taylor-Foster, who joined Para Site in May. “When Para Site moved into Quarry Bay in 2015, it was a completely different... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3369006/hong-kong-art-space-para-site-leave-its-quarry-bay-home-11-years-and-go-nomadic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3369006/hong-kong-art-space-para-site-leave-its-quarry-bay-home-11-years-and-go-nomadic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Sep 2026 07:53:20 +0000 Kate Chan Kate Chan Whether he is commuting to work or meeting clients, 31-year-old Hong Kong architect Bryan Hui always has a plush toy keychain of Chiikabu – a beetle-like creature from the popular Japanese anime Chiikawa – hanging from his black backpack. Beyond its cute appearance, Hui is drawn to Chiikabu’s backstory as a conflicted character who practises self-restraint out of loyalty to his friends. “I carry it with me because it makes me feel comforted and healed,” he said, adding that he owns nearly 50... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3366444/hong-kong-men-turn-plush-bag-charms-self-expression-comfort?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3366444/hong-kong-men-turn-plush-bag-charms-self-expression-comfort?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Sep 2026 10:00:07 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak The grimy basements of underground punk music and the pristine white walls of contemporary art galleries are usually opposing forces of the creative world, but to Janice Laujan – the screaming, growling frontwoman of Hong Kong cult band David Boring – they are simply different mediums through which she gets to “have a public breakdown”. “Performance is the only time I can be completely honest about something and project a very intense part of my personality,” says the Hong Kong artist. “It’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3368266/hong-kong-rocker-janice-laujan-her-dark-disturbing-tender-debut-art-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3368266/hong-kong-rocker-janice-laujan-her-dark-disturbing-tender-debut-art-show?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Sep 2026 08:15:05 +0000 Wynna Wong,Ambrose Li Wynna Wong,Ambrose Li In the second of a two-part series on Hong Kong’s economic transformation, Ambrose Li and Wynna Wong profile three established enterprises that have rejuvenated their brands and reinvented their businesses. Read part one here. Late into the night, Hong Kong football fans in their twenties, thirties and forties sat in Lin Heung Lau restaurant on Wellington Street watching World Cup matches over dim sum rather than pints at a sports bar. The historic restaurant, traditionally associated with... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3368912/how-hong-kongs-old-businesses-are-adapting-new-times?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3368912/how-hong-kongs-old-businesses-are-adapting-new-times?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Sep 2026 01:00:09 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung In 2024, French artisanal cookie company Sucré did a four-day pop-up in Hong Kong. The response was overwhelming, says Louise Lui, the brand’s Hong Kong-born co-founder. “There was already a queue forming outside 25 minutes before us selling,” she says. “And then I was just like, ‘Oh my God, how do you know about us?’” When developing recipes for the pop-up, Lui and her French partner in life and business, Victor Selle, wanted something that would bridge cultures. They landed on familiar Asian... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3368775/hong-kong-born-cookie-brand-founder-brings-flavours-her-youth-small-town-france?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3368775/hong-kong-born-cookie-brand-founder-brings-flavours-her-youth-small-town-france?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Sep 2026 10:15:05 +0000 Zabrina Lo Zabrina Lo https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3369492/hong-kongs-female-lantern-artisan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3369492/hong-kongs-female-lantern-artisan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak This is the 86th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Few figures are as synonymous with Hong Kong horror films as Helena Law Lan, who has been a household name for over half a century. Unlike the typical “scream queens” who gain popularity playing damsels in distress, 91-year-old Law has been the city’s on-screen spirit medium for over three decades and for years served as Hong Kong theme park Ocean Park’s Halloween... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3368350/how-91-year-old-helena-law-lan-became-hong-kong-cinemas-grand-dame-horror?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3368350/how-91-year-old-helena-law-lan-became-hong-kong-cinemas-grand-dame-horror?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Sep 2026 04:15:06 +0000 Cannix Yau Cannix Yau From moongazing and picnics to bus rides and a lantern extravaganza, the Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong has plenty of activities for everyone. This year the festival falls on September 25, a Friday, with the following day designated as a public holiday in Hong Kong. The South China Morning Post rounds up Mid-Autumn Festival offerings. 1. What are the highlights at night? At Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, the Hong Kong Tourism Board has organised the city’s first International Lantern... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3368553/moongazing-bus-tours-how-celebrate-mid-autumn-festival-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3368553/moongazing-bus-tours-how-celebrate-mid-autumn-festival-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Sep 2026 14:54:04 +0000 Charmaine Mok Charmaine Mok As symbolic of the Mid-Autumn Festival as the legend of Chang’e and the Jade Rabbit, mooncakes have a history dating back centuries, with their first mention during the Song dynasty (960-1279) in author Wu Zimu’s Dreaming of Grain. Early mooncakes were a far cry from the creative and intricate designs we see today. The rudimentary cakes were flat and round, with a thin outer crust and fillings such as lotus seed paste or the auspicious five kernels. During the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368),... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3368460/history-mooncake-moulds-and-their-designs-and-those-preserving-craft?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3368460/history-mooncake-moulds-and-their-designs-and-those-preserving-craft?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Sep 2026 04:59:27 +0000 Zabrina Lo Zabrina Lo While mass-produced Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns of every size, shape and style can be bought with a single click these days, a dedicated few in Hong Kong are defying the fast consumerism trend by keeping the objects’ traditional craftsmanship alive. Among them is Hong Kong fashion designer and lantern artisan Wan Wong, 52, who spends hours every year crafting traditional bamboo, wire and cellophane lanterns by hand. Lanterns remain a cherished centrepiece of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a Southeast... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3368319/how-mid-autumn-festival-lanterns-are-traditionally-made-and-artisan-defending-craft?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3368319/how-mid-autumn-festival-lanterns-are-traditionally-made-and-artisan-defending-craft?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Sep 2026 10:15:04 +0000 Phoebe Amoroso Phoebe Amoroso With its dark-wood-furnished interior that is part-boutique, part-workshop and part-cafe, there is a lot to notice about Urushi to Hibi in Tokyo. The daily line of customers outside the door, however, is mostly here for one thing: its Hong Kong-style milk tea. Behind the counter, the three co-founders – Lei Shengyu, Zhang Qingyue and Ji Qiuzi – work tirelessly, alternating between taking and prepping orders. On this day, Ji is making the milk tea, face full of concentration as he strains it... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3367719/how-hong-kong-style-milk-tea-shop-tokyo-has-customers-queuing-out-door?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3367719/how-hong-kong-style-milk-tea-shop-tokyo-has-customers-queuing-out-door?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2026 23:15:04 +0000 Edith Lin Edith Lin A leading Hong Kong secondary school has expressed regret and withdrawn guidelines accused of banning Cantonese from graduation videos after the policy sparked controversy. Good Hope School issued a public statement on Monday evening, saying it had heard concerns from the wider community and had “fully and formally withdrawn” the guidance paper for next year’s Form Six graduation class video. “Good Hope School wishes to state unequivocally that it has never been our ethos to constrain the mother... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/education/article/3368290/hong-kong-school-withdraws-cantonese-graduation-video-guideline-after-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/education/article/3368290/hong-kong-school-withdraws-cantonese-graduation-video-guideline-after-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2026 13:45:10 +0000 Vincent Leung Vincent Leung “Photography is a universal language that transcends the barriers of culture and time.” These wise words from Fan Ho perfectly encapsulate the premise of a new exhibition celebrating his poetic camerawork at the Palazzo Falletti di Barolo in Turin, Italy. A Baroque noble residence might not be the first place that comes to mind when looking to discover Ho’s mid-20th century Hong Kong compositions, but the show invites viewers to look beyond the obvious and make connections to those scenes from a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3368204/fan-hos-poetic-photos-mid-20th-century-hong-kong-show-unlikely-place?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3368204/fan-hos-poetic-photos-mid-20th-century-hong-kong-show-unlikely-place?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2026 09:20:52 +0000 Ambrose Li Ambrose Li Hong Kong Ballet will relocate to the city’s first dedicated dance art venue for at least five years, starting in April 2027, according to the institution and the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD). The move to the “Dancehouse” at the soon-to-be-finished WestK Performing Arts Centre will follow the ballet company’s departure from its base of 16 years at the government-run Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui. An announcement last December that the city’s flagship ballet company would be departing... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3368224/hong-kong-ballet-move-citys-first-dedicated-dance-venue-2027?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3368224/hong-kong-ballet-move-citys-first-dedicated-dance-venue-2027?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2026 07:30:07 +0000 Lisa Cam,Ashlyn Chak Lisa Cam,Ashlyn Chak In the first instalment of a four-part Health Matters series on traditional Chinese medicine, Lisa Cam and Ashlyn Chak explore how a new generation of health-conscious youth is discovering century-old leung cha and helping neighbourhood tea shop owners safeguard a dying trade. Long before modern chain pharmacies and over-the-counter painkillers were readily available in Hong Kong, there were leung cha: intensely bitter herbal “cooling teas” brewed in massive brass cauldrons in traditional... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3367808/guide-hong-kongs-bitter-herbal-teas-and-how-gen-z-reviving-health-tradition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3367808/guide-hong-kongs-bitter-herbal-teas-and-how-gen-z-reviving-health-tradition?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2026 11:00:07 +0000 Theodora Yu Theodora Yu Hong Kong’s education authorities have urged a local secondary school to review its arrangements for events after a post alleging the school banned Cantonese in graduation videos sparked outrage online. In a response to the South China Morning Post on Sunday, the government said the school had activated its crisis management team to follow up on the issue and sent an email to all teachers and students to clarify the matter. “The Education Bureau has urged the school to review the relevant event... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3368157/hong-kong-school-told-review-rules-after-outrage-over-cantonese-ban-videos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3368157/hong-kong-school-told-review-rules-after-outrage-over-cantonese-ban-videos?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2026 10:57:57 +0000 Hu Chao Hu Chao In late August, I took my parents to see Once Upon a Time in the Middle East in their small-town cinema on the mainland. Built around an unnamed conflict widely understood to be the US-led Iraq war, the film has become the kind of phenomenon no marketing budget could buy, projected to reach 2.5 billion yuan (US$372.5 million) largely through word of mouth. Its Hong Kong and overseas release will revive geopolitical arguments over a Chinese commercial film entering a narrative world long... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3367565/what-hong-kong-cinema-can-take-away-popular-chinese-war-film?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3367565/what-hong-kong-cinema-can-take-away-popular-chinese-war-film?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Sep 2026 01:30:05 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis For decades, Hong Kong’s film industry has cultivated an extraordinary roster of female screen warriors, defying the city’s historically conservative gender roles. From 1960s icon Cheng Pei-pei – known as the “Queen of Swords” – to the globally recognised Michelle Yeoh, the city’s male-dominated studios have consistently given women the chance to fight just as hard as the men in their fabled martial arts films. This offers an interesting comparison to Hollywood. The United States has produced... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3367658/cheng-pei-pei-michelle-yeoh-hong-kong-cinemas-history-action-heroines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3367658/cheng-pei-pei-michelle-yeoh-hong-kong-cinemas-history-action-heroines?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Sep 2026 04:15:05 +0000 SCMP Style Reporter SCMP Style Reporter The Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers’ Contest (YDC) has always been a barometer of the city’s creativity: a place to test ideas under runway lights. This year’s finale was held on September 5 during the closing of Centrestage – Asia’s premier annual fashion event hosted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) – and saw 10 emerging local designers respond to the theme “You” with collections rooted in memory and experience. The top prize went to Tsui Ao-lung for The Tide, a collection... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/fashion/fashion-news/article/3367707/style-edit-ydc-2026-spotlights-hong-kongs-fashion-trailblazers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/fashion/fashion-news/article/3367707/style-edit-ydc-2026-spotlights-hong-kongs-fashion-trailblazers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Sep 2026 02:00:11 +0000 Zabrina Lo Zabrina Lo “When you’re my age, you start to think about legacy,” says 79-year-old Fredric Mao Chun-fai, a Hong Kong theatre veteran behind many of the city’s original stage productions and a pioneer in connecting the local theatre industry to the world. This month, he launched the Mao Chun-fai Performing Arts Charity Foundation to further talent development, research and creation across Hong Kong’s theatre landscape. The foundation aims to: nurture the next generation of theatre talent and develop... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3367573/hong-kong-theatre-legend-fredric-mao-launches-foundation-boost-citys-performing-arts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3367573/hong-kong-theatre-legend-fredric-mao-launches-foundation-boost-citys-performing-arts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Sep 2026 11:15:05 +0000 Gigi Wong Gigi Wong Hong Kong is famous for its elevated walkways, which dot the city from Tsuen Wan to Mong Kok to Central, forming a sprawling pedestrian network built out over many decades. The newest addition to this network is the Amoy Footbridge in Kowloon Bay, which provides a roofed connection between the HK$4.1 billion East Kowloon Cultural Centre, Amoy Plaza mall, residential developments The Aperture and Amoy Gardens, and Kowloon Bay MTR station. Built by Hang Lung Properties as a community investment... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/special-reports/article/3367679/kowloon-bays-new-amoy-footbridge-set-draw-neighbourhood-closer-together?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/special-reports/article/3367679/kowloon-bays-new-amoy-footbridge-set-draw-neighbourhood-closer-together?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Sep 2026 06:28:41 +0000 Enid Tsui Enid Tsui There has been much hyperventilating over two recent controversies at M+, Hong Kong’s museum of visual culture. The first was a series of mahjong social nights charging museum members and patrons up to HK$2,500 (US$319) for a package including an exhibition tour, a meal and social tile-shuffling in the members’ lounge. Mahjong may have had a Chinamaxxing makeover in the West, but in Hong Kong, the game is still considered a tad unwholesome for a museum even when no money changed hands. Frankly,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3366824/hong-kongs-contemporary-artists-deserve-bigger-stage-its-museums?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3366824/hong-kongs-contemporary-artists-deserve-bigger-stage-its-museums?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Sep 2026 08:30:05 +0000 Jing Zhang Jing Zhang Can Hong Kong realise its ambition as a premier fashion hub in Asia? The answer may have lain in this year’s Hong Kong Fashion Fest. The annual festival’s third edition – organised by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency under Hong Kong’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau – runs from September 1 to 14, featuring independent designers, international labels, retailers, manufacturers and sustainability advocates. Centrestage, one of Asia’s premier annual fashion showcases and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3366730/hong-kong-wants-be-asias-next-fashion-hub-event-could-help-make-it-happen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3366730/hong-kong-wants-be-asias-next-fashion-hub-event-could-help-make-it-happen?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Sep 2026 04:45:05 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung Veteran Hong Kong actor and filmmaker Simon Loui Yu-yeung, better known to fans as the “King of Ghosts” for his prolific work in horror films, has died at the age of 62. Long-time friend and fellow actor Frankie Ng Chi-hung revealed to reporters on Friday that Loui’s wife, TV and radio personality Ma Li, had confirmed the filmmaker had died in a hospital in Guangzhou on Monday after losing his battle with gastric cancer. “The family hoped to stay low profile. There was no big announcement,” Ng... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3367244/rest-eternal-peace-veteran-horror-actor-filmmaker-simon-loui-dies-age-62?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3367244/rest-eternal-peace-veteran-horror-actor-filmmaker-simon-loui-dies-age-62?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Sep 2026 12:21:11 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung This is the 85th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. For lovers of Cantopop music, Wyman Wong Wai-man is a pre-eminent architect of modern Hong Kong’s emotional landscape. Through the classic songs he has written for top singers from Eason Chan Yick-shun to Miriam Yeung Chin-wah, the 57-year-old has chronicled the loves and heartbreaks of a generation. Yet to define him strictly as a lyricist is to ignore a sprawling, multi-hyphenate... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3366866/how-cantopop-lyricist-wyman-wong-pushed-hong-kongs-lgbtq-style-and-emotional-boundaries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3366866/how-cantopop-lyricist-wyman-wong-pushed-hong-kongs-lgbtq-style-and-emotional-boundaries?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Sep 2026 10:15:06 +0000 Lisa Cam Lisa Cam The elements play a powerful role in the eighth month of the Year of the Fire Horse, with a surge of metal energy bringing clarity to some zodiac signs and obstacles to others. Read on to see how feng shui master Andrew Kwan predicts these shifting elements will affect your career, romance and well-being – and where you should exercise caution. Rat (1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020) This month will generally be favourable for those born in the Year of the Rat. The flowing metal... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/chinese-zodiac/article/3367035/year-horse-2026-eighth-month-predictions-all-12-chinese-zodiac-signs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/chinese-zodiac/article/3367035/year-horse-2026-eighth-month-predictions-all-12-chinese-zodiac-signs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Sep 2026 23:15:05 +0000 Emily Hung,Denise Tsang,Simpson Cheung,Matthew Cheng,Orange Wang,Danny Mok Emily Hung,Denise Tsang,Simpson Cheung,Matthew Cheng,Orange Wang,Danny Mok Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong’s first chief executive who oversaw the city’s 1997 return to Chinese rule, has died. According to a statement from his office issued in the early hours on Wednesday, he died on Tuesday at the age of 89, surrounded by his loved ones. It is understood that he died at the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital. Tung was also a vice-chairman of China’s top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. In this live blog, the South China Morning... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3366843/tributes-pour-hong-kong-mourns-death-tung-chee-hwa-first-chief-executive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3366843/tributes-pour-hong-kong-mourns-death-tung-chee-hwa-first-chief-executive?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Sep 2026 02:07:50 +0000 Aidyn Fitzpatrick Aidyn Fitzpatrick When the Belt and Road Initiative is discussed, the imagery is often concrete: ports, railways, motorways and transmission lines. But across Hong Kong, a parallel form of connectivity is playing out in galleries, concert halls, classrooms and studios. At the Hong Kong Palace Museum, visitors have been encountering thousands of years of Chinese art and history alongside “Ancient Egypt Unveiled: Treasures from Egyptian Museums”, which brought 250 objects from Africa to West Kowloon. In September,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/special-reports/article/3366771/hong-kongs-belt-and-road-cultural-exchange-builds-ties-beyond-railways-and-ports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/special-reports/article/3366771/hong-kongs-belt-and-road-cultural-exchange-builds-ties-beyond-railways-and-ports?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Sep 2026 22:30:09 +0000 Eric Jiang Eric Jiang The Hong Kong Heritage Museum is reviving its tribute to late singer-actor Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing three years after its first iteration, marking what would have been the Cantopop icon’s 70th birthday with rare items from private collections, stage costumes and other exhibits. The “Miss You Much. Leslie 70th Birthday. Exhibition” runs from September 9 this year to May 10, 2027, at the museum in Sha Tin. Admission is free for the event, which is being presented by the Leisure and Cultural... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3366775/gold-jacket-purple-trousers-hong-kong-celebrates-leslie-cheungs-70th-birthday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3366775/gold-jacket-purple-trousers-hong-kong-celebrates-leslie-cheungs-70th-birthday?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:10:36 +0000 Letters 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. The Tourism Board’s new “Only in Hong Kong” campaign gets something right. Rather than leaning on mega-events and headline attractions, it turns its attention to Hong Kong experiences that are authentic and distinctive: tram rides, neighbourhood streets, dai pai dong, wet markets... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/letters/article/3366208/are-we-preserving-hong-kong-tourists-come-here?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/letters/article/3366208/are-we-preserving-hong-kong-tourists-come-here?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Sep 2026 03:30:07 +0000 Oscar Liu Oscar Liu Anita Lee Yan-kwan grew up around a traditional business that supplied fish balls to Hong Kong’s street food stalls and eateries. But for decades, Kau Kee Food Factory’s signature product was known only among industry operators until Lee, a second-generation owner, opened the company’s first retail store late last year. Kau Kee has operated as a silent giant in the food industry for 66 years, supplying its fish balls to nearly 1,000 eateries and snack stalls across the city. But it finally... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3366433/after-66-years-kau-kees-first-shop-offers-fish-balls-every-hongkonger-has-eaten?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3366433/after-66-years-kau-kees-first-shop-offers-fish-balls-every-hongkonger-has-eaten?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Sep 2026 03:00:15 +0000 Fiona Sun Fiona Sun A sea wall at a popular selfie spot on Kennedy Town’s waterfront could soon gain grade two status after Hong Kong authorities proposed listing it as a historic structure, although experts say creative storytelling will be key to bringing the site’s heritage to life. According to a document from the Antiquities and Monuments Office, the Historic Buildings Assessment Panel recommended that the New Praya sea wall be given grade two status following an assessment. Subject to members’ endorsement,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3366341/hong-kong-proposes-grade-2-heritage-status-kennedy-town-selfie-spot-sea-wall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3366341/hong-kong-proposes-grade-2-heritage-status-kennedy-town-selfie-spot-sea-wall?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Sep 2026 06:27:29 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis While Western exploitation films of the 1960s and 70s – gory, sex-crazed shockers such as Herschell Gordon Lewis’ Blood Feast (1963) and Russ Meyer’s Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965) – were largely confined to low-rent drive-in cinemas, Hong Kong took a decidedly different approach. The introduction of the Category III rating in 1988 gave rise to an adults-only genre that did not just lurk in the underground – it conquered the mainstream. Although local martial arts films had been marketed... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3365830/how-hong-kongs-category-iii-adult-films-made-sex-and-gore-mainstream-1990s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3365830/how-hong-kongs-category-iii-adult-films-made-sex-and-gore-mainstream-1990s?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2026 23:15:06 +0000 Theodora Yu Theodora Yu Inside a pre-war building in the heart of Hong Kong’s busy Wan Chai, coffee, curios and Cantopop are now the fresh attractions breathing new energy into a historic pawn shop that closed its doors two years ago. As the nostalgic tunes of late Cantopop legend Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing spin on vinyl and fill the air, curious passers-by step inside to see the shop – located in the venerable tong lau or tenement building – that has been granted a new lease on life. Built in 1924, the four-storey... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3366250/historic-hong-kong-pawn-shop-gets-new-lease-life-vibrant-community-space?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3366250/historic-hong-kong-pawn-shop-gets-new-lease-life-vibrant-community-space?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2026 10:23:24 +0000