https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/330164/feed en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Dancers at Shanghai Ballet Company have started training again after an extended Lunar New Year break. But the coronavirus outbreak means their pirouettes and plies won’t look the same. https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/china/masked-ballet-dancers-shanghai-pirouette-and-plie-amid-coronavirus-epidemic/article/3052036 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/china/masked-ballet-dancers-shanghai-pirouette-and-plie-amid-coronavirus-epidemic/article/3052036 Mon, 24 Feb 2020 12:15:33 +0000 Demand for delivery services has surged across China as the coronavirus outbreak has forced millions to stay home, creating temporary jobs that are being filled by those put out of work by closures. https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/china/e-commerce-companies-china-offer-temporary-jobs-thousands-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/article/3050191 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/china/e-commerce-companies-china-offer-temporary-jobs-thousands-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/article/3050191 Wed, 12 Feb 2020 12:25:40 +0000 A pod of false killer whales swam through Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour in January. Experts from Hong Kong Dolphinwatch said they seem to be false killer whales. https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/china/false-killer-whales-spotted-swimming-through-hong-kongs-victoria-harbour/article/3047103 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/china/false-killer-whales-spotted-swimming-through-hong-kongs-victoria-harbour/article/3047103 Wed, 22 Jan 2020 09:23:56 +0000 Hong Kong malls were the target of "Christmas shopping" protests on Sunday.  After more than 6 months of demonstrations, the city had seen a relatively calm period, but on this day riot police once again entered shopping malls after businesses were vandalized. Multiple arrests were made and there was a heavy police presence on the streets. Rallies from both sides of the divide took place near each other in the early afternoon. Thousands attended a pro-police rally and hundreds of social workers... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/society/hong-kong-experiences-christmas-shopping-protests-and-pro-government-rally/article/3042214 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/society/hong-kong-experiences-christmas-shopping-protests-and-pro-government-rally/article/3042214 Mon, 16 Dec 2019 09:41:16 +0000 Hundreds of thousands of Hongkongers took to the streets on December 8, 2019, the day before the six-month anniversary of the anti-government protests. For the first time since August, the Civil Human Rights Front, the organizer of the march, received a letter of no objection from the police. https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/politics/hundreds-thousands-joined-hong-kongs-first-march-approved-police-august/article/3041185 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/politics/hundreds-thousands-joined-hong-kongs-first-march-approved-police-august/article/3041185 Mon, 09 Dec 2019 10:26:51 +0000 Training with swords and machetes, these nuns from Druk Amitabha Mountain Nunnery in Nepal are challenging gender stereotypes with martial arts. Watch the video, above, to see them in action. https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/society/himalayan-nuns-practice-kung-fu-break-gender-stereotypes/article/3039856 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/society/himalayan-nuns-practice-kung-fu-break-gender-stereotypes/article/3039856 Fri, 29 Nov 2019 11:49:34 +0000 Thousands of protesters marched through the streets of Hong Kong over the weekend. Many wearing masks, they defied a new anti-mask law introduced by the city’s leader, who invoked emergency powers as demonstrations grew increasingly violent. https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/hong-kong-protesters-defy-anti-mask-law-weekend-marches/article/3031834 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/hong-kong-protesters-defy-anti-mask-law-weekend-marches/article/3031834 Mon, 07 Oct 2019 11:10:16 +0000 For the first time in 12 weekends of anti-government protests in Hong Kong, a police officer fired a warning shot during clashes with demonstrators on Sunday. Earlier in the day, police also deployed water cannons for the first time, threatening to use them in order to disperse hundreds of protesters who had occupied a road following a march. https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/politics/shot-fired-and-water-cannon-deployed-police-and-protesters-clash-hong-kongs-western-new-territories/article/3024329 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/politics/shot-fired-and-water-cannon-deployed-police-and-protesters-clash-hong-kongs-western-new-territories/article/3024329 Mon, 26 Aug 2019 08:02:36 +0000 Residents in China’s southwestern city of Chongqing were filmed eating spicy hotpot in an manmade ice cavern during a heatwave last month. People in their winter coats sat around the tables and enjoyed the ‘coolest’ summer. https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/china/chongqing-residents-eat-hotpot-ice-cave-during-heatwave/article/3023663 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/china/chongqing-residents-eat-hotpot-ice-cave-during-heatwave/article/3023663 Wed, 21 Aug 2019 10:27:22 +0000 Chinese snuff bottles are called "bottles painted by ghosts."  This is because the delicate designs are carefully painted on the inside of the small bottles. Snuff bottles have been used to hold smokeless tobacco since the 17th century, but this niche craft is in danger of disappearing. Artists are trying to revive it by using popular culture, including children’s cartoon character Peppa Pig. https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/arts/can-peppa-pig-help-revive-traditional-chinese-inner-painting-industry/article/3022531 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/arts/can-peppa-pig-help-revive-traditional-chinese-inner-painting-industry/article/3022531 Tue, 13 Aug 2019 12:57:32 +0000 A runaway ostrich recently startled rush-hour commuters as it sprinted through busy roads in Shiping County in China’s southwestern province of Yunnan.  The 6ft 7in tall ostrich ran wild for about half an hour on August 2, 2019, before its owner managed to recapture the pet bird. https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/society/runaway-pet-ostrich-sprints-down-through-streets-southwestern-china/article/3022394 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/society/runaway-pet-ostrich-sprints-down-through-streets-southwestern-china/article/3022394 Mon, 12 Aug 2019 12:11:11 +0000 A Chinese paper-cutting master, Yang Caixia, has made nine gowns out of red paper. All the dresses are decorated with traditional lucky patterns, and have their own matching headpieces. Paper-cutting is one of the oldest traditional Chinese artforms, and declared by the United Nations as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/arts/incredible-paper-gowns-made-paper-cutting-master/article/3020779 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/arts/incredible-paper-gowns-made-paper-cutting-master/article/3020779 Wed, 31 Jul 2019 13:26:14 +0000 There were plenty of smiles and cake at a birthday party for 18 panda cubs in southwest China on July 25, 2019. The event was held to celebrate the pandas’ first year of life. It also showcased the success of conservation work done at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan province. https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/society/birthday-party-18-baby-pandas/article/3020634 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/society/birthday-party-18-baby-pandas/article/3020634 Tue, 30 Jul 2019 10:32:11 +0000 A fungus believed to have healing properties – and is more valuable than gold – is becoming harder to come by in the Kunlun mountains in western China. For people in those mountains, their living depends on finding the prized fungus, cordyceps. But researchers say that rising temperatures have made the fungus harder to grow in recent years. Watch the video above to see how a changing climate is affecting the fungus and its harvesters. https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/society/wonder-fungus-cordyceps-disappear-chinese-mountains-amid-warming-climate/article/3017099 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/society/wonder-fungus-cordyceps-disappear-chinese-mountains-amid-warming-climate/article/3017099 Wed, 03 Jul 2019 09:38:12 +0000 Hong Kong has long been known as the “Pearl of the Orient,” and until the late 17th century enjoyed a 1,000-year-old reputation for wild pearl harvesting. But overfishing and market forces have stood in the way of sustaining a modern pearl industry in the city. Now a Hong Kong University biologist has found a way to use cutting-edge technology to help pearl harvesters save time and avoid having to crack oysters open to check them. The researcher, Yan Wa-tat, hopes his solution could help... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/science/hi-tech-revival-hong-kongs-pearl-orient-heritage/article/3013961 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/science/hi-tech-revival-hong-kongs-pearl-orient-heritage/article/3013961 Tue, 11 Jun 2019 03:48:07 +0000 2030: the year China has committed to reach peak emissions. No country emits more greenhouse gases today than China, the world’s most populous nation and its second-largest economy. But as the world’s largest emitter, the country has also pledged to take a key role in responding to climate change. To that end, China has committed to mitigation measures set out in the 2016 Paris climate agreement, targeting to reach peak emissions levels by 2030 and reducing them after that. It’s also been... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/science/inkstone-index-chinas-emissions-peak/article/3000508 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/science/inkstone-index-chinas-emissions-peak/article/3000508 Thu, 17 Jan 2019 10:31:44 +0000