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Chinese culture

Chinese culture
Latest news and updates on Chinese culture including the country’s traditions, food, values, history and festivals.
A selection of wild honeys from Honey On Road, a brand that sources the sticky substance from China’s Yunnan province. Its founder, Liu Kai, is on a mission to educate Chinese consumers about natural honey and the bees and landscapes that produce it. Photo: Liu Kai
Food and Drinks

Bitter, earthy, herbal: why wild Chinese honey has chefs buzzing with excitement

Wild natural honey from Yunnan province and beyond is becoming a favourite among food professionals looking for flavours besides sweet.

Food and Drinks

This chef turns down-to-earth Cantonese recipes into luxury diasporic gastronomy

US-China relations

How America’s 250-year China dream became its greatest strategic challenge

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Food and Drinks

Celebrity chef Hugo Leung, aka To To, on the road to becoming a ‘Gourmet God’

Leung wasn’t always a ‘Gourmet God’ – as an apprentice, he was expected to clean woks, sharpen knives and even wash his master’s underwear.

Hugo Leung (left) at his Tai Wing Wah Restaurant in Yuen Long, Hong Kong, in 2007. He shares his journey from chef apprentice to celebrity. Photo: Dickson Lee
China society

Being Chinese | The self-sacrificing Chinese mother I never wanted to become

By always stepping in, I enabled my husband to step back. But the consequences of years of unequal parenting became impossible to ignore.

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Lessons from China's history

Reflections | When Chinese emperors and prime ministers fell out, the results could be deadly

Imperial China relied on officials to run government affairs under the emperor, but as history shows, this power dynamic was a fragile one.

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Science

Letters | China’s Mazu system is a win for climate adaptation and cultural heritage

Readers discuss Chinese names for scientific projects, why ride-hailing cars pose a problem for Hong Kong, and the quality of teaching at universities.

Pilgrims carry a sedan chair holding a statue of Mazu, the sea goddess, during a ceremony in 2023 in Ningde, Fujian province. It is fitting that a modern weather warning system designed to protect lives should carry the name of a guardian long associated with the sea. Photo: VCG via Getty Images
Health & Fitness

Explainer: How to train at a Shaolin kung fu centre, like Victor Wembanyama

The San Antonio Spurs star and YouTube sensation IShowSpeed have both travelled to China to experience Shaolin martial arts – here is how you can do it too.

Food and Drinks

‘Piece of history’: old cookbook exhibition traces Hong Kong’s culinary past

‘Treasured Recipes’ at PMQ Taste Library features food-themed books and magazines spanning decades to show how the city’s food scene evolved.

Artificial intelligence

Can this AI-powered Chinese astrology platform shake up the industry?

Singapore-based astrologer Sean Chan trained Tian Qi on over 9,000 of his own consultations. But not all his peers are so keen on using AI.

Singapore-based astrology Sean Chan uses his AI-powered Chinese metaphysics reading platform Tian Qi. Photo: courtesy of Sean Chan
Chinese history

How Chinese pirate queen Ching Shih ruled the South China Sea in the 1800s

Ching, aka Zheng Yi Sao, became China’s most successful pirate during the Qing period, building a fearful empire that terrorised the region.

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An illustration depicts Ching Shih (right) during a swordfight. Chinese pirate factions were paralysed by infighting in the early 19th century, but Ching and her husband Zheng Yi unified them under a confederation.
Wellness

How tai chi energises these Chinese retirees: ‘everyone’s health has improved’

Tai chi practitioners at Beijing’s Temple of Heaven talk about learning the ancient Chinese practice and how it benefits health and spirit.

Food and Drinks

China’s regional cuisines: survival strategies written in flavours

From Sichuan’s humidity to the Dongbei deep freeze, Chinese food isn’t about taste, it’s about not dying. A journey through five cuisines that reveals how geography shaped what a billion people eat.

Food and Drinks

US$1,100 for 1kg? Hunting the wild mushrooms of Yunnan

In China’s wild-mushroom capital, there are more than 1,000 species of edible varieties, and many are highly prized in Chinese dishes.

Ganbajun, Jianshouqing and Songrong, some of many mushrooms grown in Yunnan. Photos: Hong 0871
Food and Drinks

Meet the Chinese-Indonesian baker transforming Mumbai’s bread scene

Shannen Alexandra talks about overcoming injury to bake for Mumbai-based Mag St. Bread Co. and how her breads and pastries honour her past.

Chinese-Indonesian chef Shannen Alexandra is the head baker for Mag St. Bread Co. in Mumbai, India. She talks about her culinary journey, how her heritage inspires her pastries, and developing breads using Indian grains. Photo: Shannen Alexandra
Chinese zodiac predictions

Is the Year of the Horse’s sixth 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.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Kung Fu Soccer: Stephen Chow loses his touch with Shaolin Soccer spin-off

Dilraba Dilmurat and Zhang Xiaofei lead a team of female football martial artists in Chow’s film that falls far short of its 2001 predecessor.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Slowly but surely, China’s soft power is making itself felt

With trusted businesses, more openness, creative culture and inspiring sporting successes, China is building a foundation for influence.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Food and Drinks

All about Walovi, the Erling Haaland-promoted Chinese herbal drink

The Norwegian footballer has brought the drink into the spotlight – but what exactly are the benefits of this nearly 200-year-old brand?

Books and literature

‘I never felt ready’: author on finally writing her Chinese grandmother’s story

Elizabeth Lim reveals why it took her 10 years to write Fishbone Cinderella about her grandmother’s journey from Hong Kong to San Francisco.

Food and Drinks

New generation of grill masters: why people are joining China’s barbecue academy

China’s first dedicated barbecue school offers its students a sizzling opportunity to become grill masters and entrepreneurs.

A trainee makes barbecue skewers at Yueyang Barbecue Academy in Yueyang, in China’s Hunan province. With China’s economy slowing and well-paying jobs in traditional sectors harder to come by, interest in joining the academy is high. Photo: AFP
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | A history of Chinese fans and how they kept people cool in summer

Fans have long been used in China for cooling and cooking and as artistic status symbols. We look at the tool’s reinvention over 3,000 years.

A folding fan painted by Chinese artist Yu Feian (1889-1959) at an auction preview at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2010. As well as helping to beat the summer heat, fans have been used in China for centuries to mark status and as works of art. Photo: Sam Tsang
History

Being Chinese | In China, I found pieces of history waiting to be carried forward

My family’s history had travelled across the Pacific, leaving gaps that descendants on both sides are still working to fill in.

Food and Drinks

Best things to do in Wuhan, China’s breakfast capital - revealed in a new light

Hubei’s eclectic capital on the Yangtze River is famous for its hearty breakfast food and many lakes. Here’s how to spend a weekend there.

Chinese zodiac predictions

Horoscopes: what does July 2026, Wood Goat month, hold for your zodiac sign?

It’s a time of intense summer heat and Wood Goat energy, calling for protection against ‘damp’ imbalances – so what does July hold for your sign?

What’s your luck like in the current Goat month, according to Chinese astrology? Illustration: SCMP Graphics
Food and Drinks

On the Menu | It’s goodbye to chef Vicky Lau’s Tate Dining Room, but not for long

Hong Kong’s Tate Dining Room, which has closed its Hollywood Road space and will reopen nearby, has felt like a steady presence in the past 14 years.

Tate Dining Room in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. The restaurant helmed by chef Vicky Lau closed in June 2026 and will reopen at a nearby address later in the year. Photo: Tate Dining Room
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

6 surprising facts from Jet Li’s new book, including his near-death moment

From his many names to dishwasher woes, Beyond Life and Death shares things about the Chinese martial artist fans may not have been aware of.

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Mainland China

Video | How a Chinese indie film conquered the box office

Lan Hongchun’s story about love, loyalty and immigrant struggles has struck a chord with the overseas Chinese diaspora, topping the box office with US$290 million.

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