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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.
The Oriental Watch Company x Marian Ang exhibition will be held until May 10. Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Art meets horology at Oriental Watch Company’s exhibition

For Art Month in Hong Kong, the luxury watch retailer is partnering with local artist Marian Ang for a celebration of culture and craftsmanship.

China society

As I see it | Rescuing a key Confucian text from centuries of ignominy

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Fashion

In their words: Tania Mohan on the rise of Asian luxury brands in Hong Kong

Food and Drinks

How a Taiwanese chemist built a soy empire in Australia

Eric Hsu put his chemistry degree to good use, turning his garage-based business into one of Australia’s biggest makers of soy products.

King International co-founder and managing director Eric Hsu was born in Taiwan and worked as a chemist before immigrating to Australia in the 1980s. Photo: Eric Hsu
Icons and Influencers

Meet Marcelo Wang, the influencer teaching Rihanna phrases in Mandarin

The content creator boasts over 1 million followers on Instagram, just attended Milan Fashion Week – and speaks Portuguese, too.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Herman Yau transitioned from gory cult films to action blockbusters

Once known for Category III shockers such as Ebola Syndrome, Herman Yau has become the go-to director for action blockbusters.

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Year of the Horse 2026

SCMP cartoonist Harry Harrison’s Year of the Horse collection to be auctioned

Bidding for the eight original watercolour and ink works inspired by the Year of the Horse begins on March 13; prices start at HK$2,026.

The updated and official version of ‘Napoledon’s Hobby Horse’. Illustration by Harry Harrison.
Two Sessions 2026

How will Hong Kong follow mainland China’s ethnic unity promotion law?

Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress set to be passed at the closing session of 14th National People’s Congress.

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Cantonese

This Cantonese language course is 85% Mandarin speakers. Here’s why

Originally targeting heritage speakers, the University of British Columbia’s language programme is proving more popular among another group.

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Horoscopes

Horoscopes: what’s your luck like in March 2026, Metal Rabbit month?

While it’s an auspicious phase for most signs, especially the Goat, those with the Rabbit and Rat signs need to be cautious and careful.

How does the Metal Rabbit affect your luck this March? Illustration: SCMP Graphics
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

This Hong Kong martial arts movie pioneered the superhero team in Chinese cinema

The Five Venoms launched the iconic run of the Venom Mob, a group of actors brought together by Chang Cheh that appeared in various films.

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Lo Mang (left) in a still from Five Deadly Venoms, Chang Cheh’s 1978 film.
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Modern Singapore knows that vigilance is key. So did an ancient Chinese minister

Wei Jiang of the state of Jin epitomises the Chinese idiom ‘in times of peace, think of danger’ – something Singapore follows closely today.

Chinese zodiac predictions

A Gen Z take on the Chinese almanac? Grandma’s tear-off calendar goes digital

Feng Shui Calendar Widget developer Jingyi Ma reveals why her digital version of the Chinese almanac is about more than finding auspicious dates.

China society

Opinion | Quietly, steadily, animal rights campaigners are making headway in China

With national laws the ultimate goal, progress is being made, one local regulation and court case at a time.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Art

8 of the world’s most exciting art exhibitions to visit this March

Catch intriguing sculpture, paintings, photography and more at New York’s Guggenheim and MoMA, London’s National Portrait Gallery, and Hong Kong’s Palace Museum and M+.

Newspaper by Dirk Van Saene, one of the famous Antwerp Six who made a big splash in fashion and design 40 years ago, and whose collected works are now on show. Photo: Handout
TikTok

Language Matters | Gen Z loves ‘Chinamaxxing’, but where does ‘maxxing’ come from?

Chinamaxxing, lookmaxxing, moneymaxxing and gymmaxxing might be new terms, but the practice of ‘maxxing’ has been around for a while.

Year of the Horse 2026

What is the Lantern Festival? Plus 6 ways to celebrate it in Hong Kong in 2026

Marking the last day of Chinese New Year celebrations, the Lantern Festival has roots that stretch back more than 2,000 years.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Love ‘A Better Tomorrow’? The Hong Kong director and film that inspired it

Patrick Lung Kong was known for films that imparted moral lessons. We look at ‘The Story of a Discharged Prisoner’ and ‘Teddy Girls’.

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The Hong Kong Film Archive of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will commence another mini-showcase of “100 Must-See Hong Kong Movies” at North District Town Hall in November. Picture shows a film still of “A Better Tomorrow” (1986).
Performing arts in Hong Kong

Hong Kong group brings ancient Silk Road murals’ musical depictions to life

The Hong Kong Gaudeamus Dunhuang Ensemble’s musical compositions are inspired by ancient artworks from China’s Mogao Caves.

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History

How AI is helping bring Hong Kong history to life on Instagram and beyond

Cultural preservationists use generative AI to breathe life into photos from the past, but does this practice promote or distort history?

Lessons from China's history

Reflections | After Andrew’s arrest, how high-born criminals were treated in ancient China

The long-spoken Chinese maxim that nobles were punished like commoners when breaking the law is not upheld by history.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor sits in the back seat of a car after leaving Aylsham Police Station on February 19, 2026, the day he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Photo: Reuters
Food and Drinks

Why Hangzhou’s 2-Michelin-star Ru Yuan is ‘a restaurant unlike any other’

Ru Yuan’s chef Fu Yueliang shares why everything from local dishes to design at his restaurant is about transcending Song-dynasty tradition.

Ru Yuan’s signature braised pork belly and seasonal vegetables with soy sauce. At the restaurant in Hangzhou, China, chef Ru Yuan takes classic Zhejiang dishes and elevates them for modern diners. Photo: Ru Yuan
Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Scare Out: Zhang Yimou tackles national security in subpar Chinese spy thriller

A story of a mole inside a state security team in China, Scare Out is slickly executed but narratively muddled, and far from Zhang’s best.

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Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Trump is abducted by aliens and has Chinese ‘twin’ in chaotic Cantonese opera

Showing in Hong Kong, Trump on Show 4.0 combines political satire and surreal Sino-US commentary but feels like a ‘paper tiger’ with no bite.

Lunar New Year

Sharing the luck: inside Southeast Asia’s embrace of Lunar New Year

Malay and Indian households are increasingly embracing the festivities, tossing ‘yusheng’ and giving hongbao to show ‘unity in diversity’.

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The Lourdes family take part in the traditional “yusheng” toss on Lunar New Year’s Eve. Photo: Alyssa Ann Lourdes
Style Edit

Style Edit: L’ÉCOLE Asia Pacific’s new engagement ring course

Today, the engagement ring takes pride of place in Hong Kong alongside Chinese ceremonial gifts – L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts’ new course will offer a closer look.

L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts is offering a course on engagement rings in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How these 2 films became classics of Hong Kong’s Chinese folk opera cinema

Love Eterne and Dream of the Red Chamber are two very different ‘huangmei diao’ films from legendary Hong Kong director Li Han-hsiang.

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Social media

Ancient Chinese astrology gets a Gen Z rebrand in Southeast Asia

Forget rituals and superstitions, today’s young professionals are using ‘bazi’ 10-year luck forecasts to plan their next career pivot.

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