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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.
August 2026, the Fire Monkey month, is all about transformation. Illustration: SCMP Graphics
Horoscopes

What’s your luck like in August 2026, the Fire Monkey month? Predictions for health, money and love

The Monkey – with famous examples like Celine Dion and Justin Timberlake – possesses a strong drive, but as we enter autumn, the stars are urging us to pause and reflect.

Chinese history

China challenges Western ‘tribute system’ theory in push for narrative control

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China's economic recovery

How China’s Zhangjiajie aims to revive a US$296 million loss-making tourist site

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Architecture and design

How the Shenzhen Natural History Museum was designed to reflect its landscape

The architects behind the new museum talk about the Shenzhen landmark’s unique design that reflects its green and water-edged location.

The free-flowing curves of the Shenzhen Natural History Museum mirror the local river systems and surrounding hills. Photo: Adam Mork
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Even Confucius was buff? How ancient China prized strength and fitness

The gentle philosopher was said to possess extraordinary strength, while Chinese military officers long had to pass tough physical tests.

Cantonese

Want to learn Cantonese? These influencers are sparking a Canto revival

Influencers like Uncle Donnie, Andrew Bui and Mihi Matshingana are connecting a Cantonese-speaking diaspora and inspiring learning.

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Chinese history

As I see it | The world that made Confucius – and the China he made

China’s most enduring philosophical tradition didn’t merely revere the past; it drew upon history to construct the future.

A statue of Confucius dominates the landscape in Qufu, his birthplace, in today’s Shandong province. Photo: Xinhua
Chinese overseas

The Chinese sex worker who built an empire in America’s Old West

Ah Toy rose from new immigrant to madam running a chain of successful brothels, fighting racism, sexism and the authorities on the way.

China consumption

In Focus | ‘Quiet luxury’: why premium Chinese consumers are embracing home-grown brands

A growing number of local brands are winning over premium consumers who prize craftsmanship, innovation and a high‑value sense of luxury.

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Mainland China

VIP, APP, PPT: Are English abbreviations harming China’s cultural confidence?

Commentators worry that loanwords are becoming too common, especially for new tech, leaving no space for Chinese to grow.

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As new technologies enter everyday speech, they tend to circulate as an English word and a formal Chinese name without ever settling into common Chinese equivalents. Photo: Shutterstock
Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Back to Love: the Teochew romance that led to smash hit Dear You

Exploring family dynamics and modernity in a heartfelt Teochew romance, Lan Hongchun’s Back to Love charms with its cultural themes.

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(From left) Lu Shan, Zheng Runqi and Zhong Shaoxian in a still from Back to Love.
Asian diaspora

Opinion | Why global migration data should recognise subgroups like the Teochew

Until our data systems see past broad labels like Asian or Chinese, and recognise subgroups, our picture of global migration is incomplete.

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Asia travel

Why Singapore’s record-breaking giant fire dragon goes up in smoke every 3 years

Unlike other dragon dance traditions, one Singaporean temple’s fire dragon exists within a cycle of creation, sacrifice and renewal.

Food and Drinks

Why this Chengdu restaurant was city’s first to make the Asia’s 50 Best list

Chinese ingredients meet French flair at one-Michelin-star Co, a five-table restaurant in Sichuan’s capital run by Yang Jin and You Meiyi.

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Food and Drinks

‘We were just 2 kids’: how Hong Kong Gen Z pair started Chinese wine business

Anson Sik and Edson Bichon’s Purple Rain Wine is bringing Chinese natural wines – many from obscure vineyards – to drinkers in Hong Kong.

Purple Rain Wine founders Anson Sik (left) and Edson Bichon make a toast. The Gen Z entrepreneurs founded their company to bring Chinese natural wines to drinkers in Hong Kong, and to tell the stories behind the bottles. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | As Jolie-Pitt kids change their surname, why ancient Chinese did the same

From an emperor who demanded no one share his surname to personal protection and punishment, the reasons for name changes in China were many.

Food and Drinks

10 great early-bird mooncake deals for Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong

Lock in your order now to enjoy discounts from top hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants and other recommended outlets.

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High Jewellery

De Beers Group unveils its Desert diamonds campaign in Shanghai

The Shanghai event drew top retailers like Chow Tai Fook and Chow Sang Sang, alongside global diplomats and influencers.

Shi Wei, China’s first F1 Academy driver, stars in the Desert diamonds campaign for De Beers Group. Photo: Handout
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

Eva Che draws on her Chinese heritage and luxury experience for her catering brand whose clients have included Saint Laurent and Adidas.

US-China relations

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

Historians trace how US hopes of trade, reform and friendship gave way to rivalry with the power it once sought to transform.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
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.

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.

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama visited a Shaolin Temple in Zhengzhou, China, last June. Photo: @wemby/Instagram
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.

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