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Chinese history

Chinese history
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Chinese history. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
China is the world’s biggest producer and consumer of coal. Centuries of technological advancement have enabled more efficient mining, but sometimes tragedies remind us of the industry’s dangers. Photo: Shutterstock
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | After the Shanxi disaster, how China’s coal mining industry evolved over history

From bamboo ventilation systems to steam power and beyond, China now leads the world in producing and consuming coal, but dangers remain.

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Eat idol’s poems: ancient roots of China fan culture show extreme devotion to idols

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Chinese scientists suggest harsh environments foster early human creativity

China’s Communist Party

Video | How a rural French town became the cradle of Chinese communism

Late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping was among the many Chinese students who studied in Montargis in the early 20th century.

Late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping was among the many Chinese students who studied in Montargis in the early 20th century
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2 notable women in ancient China broke barriers in fields of medicine, science

Breakthrough by woman pioneer led to jail, execution for son who agreed with her decision to dissect her dead husband.

Chinese culture

The dark story of Consort Wan, 17 years older than the emperor who loved her

Wan Zhen’er became a beloved consort of Emperor Chenghua against all conventions, but records indicate a pernicious side to her tale.

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Lessons from China's history

Reflections | The earliest Chinese irons date back over 2,000 years. Here’s how they evolved

Long before electric irons, the Chinese had already developed sophisticated methods of pressing and smoothing garments.

Early Chinese irons used heated charcoal placed inside a bronze or iron container with a flat base. Photo: Getty Images
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Ancient Chinese texts show ‘immortal mirror’ linking to early notion of robots

Imagination and folk legend in imperial China came up with objects that could display people’s internal organs and a flying wooden magpie.

Chinese culture

Origin of Hong Kong’s ‘peace buns’, Cheung Chau Bun Festival’s iconic snack

‘Ping on bao’ are both happily eaten and the focus of the festival’s famous bun scrambling competition. One baker explains how he makes them.

Art

Soft Hours: artist Juno Shen’s Song dynasty teahouse for today’s New Yorkers

An ode to slow living that dovetails with ‘Chinamaxxing’ trends, the fully functional artwork/retreat serves teas that change according to the seasons in keeping with ancient Chinese beliefs.

Artist Juno Shen shows off her latest project, Soft Hours, a Chinese teahouse on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Photo: Handout
US-China relations

As I see it | China’s rise will turn Thucydides Trap on its head

New studies of the centuries-old Confucian order in East Asia show the country is, more than ever, committed to stability and peace.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump walk through Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing on May 15. Photo: Pool Photo via AP
From our archives

In pictures: crossing the Hong Kong-mainland China border through the decades

Discover how Hong Kong-mainland border crossings transformed from slow, queue-filled journeys in the 1970s to today’s seamless high-speed rail trips.

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Legacy in ink: how calligraphy links China’s political heritage to academia

Around 40 universities feature names inscribed by Mao Zedong, whose distinctive running script-style handwriting is widely recognised.

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Ancient China elites cooled off with ice, water fans; folks used bamboo pillows

Research based on historical inscriptions suggests that temperatures in ancient China often climbed to between 40 and 43 degrees Celsius.

Before air conditioning, ancient Chinese elites used water fans and ice to cool down in summer, while commoners relied on bamboo pillows and meditation. Photo: Sohu
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Ancient China laws punished men for crying; people writing badly made to drink ink

Official forms of discipline in imperial China could see lawbreakers’ hands cut off; eyebrows shaved or faces tattooed.

Ancient China had odd laws; for example, crying without reason could cost a man his hair and messy handwriting could lead to ink-drinking punishment. Photo: Wikipedia
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | How the Chinese did laundry before washing machines: ash ‘soap’, stone beatings

Before chemical detergents and modern equipment, Chinese people kept their clothes clean with little more than river water, wood and ash.

American cinema

How Hollywood turned China’s Boxer rebellion into a racist Western

55 Days at Peking (1963) paints the historical event as an Orientalist Alamo, while white actors ‘yellowface’ as the main Chinese characters.

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China emperors drank from mountain springs while commoners downed murky well water

In ancient times a simple drink was nothing of the kind; type of water consumed was thought to cause everything from baldness to tumours.

Nowadays drinking water is routine, but in ancient China emperors drank only from mountain springs and melted snow, while commoners used murky well water. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/dpm.org.cn
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What was Qing dynasty’s imperial yellow jacket, what it symbolised, why it mattered

Tradition had it that the colour meant the element earth, symbolising that ‘all land belongs to the king, and all people are his subjects’.

Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Succession struggles in China’s past echoed in Malaysia’s 2026 royal crisis

Disputes over Negeri Sembilan’s next royal ruler recall how succession in China often fused dynastic legitimacy with aristocratic elections.

Asia travel

Best things to do in China’s Nanjing, from food and architecture to history

Planning a weekend in Nanjing? Here’s an itinerary to consider for visiting the bustling metropolis in eastern China.

Jiming Temple rises above surrounding buildings in Nanjing. The ancient city, which has served as China’s capital at various points in history, is a feast for the senses. Here’s how to spend a weekend there. Photo: Shutterstock

Famous Chinese women in history

In ancient China, women were expected to be obedient and chaste. But throughout millennia, some dared defy traditions with their intellect and ambition. In this series, we profile some of the most powerful and enigmatic female figures in Chinese history.

Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history, reigned as a legitimate leader in China during the last 15 years of her life in her short-lived Wu Zhou dynasty (690-705). Photo: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Art

Gardens of China and Europe juxtaposed in spectacular Hong Kong exhibition

A new exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of Art features works including Monet’s water lilies and Qing dynasty masterpieces.

Chinese culture

Beautiful, power-hungry: how Wu Zetian became China’s only female emperor

A legitimate ruler for 15 years – but de facto leader for years more than that – Wu Zetian is remembered as a complex character.

Hong Kong culture

Editorial | Hong Kong’s efforts to commemorate Bruce Lee should pack bigger punch

While the latest move to honour the late kung fu star is welcome, more must be done to acknowledge his standing as a pillar of Hong Kong heritage.

Chinese-American martial artist and actor Bruce Lee is pictured during the early 1970s. Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Ancient Chinese sleep advice, from bedtimes and body positions to state of mind

For premodern Chinese people, sleep was much more than daily rest – it was a cultivated discipline and a medical necessity.

The ancient Chinese believed that the ideal sleep schedule followed nature’s rhythms, and rising early was prized. Photo: Shutterstock
Taiwan

Why Beijing now wants its spies executed in Taiwan back in the spotlight

Mainland China is seeing a surge in interest over ‘invisible martyrs’ such as Wu Shi, a KMT defector who was executed in Taipei in 1950.

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7,000 years of China stilted houses celebrate human ingenuity, offer insights

Elevated homes have been part of Chinese culture since earliest days, showcasing how intercultural interaction fuelled technology development.

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