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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.
Wuhan’s skyline with the Yellow Crane Tower in the foreground with the Yangtze River behind it. Hubei province’s sprawling capital is known for its breakfast dishes, its natural water features and for being the historical heartland of China’s Chu people. Photo: Shutterstock
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.

Trending in China

What are the hidden Buddhist symbols in Chinese Da A Fu figurines

Art

What was it like to attend a Children’s Palace in socialist-era China?

Trending in China

Chinese horse-head discovery reveals ancient elite sacrificial rituals

The sacrifice was an elaborate procedure, indicating it was of utmost importance to the highest echelons of ancient society.

Archaeologists in Zhejiang have discovered a 2,800-year-old horse head sealed inside a pottery vessel at an Eastern Zhou dynasty ritual site. Photo: National Cultural Heritage Administration
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | As Europe bakes, how people in China kept cool before air conditioning

As temperatures soar, our columnist takes his cue from premodern Chinese, who used clothing, food and even a Chinese mantra to beat the heat.

US-China relations

Opinion | What the US should learn from China’s 19th century decline

Every empire has its strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps the most important asset is understanding those of your adversaries.

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Trending in China

Carved in history: how dragon motifs tell the rise and fall of Chinese empires

Modern research reveals how imperial dragon artwork directly mirrored a regime’s strength and prosperity.

The traditional Chinese dragon motif embellishes countless objects, profoundly influencing the identity of ancient artefacts. Photo: SCMP composite/Wikipedia
Chinese culture

‘Cleverest woman that ever lived’: the rise of China’s Empress Dowager Cixi

Beginning royal life as a low-ranking concubine, Cixi controlled Qing-dynasty China for nearly half a century from behind the scenes.

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Lessons from China's history

Reflections | How the Chinese language has long been shaped by foreign influences

From Buddhism’s arrival in China to European exchange in the 1800s, external forces have left a mark on Chinese vocabulary and grammar.

US-China relations

Opinion | How Chinese philosophy influenced US founding fathers

From the Mandate of Heaven to the ‘pursuit of happiness’, the US and China share a rich intellectual tradition of ethical governance.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Food and Drinks

Bear’s paw, monkey brain? Not in this US$2,000 Manchu-Han banquet in Hong Kong

Chef who was part of the team behind the 1977 ‘imperial’ feast in Hong Kong is planning a modern interpretation, minus the taboo ingredients.

Dishes from Chinesology’s Tales of History tasting menu, which reimagines the legendary Manchu-Han banquet. Photo: Chinesology
Technology

Opinion | How the I Ching inspired modern computing and AI

The connection between Chinese civilisation and Western scientific thinking is far deeper and more intricate than commonly understood.

Chinese culture

As I see it | What the I Ching is really about

While it may depart from scientific axioms, readers can glean much about their circumstances by consulting the Book of Changes.

Lessons from China's history

Reflections | From Hong Kong to Singapore, how China’s Teochew have left an outsized mark

Hit Teochew family drama Dear You spotlights a Chinese community with a long, influential history and notable figures like Li Ka-shing.

Li Ka-shing meets the media at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai in January 2019. The multibillionaire tycoon is arguably the most well-known Teochew person in Hong Kong. Photo: Felix Wong
Food and Drinks

Think matcha is Japanese? Think again, says this Hong Kong tea brand

Hong Kong bar owner Gavin Yeung founded matcha brand Celadon after being ‘floored’ by its long history in China before reaching Japan.

The company uses powder from China’s Zhejiang province to spotlight the green tea’s true Chinese origins, which, the founders say, are contrary to “everything this generation knows about matcha”. Photo: Chloe Loung
Trending in China

Sips of history: how ancient Chinese brewing techniques shaped modern alcohol

Unopened 2,500-year-old bottle of liquor contains substantial volume of liquid, allowing researchers to analyse drink’s chemical composition.

Chinese culture

How a Chinese empress shaped her country without ever taking the throne

Empress Xiaozhuangwen secured power, averted crises and deposed enemies while raising and guiding China’s longest-serving emperor.

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Trending in China

Discovery of ancient Chinese anaesthesia reveals advanced early surgical practices

Researchers recently announced the discovery of Ming-era (1368–1644) topical anaesthetics, but how did they work.

The legendary doctor Hua Tuo, middle, from China's late Eastern Han dynasty (25-220) operates on a patient, performing a bold abdominal incision. Photo: bucm.edu
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | The history of weiqi, or go, Chinese board game dating back over 2,000 years

More popularly known as go – its Japanese name – weiqi has for centuries been embraced as a mark of cultivation and refinement.

Food and Drinks

What are alkaline rice dumplings, the Dragon Boat Festival sweet treat?

Alkaline rice dumplings, traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat or Tuen Ng Festival, boast a rich history that dates back to ancient times.

Asia travel

Best things to do in Wuxi, China’s lakeside city of gardens and sweet cuisine

Nestled on China’s Lake Taihu, Wuxi, with its industrial heritage, serene gardens, temples and decadent cuisine, is great for a weekend trip.

Tourists stroll around a historical district in Wuxi. The city on the shores of Lake Taihu in China’s Jiangsu province is known for its canals, temples, peaceful gardens and decadent cuisine that reflects its wealthy industrial past. Photo: Shutterstock
Art

At Art Basel Hong Kong, 3 artists reimagined the ancient art of Chinese ink

Xu Jiong, Chao Chung-hsiang and Tang Chang brought calligraphy and ink landscapes with Western sensibilities to the fair.

Untitled (Lotus) by Tang Chang demonstrates an abstract approach to traditional ink art imagery. Photo: Handout
US-China relations

How a US prosecutor’s private diaries documented Nanking Massacre evidence

Disclosure came ahead of Donald Trump’s high-stakes visit to China and amid Japan’s recent attempts to erode lessons of post-WWII tribunal.

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Trending in China

‘Sky breaks’: in China, lying flat can avoid bad luck; use ‘mending pancakes’

Ancient ritual based around a mythical mother goddess sees work of women in household celebrated; involves baking cakes.

Diplomacy

Opinion | Norman Bethune’s story still holds lessons for China-Canada relations

The Canadian doctor, hailed a hero in China, was driven by personal conviction; there are others today, tilling the soil of Sino-Canadian friendship.

A sculpture of Norman Bethune, a Canadian surgeon and communist, at the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing on August 31, 2025. Photo: Eugene Lee
Chinese culture

Who was Yang Guifei, the Chinese beauty blamed for toppling a dynasty?

One of ancient China’s ‘Four Beauties’, Yang besotted an emperor, was the target of a rebellion, and in death became a tragic romantic icon.

A painting depicts Yang Guifei being attended to by a court maid. The princess, regarded as one of the “Four Beauties” of ancient China, has gone down in infamy for contributing to the end of the Tang dynasty. But is this point of view fair? Photo: Handout
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Hong Kong principal’s Singapore disgrace highlights centuries-old standards

School heads in premodern China had to lead by example above all. More recently, principal Lee Cheuk-hing’s failure to do so cost him his job.

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China society

As I see it | How adversity has guided the path of Chinese civilisation through the ages

Recent findings by archaeologists suggest the push for innovative solutions is often borne out of the struggle to overcome severe challenges.

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