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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.
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
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.

Trending in China

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

Chinese culture

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

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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.

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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.

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.

In some regions of China, a so-called lying flat day once a year, is a ritual based around the legend of an ancient goddess, is thought to bring good luck. Photo: Getty Images
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.

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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Descendants of Chinese railroad workers gather during a ceremony for 12,000 Chinese immigrant labourers who worked on the Central Pacific Railroad between 1865 and 1869 being inducted into the Labor Hall of Honor, at the Department of Labor, in Washington DC, on May 9, 2014. Photo: Xinhua
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.

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
Trending in China

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

In ancient times, fame was cultivated in streets, restaurants, poetry circles, where beauty and talent transformed poets, performers into icons.

Trending in China

Chinese scientists suggest harsh environments foster early human creativity

The research unveils a more intricate narrative of innovation, intelligence, and human evolution in East Asia.

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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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Trending in China

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.

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
Trending in China

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.

China ancient texts depict magical mirrors akin to a CT scan, vivid wooden puppets and early notions of robots. Photo: Baidu
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.

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.

The pre-Chinese New Year rush at the Kowloon-Canton Railway terminal in Hung Hom, in 1978. Photo: SCMP Archives
Trending in China

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.

Trending in China

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.

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