Advertisement
Advertisement
TOPIC

Chinese history

Chinese history
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Chinese history. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
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
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.

Art

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

US-China relations

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

videocam
16
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.

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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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.

videocam
5
A still from a viral video shows Hong Kong principal Lee Cheuk-hing exchanging heated words with security guards outside a venue during a school trip to Singapore. Lee tendered his resignation to the San Wui Commercial Society Secondary School in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong, after the incident sparked online outrage, but it was rejected; the school has instead opted to fire him.
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.

videocam
7
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.

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.

The platforms may have changed over the millennia, but fan culture in China has intensified and become even more emotionally charged. Photo by China Photos/Getty Images
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.

To survive harsh environments and support their communities, ancient humans developed group hunting and sophisticated tools. Photo: Wikipedia
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.

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.

Tavia Yeung (left) as Consort Wan Zhen’er in a scene from The Emperor’s Harem (2011). Wan Zhen’er rose from child servant to Emperor Chenghua’s beloved consort. Photo: Lafeng Entertainment
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.

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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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.

videocam
30
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.

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.

Chinese university plaques display calligraphic titles created by political leaders like Mao Zedong, reflecting both the country’s political history and cultural appreciation. Photo: Shutterstock
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.

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
Trending in China

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.

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.

videocam
(From left) Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner and David Niven in a still from 55 Days at Peking. The 1963 Hollywood epic about China’s Boxer rebellion looks the part with stunning sets, but ultimately casts China as a colonial outpost to be squabbled over by white people.
Trending in China

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
Trending in China

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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement