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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.
During the Ming dynasty, individuals sentenced to flogging could hire substitutes, known as Qingshou, to endure the punishment for a fee. Photo: SCMP composite/Sohu
Trending in China

Ancient Chinese sentenced to flogging could hire others to take punishment for fee

Brutal centuries-old penal system saw lawbreakers beaten to death with iron-wrapped hammer fitted with barbs.

Trending in China

Jar burials: a glimpse into ancient China’s compassion for infant deaths

China society

As I see it | Rescuing a key Confucian text from centuries of ignominy

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Lessons from China's history

Reflections | What an exiled royal’s plea to Chinese emperor can teach Iran’s Reza Pahlavi

A Persian prince’s attempts to restore his family’s throne from abroad highlight how political legitimacy is tough to forge in faraway lands.

Reza Pahlavi, the exiled former crown prince of Iran, calls for regime change in Iran in Washington in 2026. For years, he has sought to cast himself as a unifying figure for opponents of the Islamic Republic. Photo: EPA
China economy

Editorial | China’s ‘two sessions’ passes smoothly despite global turmoil

As long as China focuses on economic development, Hong Kong can leverage its unique strengths to seize opportunities.

Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Modern Singapore knows that vigilance is key. So did an ancient Chinese minister

Wei Jiang of the state of Jin epitomises the Chinese idiom ‘in times of peace, think of danger’ – something Singapore follows closely today.

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China society

Opinion | Why a TV hit in China about waging peace resonates so deeply

Swords into Ploughshares can tell us a lot about Beijing’s approach to the crisis in Iran, cross-strait relations and this year’s ‘two sessions’.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | After Andrew’s arrest, how high-born criminals were treated in ancient China

The long-spoken Chinese maxim that nobles were punished like commoners when breaking the law is not upheld by history.

Asia travel

The Chinese city where waffles, watchtowers and world history meet

Guangdong’s ‘hometown of overseas Chinese’ is where architecture and cuisine created by returning émigrés reveal how culture flows both ways.

Lessons from China's history

Reflections | As Kim Jong-un grooms daughter to rule, a Chinese princess’s fatal ambition

Princess Anle’s radical petition to inherit the throne set in motion a chain of events that would see her decapitated in her own boudoir.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sits next to his teenage daughter, Kim Ju-ae, who is thought to be his likely successor as the country’s supreme leader. In ancient China, one princess with ambitions of ruling the country became a cautionary tale. Photo: EPA-EFE/KCNA
Trending in China

China ‘history fangirls’ visit mausoleums, write books, spark heritage tour boost

Devotees of historical figures make pilgrimages to ancient sites to pay tribute, but concerns mount over environmental pollution.

Chinese women are being increasingly drawn to historical figures, visiting their gravesites, writing books and buying related merchandise, revealing emotional dynamics and growing consumer interest in museum economies and historical tourism. Photo: SCMP composite/RedNote
US-China relations

Born in China, raised in US: adoptees explore their identity at Lunar New Year

Growing up Chinese-American has not been easy for LuLu Grant and Phoebe McChesney, both wanting to fit in, while never too far from the past.

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Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Visit to Singapore’s Chinatown reveals the surprising roots of Buddhist deities

Many Chinese might not know that Buddhist deities like Ne Zha, Sun Wukong and Yanluo Wang are reimaginings of Hindu gods.

Science

How did a prized red gemstone reach the ancient, mysterious Shu kingdom?

The presence of the warm, reddish-orange mineral in the Bronze Age archaeological site of Sanxingdui has long puzzled archaeologists.

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A visitor views the “Ancient Shu Civilisation of the Sanxingdui and Jinsha Sites” exhibition at the National Museum of China in Beijing on January 18. A Chinese team says it has solved some mysteries related to crimson beads found in Sanxingdui. Photo: Xinhua
Crime in China

China’s Nanjing Museum scandal probe uncovers historic mismanagement, corruption

Museum admits to ‘systemic problems’, pledges reform after ‘severe’ damage caused to image of cultural and museum industry.

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Investigators looking into practices at Nanjing Museum in eastern Jiangsu province carried out 1,100 interviews and reviewed 65,000 archival documents. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Science

How old is Chinese civilisation? A scholar says it really dates back 8,000 years

Leading scholar’s argument stretches the timeline back beyond the widely accepted figure of 5,000 years.

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Lessons from China's history

Reflections | What do common Lunar New Year snacks in China, Singapore and Malaysia symbolise?

Lunar New Year treats in China vary from those in Singapore and Malaysia, for which some question whether they are truly ‘Chinese’.

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Art

The unicorn has been revered for 4,000 years. It still has us under its spell

From ancient Indus Valley seals to Starbucks cups, the unicorn has long served as a symbol of magic and hope.

Posties 27 Feb 2013. Features_Fantasy landscape with unicorn and a big moon Shutterstock Stock Photo: Image ID: 106687580 __One time use only
China economy

Opinion | US-China rivalry: great powers that don’t make things won’t be great for long

As globalisation falters, it is countries that focus on building productive capacity, not financial excess, that will come out on top.

Lessons from China's history

Reflections | How Chinese new year cards went from elites’ greetings to bribery instruments

Wishing someone a happy new year was a highly formal affair among people of status in imperial China and some cards were even collected.

Science

Composite tool find puts China in tech revolution up to 160,000 years ago: paper

Team says discovery of 2,600 stone tools, including hafted tools, reshapes understanding of human evolution in eastern Asia.

A new paper published in Nature Communications says the presence of hafted stone tools among discoveries in China shows “an understanding of how to enhance tool performance”. Image: Handout
Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Gezhi Town: Chinese war drama with Xiao Zhan dares to entertain

Civilians try to fend off Japanese soldiers in this thrilling drama that focuses on character dynamics rather than patriotic grandstanding.

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Xiao Zhan in a still from Gezhi Town (category IIB, Mandarin), co-starring Peng Yuchang and Zhou Yiran, and directed by Kong Sheng.
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Was Chinese princess sent to marry a Malaysian sultan a real person?

Hang Li Po’s 15th-century marriage allegedly sealed Malacca and China’s friendly relations. Proof of her existence is scant. Does it matter?

Chinese culture

Why Asia’s historic Silk Road should have been called the ‘Horse Road’

It was China’s desperate need for good warhorses that spawned history’s most famous trade network, animals it paid for in silk and then tea.

Interiors

This refurbished home is a love letter to old Shanghai

A Hong Kong designer transforms his late aunt’s flat with 1930s East-meets-West glamour.

An old Shanghai-style flat. Photo: courtesy hoo
Chinese culture

World’s first Chinese rosewood cello stars in Hong Kong exhibition

Made over six months from a 200-year-old piece of Chinese rosewood, or huanghuali, the cello is now on show at Sheung Wan’s Liang Yi Museum.

The Chinese rosewood cello that stars in “The World’s First Huanghuali Cello” is seen at the exhibition at the Liang Yi Museum in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. The exhibition, which runs until January 28, showcases the masterpiece alongside other items made from Chinese rosewood. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Chinese culture

This remote Chinese minority uses horsetail hair to create beautiful embroidery

A craft passed down for thousands of years, the horsetail embroidery of China’s Shui people is deemed a local intangible cultural heritage.

Science

Chinese team restores legendary Tang dynasty ‘golden’ armour from Tibetan tomb

Tomb’s occupant confirmed to be a Tuyuhun king and the golden armour is likely to have been among his prized possessions, conservators say.

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