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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 Hong Kong Academy of School Managers holds an event on traditional Chinese costume and calligraphy at Maryknoll Secondary School in Sau Mau Ping on July 9, 2023. Some of the most significant changes in the Chinese language shaped by foreign influences have occurred not in vocabulary but in the grammar and sentence structures that shape how Chinese is written and spoken. Photo: Sam Tsang
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

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Food and Drinks

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

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.

Illustration: Craig Stephens
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.

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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.

Weiqi, better known in the West by its Japanese name, go, is played by two opponents using black and white stones on a board marked with a 19-by-19 grid, creating 361 intersections. Its history dates back more than two millennia. Photo: vvoe/Shutterstock
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.

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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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
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.

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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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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.

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.

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.

In ancient China, societal norms dictated that women should remain outside the sphere of knowledge. However, two remarkable women challenged these boundaries. Photo: Handout
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.

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.

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