Advertisement
Advertisement
TOPIC

History

History
The latest news, analysis and opinion on History. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
The Petronas Twin Towers and other commercial buildings as seen from KL Tower in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Reviving Kuala Lumpur: can Malaysia modernise without pricing out its past?

Urban renewal aims to regenerate the capital’s historic core, but polish and authenticity don’t always share the same street.

Lessons from China's history

Reflections | How Chinese emperors’ birthdays became national holidays celebrated by all

Timepieces

Why collectors are buying rectangular watches again

Science

China sends archaeologists to South America to trace ancestral links

Joint project with Peru will start with field surveys in the Caral zone, which is home to the oldest known urban centre in the Americas.

videocam
The team will soon start work in the Caral archaeological zone in Peru’s Supe Valley. Photo: Shutterstock
Malaysia

Islamic university sacks professor who claimed Malays could fly

Solehah Yaacob went viral with her pseudo-history claims. She is fighting against her dismissal.

videocam
9
China’s narrative war

Gaokao reforms could leave Chinese vulnerable to pseudo-history, academic warns

University dean’s cautionary words come as Beijing is increasingly on guard about historical views at odds with the official line.

videocam
4
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Deng Xiaoping

Letters | Deng Xiaoping’s philosophy worth recalling in a global economy in transition

Readers remember the late Chinese leader’s contributions on his birth anniversary, and reflect on recent dog-related incidents.

A photograph of Deng Xiaoping during his southern tour in 1992 is projected on a large screen during a performance celebrating the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, at the National Stadium, in Beijing, China, on June 28, 2021. Photo: Simon Song
Art

The Buddhist text in Taiwan said to bring lifetimes of luck with one glimpse

The Tibetan Dragon Canon, a huge 17th century scripture on show at Taiwan’s National Palace Museum, has set social media ablaze.

Lessons from China's history

Reflections | How Chinese society’s resilient moral framework has lasted nearly 3,000 years

The Zhou-dynasty ideals of family responsibility, propriety and self-cultivation remain woven into the very fabric of China today.

China’s internet censorship

China targets pseudo-history conspiracists who claim civilisations were stolen

Zhejiang agency says pseudo-historical claims – made worse by AI – reflect ignorance and fracture social cognition.

videocam
The Acropolis in Athens. A social media account linked to a Chinese provincial government has criticised pseudo-historical theories denying the existence of figures such as Aristotle. Photo: EPA
Accidents and disasters in China

Blackout at Terracotta Army museum prompts cultural safety review in China

Museum-goers used phone flashlights to continue viewing exhibits inside the pitch-black hall at historic Xian site after power outage.

videocam
Visitors to the Terracotta Warriors museum in Xian, Shaanxi province, had their experience disrupted by a power outage on August 4. Some visitors said they were denied a refund. Photo: Xinhua
US-China relations

Daughter of ‘Chinese Schindler’ protests use of his legacy to sell homes

Manli Ho condemns real estate site for invoking her father’s rescue of Jews to promote US$40,000 houses in his Chinese hometown.

South Korea

South Korean star Ha Young sorry for row over ancestor’s pro-Japanese ties

The actress’ agency confirms her great-grandfather, Ahn Sang-ho, was listed as a councillor of a pro-Japanese association in 1916.

4
Science

Why were there no teeny-tiny dinosaurs like we have with mammals and birds?

New research investigates why there were never any dinosaurs the size of, say, a mouse, and it seems like mammals could be to blame.

A model of a Microraptor (front) is wheeled out for display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The crow-sized Microraptor was one of the smallest-known dinosaurs, weighing about 430 grams. Photo: Reuters
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Even Confucius was buff? How ancient China prized strength and fitness

The gentle philosopher was said to possess extraordinary strength, while Chinese military officers long had to pass tough physical tests.

Health and well-being were important in ancient China, while impressive muscles were, at most, a welcome side effect. Photo: Shutterstock
China’s Communist Party

Open Questions | Wang Gungwu on lessons of Chinese history and Cold War

Historian says the past holds the keys to the future, both for Chinese as they seek further socioeconomic progress and for US as it looks to undermine China.

videocam
China-Japan relations

‘Ghosts of the 20th century’: how China and Japan clash over post-WWII narrative

In quest to win trust of Asian neighbours, Beijing is intensifying its rhetoric against Tokyo’s changing defence posture.

videocam
61
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Chinese culture

The Chinese sex worker who built an empire in America’s Old West

Ah Toy rose from new immigrant to madam running a chain of successful brothels, fighting racism, sexism and the authorities on the way.

Olivia Cheng (right) plays pioneering Chinese madam Ah Toy in the US martial arts crime drama series Warrior. Ah Toy was the first recorded Chinese sex worker in San Francisco, who went on to own a chain of successful brothels. Photo: HBO Max
Climate change

Infographic: a powerful new El Nino cycle begins. Is the world ready?

Discover the history and science behind El Nino, the ‘Pacific fever’ that turbocharges extreme weather globally.

Britain

As I see it | How ‘evil’ was the British Empire? Centuries of theft and destruction

From Indian colonisation to the opium trade, an empire of avarice and brutality was powered by the East India Company.

151
Hong Kong society

From meteorites to Monet: Shenzhen’s new museums draw Hongkongers beyond dining

Museum-goers say Shenzhen’s new cultural venues offer exhibitions and scale hard to find in Hong Kong.

The Shenzhen Natural History Museum boasts 35,200 square metres of exhibition space. Photo: Elson Li
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | As Jolie-Pitt kids change their surname, why ancient Chinese did the same

From an emperor who demanded no one share his surname to personal protection and punishment, the reasons for name changes in China were many.

Angelina Jolie with her and Brad Pitt’s daughter Vivienne Jolie-Pitt at the Tony Awards at New York’s Lincoln Centre on June 16, 2024. Several of Jolie and Pitt’s children recently announced their decision to drop Pitt from their surname, following their parents’ drawn-out divorce, which was finalised in 2024. Photo: Getty Images/TNS
United States

As I see it | Despite immense power, the US delivers neither butter nor bullets

While Americans know they can’t get the welfare benefits they need, their leaders must realise their military can’t give them world domination.

videocam
5
Accidents and disasters in China

On This Day | 1976 earthquake in China’s Tangshan kills over 240,000 people – SCMP archive

On this day 50 years ago, the deadliest earthquake in recorded history razed the mining town of Tangshan in China’s Hebei province.

Fashion

The pinstripe suit is having its biggest moment in years

Sombr chose Valentino for the Met Gala, Kristen Stewart wore Tom Ford, and Nick Jonas suited up for Milan Fashion Week in Ralph Lauren Purple Label.

Harry Styles at the Brit Awards 2026, and Ryan Gosling at the March Project Hail Mary premiere in London. Both decided to go for pinstripes. Photos: Film Magic, Getty Images
Thailand

Thailand monastery added to Unesco heritage list, boosting tourism hopes

The Phra Mahathat monastery, the site has served as a regional Buddhist centre since its founding in the 8th century, according to Unesco.

Visitors walks inside Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, a 13th-century Buddhist temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat city, Thailand, on July 3. Photo: AP
Animals

Rare snake fossil offers new insight into the reptiles’ early evolution

One of the best-preserved early snake fossils, the Tametara mirim fossil dates back around 75 to 85 million years to the Cretaceous Period.

Japan

Unesco adds ancient Japanese capitals Asuka, Fujiwara to World Heritage list

With the addition, Japan now has 22 cultural and five natural World Heritage sites.

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