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Visitors walk by the mass grave of the victims of the Khmer Rouge regime next to a memorial stupa filled with victims’ skulls at the Choeung Ek killing field in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo: AP
Cambodia

Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge sites join Unesco’s World Heritage list

Three torture and execution sites, including the famous ‘Killing Fields’ Choeung Ek, have been added to the list of heritage sites.

Hong Kong housing

Walk through history at soon-to-be-demolished Hong Kong sea-view public estate

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Lessons from China's history

Reflections | How fortune-telling decided vital affairs of state in ancient China

Australia

In US-China tug of war, Australia puts itself first

With one eye on the past and the other on the Asia-Pacific’s future, Australia’s prime minister is championing sovereignty in an uncertain age.

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Illustration: Huy Truong
Art

How incredible King Tutankhamen collection is being restored for new museum

From gilded coffins to golden amulets, many of the Grand Egyptian Museum’s items have not undergone restoration since their 1922 discovery.

Tourism

Take a bike trip along France’s west coast to discover its beauty and history

Enjoy great views and explore Nazi remnants from World War II on a ride along La Vélodyssée, the French section of the Atlantic Coast Road.

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Art

How a Hong Kong visit shaped prominent Aboriginal activist’s vision

Marcia Langton talks about being ‘of great fascination’ and her new exhibition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in Australia.

Marcia Langton is an Aboriginal activist and curator, who recently co-curated an art exhibition in Melbourne titled “65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art”. Photo: James Henry
First Mention

When Hong Kong got its first care home for mentally ill children

Plans for the Siu Lam Hospital for the Mentally Handicapped were revealed in 1968 and 4 years later the institution finally opened.

Art

How 20th-century Hong Kong and Guangdong art stood out from rest of China

A new exhibition at M+ features over 200 works by Cantonese artists as the Hong Kong-based museum addresses the region’s lineage and history.

European Union

Right-wing Croatian singer performs pro-Nazi salute with fans

One of Marko Perkovic’s most popular songs starts with the dreaded ‘For the homeland – Ready!’ salute, used by Croatia’s Nazi-era puppet Ustasha regime.

Fans of Croatian nationalist singer Marko Perkovic Thompson gather at the Zagreb hippodrome during a concert by the singer, in Croatia on Saturday. Photo: AFP
Singapore

How Singapore’s early leaders supported Lee Kuan Yew’s vision by challenging him

Former Straits Times editor-in-chief Cheong Yip Seng reflects on the quiet candour and firm convictions of Singapore’s pioneer generation.

Interview of Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew during a visit in Hong Kong, November 20, 1970. Photo: Handout
US-Asean relations

Asian Angle | What the Vietnam war can teach us about Trump’s Asia policy

The Vietnam war ended 50 years ago. Its complex legacy offers context for Donald Trump’s global trade and security shake-up.

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Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Like Iran today, China once had theocracies governed by divine rule

While emperors in Imperial China generally kept religion and governance separate, true theocracies could be found among breakaway regimes.

Asia travel

Spacia X offers a more luxurious ride to Japan’s history-laden Nikko

Home to some of the most impressive and storied shrines in Japan, many parts of Nikko remain off the beaten path, offering a unique experience to visitors.

The Golden Yomeimon Gate at Toshogu Shrine in Nikko, Japan. Photo: Shutterstock
Chinese culture

Why Japan’s largest Chinatown is unlike any other around the world

More tourist attraction for locals than Chinese enclave, Yokohama Chinatown still boasts a fascinating history full of upheaval and survival.

Yokohama Chinatown’s transformation from its migrant enclave roots to today’s tourist attraction is one steeped in history and culture. Photo: Getty Images
Fashion

Threads of gold: unravelling the enduring appeal of silk

La DoubleJ and Shanghai-based Ruohan Nie use silk in almost all their collections, while Zimmermann and Ralph Lauren also featured the fabric in recent shows.

Australia

Europeans committed genocide against indigenous Australians, inquiry finds

The explosive report details mass killings, forced child removals and cultural suppression, calling for government compensation.

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From our archives

In pictures: summer fun on the beach of Hong Kong’s Repulse Bay

Sun-drenched days at one of Hong Kong Island’s most popular beaches, as captured by South China Morning Post photographers over the years.

Water skiing skills on display in 1978. Photo: SCMP Archives
Serbia

Before Dracula: sleepy village stakes claim as home of ‘father of vampires’

Historical records detail villagers in Kisiljevo exhuming Petar Blagojevic, believing he rose from the grave to kill locals.

Japan

Afraid of no ghosts? Japan warms to ‘haunted’ homes with dark histories

Once shunned, ‘misfortunate properties’ – the sites of murders or suicides – are becoming hot commodities in Japan’s surging property market.

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Art

Striking Hong Kong neon show honours ‘heroes’ and one family’s legacy

Neon master Wong Kin-wah and his grandson have teamed up for an exhibition that blends traditional neon craftsmanship with modern artistry.

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“The Dragon Within,” pictured here as a works in progress, is by Hong Kong artist Jerry Loo. It was inspired by Chinese mythology and symbolises inner strength and self-mastery.
Hong Kong

How Girls with Guns movies made stars of Michelle Yeoh and Maggie Cheung

The armed-and-dangerous women genre of the 1980s and 90s was a rollicking roller-coaster during Hong Kong’s silver screen heyday.

Michelle Yeoh, one of the Girls with Guns genre’s early stars, in 1985 film Yes, Madam. Photo: D&B
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Unlike Trump, ancient China embraced foreign students, even made exams easier

As China has shown at various periods in its history, the greater a civilisation, the more open and magnanimous it is to foreigners.

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On Our Radar

‘Neon Heroes’ shines light on Hong Kong’s illuminated heritage

A grandfather-grandson exhibition celebrates the former’s contribution to the Hong Kong cityscape’s neon-lit heydays.

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong Palace Museum to host city’s largest showcase of Egyptian artefacts

Exhibition in November will feature items such as a 2.8-metre tall statue of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, mummified cats and coffins.

The exhibition in November will feature items such as mummified cats. Photo: Handout
From our archives

In pictures: how typhoons have wreaked havoc on Hong Kong through the decades

South China Morning Post photographers have captured the power and devastation of major storms through the years.

Typhoon Rose caused severe damage to a Hong Kong squatter area after making landfall on August 16, 1971, packing winds of up to 165km/h. Photo: SCMP Archives
Music

US$30 million Stradivarius viola may be the most expensive instrument ever

The 335-year-old Tuscan-Medici viola has been on loan to the US Library of Congress for decades, but now it has become a gift to the nation.

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Malaysia

‘Racist’ post against Malaysian Chinese general gets rebuke – from Islamist PAS

In his post, Zaharudin Muhammad wrote about a hypothetical scenario of Malaysia having its first Chinese prime minister in due course.

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