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History

History
The latest news, analysis and opinion on History. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
The Shenzhen Natural History Museum boasts 35,200 square metres of exhibition space. Photo: Elson Li
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.

Lessons from China's history

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

United States

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

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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.

Survivors search for their loved ones and belongings on July 30, 1976 among the ruins in Tangshan City after an earthquake struck the city in the early morning of July 28, 1976. Photo: AFP
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.

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.

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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.

Our new paper is out! Meet Tametara mirim, a new fossil snake from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil. With this astonishing new discovery, we tried to settle the ecological origin of snakes, but we ended up finding an unexpected hidden neurological and ecological diversity! This was an incredible project of which to be part, with an awesome team involved, and I’m so incredibly happy it is finally published. Such an amazing opportunity for me to learn more about snake neuroanatomy. Also, let’s appreciate how tiny the fossil is! So cute
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.

Myanmar

‘Defanging’ Aung San: Myanmar’s generals wage war on memory

Removing statues of the country’s founding father appears aimed at stripping democratic legitimacy from his daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi.

US-China relations

How America’s 250-year China dream became its greatest strategic challenge

Historians trace how US hopes of trade, reform and friendship gave way to rivalry with the power it once sought to transform.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | When Chinese emperors and prime ministers fell out, the results could be deadly

Imperial China relied on officials to run government affairs under the emperor, but as history shows, this power dynamic was a fragile one.

Emperor Shenzong, who ruled during China’s Song dynasty, came to feel threatened by his prime minister, Wang Anshi, who subsequently fell from power. The power balance between those at the top of a country’s hierarchy and those who run its government causes problems in parts of the world now as it did then. Photo: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
China-South Korea relations

South Korea returns looted Qing dynasty lions to China in cultural diplomacy win

Experts believe the marble sculptures guarded an imperial residence before they were taken by Japanese invaders in the early 20th century.

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Food and Drinks

‘Piece of history’: old cookbook exhibition traces Hong Kong’s culinary past

‘Treasured Recipes’ at PMQ Taste Library features food-themed books and magazines spanning decades to show how the city’s food scene evolved.

Austria

Hitler’s birthplace reopens as a police station to deter neo-Nazis

Following a years-long legal saga and redesign, Austria aims to erase the building’s allure for pilgrimages.

Police officers outside the building where Adolf Hitler was born. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong culture

Hong Kong brands that rose hand in hand with the city over generations

From the 100-year-old Garden Bakery to TikTok-fave Twemco, these brands tell the story of the city’s evolution into a major metropolis.

Miscellaneous items. Handouts
War and conflict

As I see it | Hegemony or balance of power? What the wars of ancient China teach us

A new book on the Spring and Autumn period and its experiments in conflict and diplomacy helps explain today’s global order.

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Japan

Video | Japan revises law to expand imperial family

Revised law does not address possibility of a woman becoming emperor, despite wide public support.

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Vietnam

Vietnam arrests 3 publishing bosses over controversial Ho Chi Minh book

Authorities say ‘Stories with Thanh’, which recounts the Communist Party founder’s years abroad, ‘distorts history’.

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A woman rides a motorbike past a poster with a portrait of the late former president Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi on August 31, 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE
South Korea

South Korea under emergency advisory as heatwave days increase

Scientists warn that extreme weather events such as heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of human-induced climate change.

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Lessons from China's history

Reflections | A history of Chinese fans and how they kept people cool in summer

Fans have long been used in China for cooling and cooking and as artistic status symbols. We look at the tool’s reinvention over 3,000 years.

China economy

As I see it | How the New Left won the battle of ideas for 21st-century China

Their revisionism challenges the neoliberal perspective which treats Maoist command economics and Deng-era capitalist reforms as diametrically opposed.

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A visitor looks at a screen showing President Xi Jinping at an exhibition commemorating China’s Communist Party history and achievements, on October 1, 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE
Chinese culture

Being Chinese | In China, I found pieces of history waiting to be carried forward

My family’s history had travelled across the Pacific, leaving gaps that descendants on both sides are still working to fill in.

A boy offers incense before an ancestral grave on Diamond Hill in Hong Kong on Ching Ming Festival on April 5, 2023. The festival is a time of remembrance across the Chinese diaspora. Photo: Elson Li
Food and Drinks

Best things to do in Wuhan, China’s breakfast capital - revealed in a new light

Hubei’s eclectic capital on the Yangtze River is famous for its hearty breakfast food and many lakes. Here’s how to spend a weekend there.

Jewellery

Ring stacking is everywhere – here’s how to do it like a pro

Celine’s models, Taylor Swift and Zoë Kravitz are all loading their fingers with rings – check out these pointers (pun intended) from jewellery experts.

US-China relations

Opinion | What the US should learn from China’s 19th century decline

Every empire has its strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps the most important asset is understanding those of your adversaries.

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US President Donald Trump (left) walks with President Xi Jinping at the Temple of Heaven on May 14 in Beijing. Photo: AP
United States

Opinion | As the US marks its 250th birthday, it operates an empire in all but name

The opposition to the US’ imperialistic actions at the turn of the 20th century by prominent intellectuals should offer Americans today food for thought.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Chinese culture

‘Cleverest woman that ever lived’: the rise of China’s Empress Dowager Cixi

Beginning royal life as a low-ranking concubine, Cixi controlled Qing-dynasty China for nearly half a century from behind the scenes.

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Africa

Switzerland returns 18 historic Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

The repatriation marks the latest victory in Africa’s push to reclaim priceless artefacts looted by British colonial forces.

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