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Chinese culture

During the late Qing dynasty, master embroiderer Shen Shou (1874-1921) pioneered new styles of embroidery fusing Eastern and Western styles, and won over rulers at home and abroad. Photo: Wikimedia
Chinese culture

Who was Shen Shou, the artisan who dazzled Empress Dowager Cixi and Italy’s queen?

The Suzhou embroiderer wowed the world in the 1900s with pioneering portraits of Jesus to European royalty, and helped empower women at home.

Chinese culture

Not just for aches and ailments. Here are 6 other ways to use White Flower Oil

Chinese culture

Chinese incense: why a new generation is turning to an ancient craft

Art

A real-life Tang dynasty tragedy is the focus of this popular AI microdrama

By mixing romance, time travel and real history, Yanbian Qingmei has revived interest in revered Tang dynasty calligrapher Yan Zhenqing.

A still from Yanbian Qingmei, the AI microdrama that has stirred interest in Tang dynasty history and the calligrapher Yan Zhenqing. Pictured are the time-travelling female protagonist Li Youwei (right) and Yan Jiming, the calligrapher’s nephew. Photo: Weixin
A still from Yanbian Qingmei, the AI microdrama that has stirred interest in Tang dynasty history and the calligrapher Yan Zhenqing. Pictured are the time-travelling female protagonist Li Youwei (right) and Yan Jiming, the calligrapher’s nephew. Photo: Weixin
SCMP Highlights

Chinese runner’s 20,000km quest, Hong Kong comfort food: 7 Lifestyle highlights

From how AI transforms microdramas to designer Kim Jones’ affinity for Hong Kong, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting.

Chinese culture

This ancient Chinese warrior queen led huge armies and stole a king’s heart

The 1976 excavation of Fu Hao’s tomb revealed a revered general and priestess, shifting perceptions of women’s roles in Shang dynasty China.

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Chinese culture

Chung Yeung Festival: history, traditions and how the Chinese holiday is celebrated

From hiking and grave-sweeping to sharing a meal, the Double Ninth Festival brings families together to honour their roots and wish for longevity.

Hongkongers at the Diamond Hill Cemetery during the 2019 Chung Yeung Festival. The festival blends hiking, ancestral veneration and family feasts. Photo: Nora Tam
Hongkongers at the Diamond Hill Cemetery during the 2019 Chung Yeung Festival. The festival blends hiking, ancestral veneration and family feasts. Photo: Nora Tam
Chinese culture

Why the Dajiao Festival on Hong Kong’s Kat O island is held once every 10 years

As Kat O welcomes visitors to its Dajiao Festival, heritage advocates hope to reconnect younger generations with the island’s traditions.

Chinese culture

Appropriation or appreciation? Artisans on the great Chinese fashion debate

The owners of Hong Kong’s Sindart and Qipology discuss when brands using traditional designs is cultural promotion – and when it is not.

Chinese culture

China’s ‘mountain of immortals’: why millions flock to the peaks of Wudang

The sacred mountain range dotted with ancient Taoist temples attracts pilgrims and visitors praying for everything from peace to good weather.

Visitors climb up the stairs near the Golden Hall in Wudang Mountains in central China’s Hubei Province on Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Chinese culture

Who was Wang Zhenyi? Chinese female scientist who defied gender expectations

Wang shot for the stars with her work in astronomy and mathematics at a time when learned women did little more than write poetry.

Qing dynasty astronomer and mathematician Wang Zhenyi defied societal norms and the expectations set upon her gender to study and demystify complex scientific and mathematical concepts. Illustration: Huy Truong
Qing dynasty astronomer and mathematician Wang Zhenyi defied societal norms and the expectations set upon her gender to study and demystify complex scientific and mathematical concepts. Illustration: Huy Truong
Fashion

How Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan is a symbol of China’s fashion soft power

Peng once again shows off exclusively Chinese designs as she accompanies President Xi Jinping on Washington visit.

SCMP Highlights

Hong Kong Gen Z revives herbal teas; experts on intimacy: 7 Lifestyle highlights

From a Hong Kong dancer’s creative journey to the rise of bespoke jewellery in Asia, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting.

Chinese culture

Few still make Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns the classic way. This artisan does

Hong Kong lantern artisan Wan Wong explains why she keeps the traditional craft alive, barriers she faced as a woman and the key techniques.

Rabbit lanterns made by Hong Kong fashion designer and lantern artist Wan Wong, who continues to keep the traditional ways of making Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns alive. Photo: Wan Wong
Chinese culture

The tragic Qing politician whose legacy lives on in descendant’s new novel

The life of Duanfang inspires E.L. Shen’s novel Foreigners, about identity, queer awakening and the immigrant experience in modern America.

Chinese politician Duanfang (left) and his great-great-great-granddaughter E.L. Shen, a Chinese-American author whose new novel Foreigners follows three family members in different times who experience marginalisation in China and modern America. Photos: Wikipedia, Cassie Vu
Chinese politician Duanfang (left) and his great-great-great-granddaughter E.L. Shen, a Chinese-American author whose new novel Foreigners follows three family members in different times who experience marginalisation in China and modern America. Photos: Wikipedia, Cassie Vu
Chinese culture

Famous Chinese women in folklore, from Mulan to a dynasty-toppling consort

These women have inspired countless poems, books, movies and TV shows over the centuries, but what are their stories and why do they endure?

Chinese culture

Is the Year of the Horse’s eighth month lucky for you? Forecasts for all signs

Feng shui master Andrew Kwan breaks down this lunar month’s prospects for all 12 Chinese zodiac signs in work, finances, romance and health.

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Performing arts in Hong Kong

Profound enlightenment: a ballet’s spiritual journey into China’s Mogao Caves

Choreographers Ricky Hu and Mai Jingwen reveal their new production for Hong Kong Ballet inspired by the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang.

Promotional image for “Dunhuang: In Search of Light”, a new production by Hong Kong Ballet choreographed by the award-winning duo Ricky Hu and Mai Jingwen. The premiere will take place from October 16-18, 2026 (Image courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet)
Promotional image for “Dunhuang: In Search of Light”, a new production by Hong Kong Ballet choreographed by the award-winning duo Ricky Hu and Mai Jingwen. The premiere will take place from October 16-18, 2026 (Image courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet)
Chinese culture

How Africa’s first Shaolin Temple shares Chinese martial arts and culture

The temple in Zambia has become one of the most visible symbols of China’s cultural footprint in a country where its influence already runs deep.

Chinese culture

This Singaporean designer is reviving Chinese hanfu for the modern era

Chinese-born fashion historian and designer Gong Pan Pan is reimagining the hanfu for the contemporary world.

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Chinese culture

The world’s only hieroglyphic script still in use today is found in China

Over 1,000 years old, Dongba script is associated with the Naxi ethnic minority and is a common sight in Yunnan province’s Lijiang city.

Dongba script, the world’s only hieroglyphic script still in use today, was created by Naxi shamans for sacred rituals. Photo: Amandayan
Chinese culture

Is the Year of the Horse’s seventh month lucky for you? Forecasts for all signs

Feng shui master Andrew Kwan breaks down this lunar month’s prospects for all 12 Chinese zodiac signs in work, finances, romance and health.

The seventh lunar month of the Year of the Horse 2026 will bring a powerful wave of cosmic shifts, reshaping fortunes across all 12 Chinese zodiac signs, according to feng shui master Andrew Kwan. Photo: Shutterstock
The seventh lunar month of the Year of the Horse 2026 will bring a powerful wave of cosmic shifts, reshaping fortunes across all 12 Chinese zodiac signs, according to feng shui master Andrew Kwan. Photo: Shutterstock
Chinese culture

7 Hungry Ghost Festival taboos to avoid to keep unwanted spirits at bay

Spirits are believed to roam the world when the gates of the underworld open, and actions such as picking up loose change can attract them.

Cantonese

Want to learn Cantonese? These influencers are sparking a Canto revival

Influencers like Uncle Donnie, Andrew Bui and Mihi Matshingana are connecting a Cantonese-speaking diaspora and inspiring learning.

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
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