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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
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.

Fashion

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

SCMP Highlights

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

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
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 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?

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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.

The eighth lunar month of the Year of the Horse 2026 will bring clarity and fortune to some zodiac signs and obstacles to others, according to feng shui master Andrew Kwan. Photo: Shutterstock
The eighth lunar month of the Year of the Horse 2026 will bring clarity and fortune to some zodiac signs and obstacles to others, according to feng shui master Andrew Kwan. Photo: Shutterstock
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.

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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Gong Pan Pan was born in Changsha, in China, but immigrated with her parents to Singapore when she was six years old. Gong Pan Pan is working on reviving hanfu for the contemporary consumer. Photo: Gong Pan Pan
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
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.

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.

(From left) Donnie Wong, Andrew Bui and Mihi Matshingana are among a surge of Cantonese-speaking influencers making a splash on social media this year. Photos: Donnie Wong, Andrew Bui, Frites Macau
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
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
Architecture and design

The Shenzhen Natural History Museum is now open. What’s to see there?

The US$517 million museum that opened on July 28 is a ‘living educational landscape’ covering space, dinosaurs, evolution and much more.

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Chinese culture

Can this AI-powered Chinese astrology platform shake up the industry?

Singapore-based astrologer Sean Chan trained Tian Qi on over 9,000 of his own consultations. But not all his peers are so keen on using AI.

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Chinese culture

How Chinese pirate queen Ching Shih ruled the South China Sea in the 1800s

Ching, aka Zheng Yi Sao, became China’s most successful pirate during the Qing period, building a fearful empire that terrorised the region.

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An illustration depicts Ching Shih (right) during a swordfight. Chinese pirate factions were paralysed by infighting in the early 19th century, but Ching and her husband Zheng Yi unified them under a confederation.
An illustration depicts Ching Shih (right) during a swordfight. Chinese pirate factions were paralysed by infighting in the early 19th century, but Ching and her husband Zheng Yi unified them under a confederation.
Wellness

How tai chi energises these Chinese retirees: ‘everyone’s health has improved’

Tai chi practitioners at Beijing’s Temple of Heaven talk about learning the ancient Chinese practice and how it benefits health and spirit.

Chinese culture

Is the Year of the Horse’s sixth 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.

Books and literature

‘I never felt ready’: author on finally writing her Chinese grandmother’s story

Elizabeth Lim reveals why it took her 10 years to write Fishbone Cinderella about her grandmother’s journey from Hong Kong to San Francisco.

Elizabeth Lim is known widely for her young adult high fantasies such as Six Crimson Cranes (2021) and Spin the Dawn (2022). Now, the New York Times bestselling author is making a deliberate, maturity-driven pivot for her newest novel Fishbone Cinderella (2026). Photo: Adrian Ow.
Art

What was it like to attend a Children’s Palace in socialist-era China?

The ‘Youth Palace’ exhibition at Shanghai’s Rockbund Art Museum looks at a socialist educational institution that promoted collectivism.

A screenshot from the video “Ludwig” (2018), Diego Marcon. (Photo courtesy the artist and Sadie Coles HQ, London)
A screenshot from the video “Ludwig” (2018), Diego Marcon. (Photo courtesy the artist and Sadie Coles HQ, London)
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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Books and literature

‘Night of Horrors’: LA’s Chinese massacre of 1871 brought to fore in new book

Lisa See’s novel Daughters of the Sun and Moon revisits the terrible events that saw around 500 people attack the city’s Chinese residents.

SCMP Highlights

TCM for a new generation, Dragon Boat Festival picks: 7 Lifestyle highlights

From ancient Chinese healing in the social media age to sticky rice recommendations, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting.

Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner Elizabeth Yau at her clinic in Central. Photo: Jonathan Wong
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