Lifestyle

Food & Drink
Health & Wellness
Chinese culture
Arts
Entertainment
K-drama
Travel & Leisure
Family & Relationships
100 Top Tables
Composer Lora Chow, at the Fringe Club. 13JAN26 SCMP / Jonathan Wong

Arts

Hong Kong composer’s unusual journey from finance to writing Cantonese musicals

Lora Chow’s musical Dr Clown will feature at the coming Fringe Festival in Hong Kong. We look at her eclectic career path, driven by passion.

Profile | Who is Go Youn-jung, rising star of Netflix’s Can This Love Be Translated?

The huge benefits of quitting alcohol, from weight loss to slowing ageing

Arts

The new generation of talented leaders taking centre stage at Royal Opera House

Hrusa takes over from Antonio Pappano, Royal Opera’s music director for 22 years; Scappucci is first principal guest conductor in 30 years.

Music director Jakub Hrusa during a performance with The Royal Opera Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in London, in September 2025. Photo: AP
Music director Jakub Hrusa during a performance with The Royal Opera Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in London, in September 2025. Photo: AP

Hong Kong

What’s in a name? When it comes to racehorses it depends on the language

Superstition and fortune-telling also play a big role in picking names, with one owner even naming a horse after the family’s pet.

Health & Wellness

We rewrite our memories every time we recall a moment. How that can help us

Every time we recall something, it sets off actions that change us and alter our memories – something that could have therapeutic benefits.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Travel & Leisure

Steps from the Colosseum, virtual tour offers a peek inside ancient Roman house

The House of the Griffins and its frescoes can now be explored via an onsite virtual tour into otherwise off-limits underground areas.

Colosseum Archeological Park guide Valentina uses a head-mounted device to livestream a guided tour of the newly restored underground House of the Griffins, dated between the second and first century BC, on the Palatine Hill next to the Colosseum, in Rome, Italy. Photo: AP
Colosseum Archeological Park guide Valentina uses a head-mounted device to livestream a guided tour of the newly restored underground House of the Griffins, dated between the second and first century BC, on the Palatine Hill next to the Colosseum, in Rome, Italy. Photo: AP

Food & Drink

Why Dali in China’s Yunnan province is a great place for food adventurers

Yunnan’s climate and geography are ideal for growing a wide range of produce, and chefs in Dali are taking the cuisine to the next level.

Food & Drink

How tonka beans can add a touch of spice to your desserts (and sex life)

Banned in the US, tonka beans are like vanilla beans with spicy notes, and are said to work as an aphrodisiac in perfumes and essential oils.

Chinese culture

Why the Year of the Horse 2026 could be a tough one for Rats

Unlucky stars in the Year of the Fire Horse mean Rats will have to work hard to reap rewards at the office, and travel with caution.

Will the Year of the Horse 2026 be a lucky one for Rats? Fortune-teller Tong Pik-ha shares her predictions for wealth, relationships and health. Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Food & Drink

5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend, January 16-18

Loosen up for the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, shop discounted home goods, enjoy special-edition buns and more this weekend.

videocam
Women-focused running club She Runs Collective will host a session on January 17 to help runners prepare for the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. There is also plenty on this weekend for non-runners, from a printing exhibition to a special-edition barbecue bun set at some branches of Tim Ho Wan.
Women-focused running club She Runs Collective will host a session on January 17 to help runners prepare for the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. There is also plenty on this weekend for non-runners, from a printing exhibition to a special-edition barbecue bun set at some branches of Tim Ho Wan.

Entertainment

Profile | How Nancy Sit went from child star to Hong Kong’s most beloved TV matriarch

After leaving the spotlight at the height of her fame, Nancy Sit overcame personal struggles, reinvented herself and returned to superstardom.

Entertainment

Loved Back to the Past? 10 Asian time travel gems you may also enjoy

After the success of Louis Koo’s Back to the Past, here are 10 other Asian time-travelling movies that are well worth checking out.

videocam

Chinese culture

7 horse-themed Chinese idioms to use during the Year of the Horse

Horses symbolise strength, speed and health in Chinese culture. Here are seven sayings based on the animal, with Cantonese pronunciations.

Horses are the subject of many Chinese idioms. Here are seven of the most popular horse-related expressions in Chinese, how to pronounce them in Cantonese and the stories behind them. Photo: Shutterstock

Travel & Leisure

‘Unabashed nationalism’? Louvre increases ticket prices for non-Europeans

Debate about so-called ‘dual pricing’ is raging as France hikes prices for non-Europeans visiting the Louvre by 45 per cent this week.

People queue to enter the Louvre Museum, whose opening is delayed following a staff meeting about a strike over pay and working conditions at the museum, on January 5, 2026. Photo: Reuters
People queue to enter the Louvre Museum, whose opening is delayed following a staff meeting about a strike over pay and working conditions at the museum, on January 5, 2026. Photo: Reuters

Lifestyle

China’s Ningbo cuisine; Hong Kong goes Back to the Past: 7 Lifestyle highlights

From the rise of Korean-style cafes in Hong Kong to dementia’s link to ‘brain drains’, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting.

Tech Trends

Alibaba’s Qwen AI app hits 100 million users as update widens role in daily life

Chinese e-commerce giant deepens integration of its fast-growing app to enable voice-powered shopping, travel and digital tasks.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Chinese culture

Year of the Horse 2026 predictions for Monkeys, from love to health

In the Year of the Fire Horse, Monkeys should focus on travel and avoid places with heavy yin energy, fortune-teller Tong Pik-ha says.

The Year of the Horse 2026 will be a time for those born in the Year of the Monkey to expand networks abroad. But married Monkeys are at risk of feeling alienated from their spouse. Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
The Year of the Horse 2026 will be a time for those born in the Year of the Monkey to expand networks abroad. But married Monkeys are at risk of feeling alienated from their spouse. Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Chinese culture

Why the Year of the Horse 2026 will be lucrative and romantic for Roosters

Lucky stars in the Year of the Fire Horse mean Roosters will prosper at work and could meet their ideal partner. But healthy living is key.

Health & Wellness

Singaporean dementia study links Alzheimer’s to clogged ‘brain drains’

Blocked glymphatic channels, part of the brain’s waste-cleaning network, could be an early Alzheimer’s marker, Singaporean researchers find.

Chinese culture

Year of the Horse 2026 predictions for Dogs, from success at work to love

Harmony with the tai sui deity means Dogs’ wealth will grow in the Year of the Fire Horse, but certain relationships will need nurturing.

Will the Year of the Horse 2026 be a lucky one for Dogs? Fortune-teller Tong Pik-ha shares her predictions for wealth, relationships and health. Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
HIGHLIGHTS FROM
Pete Sabine, aka DJ Fabsabs (right), and Joshua Wolper DJ a Cantomania set at the after party for the Black Eyed Peas’ gig at the AXA x Wonderland, in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District, on November 19 last year. Photo: Alan Yiu Photography

Where Hong Kong’s teens and an 88-year-old share the dance floor

As Leslie Cheung and Faye Wong echo through the nightclub, a love letter to Cantopop gives the city a space for joy and belonging.

Reading Time:6 minutes
David Michael Webb (born 29 August 1965) is an activist investor, transparency advocate and public data archivist/analyst. Long based in Hong Kong, he was formerly an investment banker. He maintains a large, open set of highly synthesised public data records, at Webb-site.com, photographed in Mid Levels Hong Kong, 29May25 SCMP / Jocelyn Tam

He held Hong Kong’s elites to account. Now he’s running out of time

Reading Time:5 minutes
Ship ahoy ... the Sail Training Association of Japan’s full-masted brigantine, the Kaisei, visits Hong Kong to drum up support for an Asian society of novice sailors, in 1994. Photo: SCMP Archives

In Pictures: majestic sailing ships that made Hong Kong a port of call

Reading Time:1 minute
A room painted in Cloud Dancer (white), Pantone’s 2026 colour of the year. Photo: courtesy Pantone

Interior design trends for 2026 reflect a decade of change

Reading Time:4 minutes
Shanghainese tailor George Kay at his shop, Baron Kay’s Tailor, in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, in 1987. Photo: SCMP Archives

How Hong Kong’s tailoring industry has evolved through the ages

Reading Time:3 minutes
Ng Sze Kiat, founder of Bewilder, a Singapore-based design studio that works with fungi. Photo: courtesy Bewilder

Mushroom magic: is mycelium set to be the next ‘it’ material in homeware?

Reading Time:5 minutes
MORE IN POSTMAG
Content from SCMP's Specialist Publications
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
OPINION
Wee Kek Koon

Reflections | What a Chinese hero’s fatal love of raw fish warns us about uncooked food

Wee Kek Koon
Andrew Sun

Mouthing Off | Dry January is a silly social campaign and ‘no-lo’ drinks are pointless

Andrew Sun
Wee Kek Koon

Reflections | How ancient Chinese dental practices were often similar to those used today

Wee Kek Koon
Charmaine Mok

On the Menu | Is 2026 the year of the cabbage? How the vegetable is being hailed online

Charmaine Mok
Wee Kek Koon

Reflections | Chinese diners’ preference for warm water is not as ancient as you’d think

Wee Kek Koon
Andrew Sun

Mouthing Off | There’s a reason aunties love the Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo

Andrew Sun
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
MULTIMEDIA
Video

Digital ‘Tamagotchi’ pets mark 30 years

The egg-shaped plastic toys that were a playground craze in the 1990s feature digital pets needing to be cared for like live household animals.
03:40
Video

Hong Kong’s biggest fan-hosted anime event returns

Rainbow Gala, first held in 2007, has been held at Hong Kong’s AsiaWorld-Expo for a second time after the redevelopment of the Kowloon Bay International Trade & Exhibition Centre in 2024.
02:35
Video

Hong Kong Island promenade fully connected after 16 years

Hong Kong Island promenade fully connected after 16 years
01:33
Video

Fares rise for Hong Kong Peak Tram

Fares rise for Hong Kong Peak Tram
01:29
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
TRENDING TOPICS
K-drama news
Food and Drinks
Chinese culture
Korean drama reviews
Wellness
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement