appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageTypeformConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

SCMP

We have selected seven Lifestyle stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. All about Walovi, the Erling Haaland-promoted Chinese herbal drink
Anyone dialled into the Fifa World Cup 2026 tournament has likely seen on social media the viral advertisements featuring Norway striker Erling Haaland promoting a popular Chinese herbal drink.
2. Kung Fu Soccer: Stephen Chow loses his touch with Shaolin Soccer spin-off

It has been seven years since Stephen Chow Sing-chi last released a film – his longest hiatus yet as a filmmaker. His last feature, 2019’s The New King of Comedy, was a poignant reworking of his 1999 classic King of Comedy. Now the Hong Kong comedy superstar offers a gender-flipped reimagining of another of his greatest hits – Shaolin Soccer (2001) – squarely aimed at the mainland Chinese box office.
3. Hong Kong’s Dot Cod restaurant scores big with World Cup screenings

A downpour on the morning of July 6 was no match for Hong Kong’s World Cup fever. By around 10am that Monday, a thick crowd had already formed outside Central’s Takshing House, where pedestrians stood several rows deep along Dot Cod’s long glass frontage, peering inside at England’s knockout-stage clash with tournament co-hosts Mexico.
4. Granola for breakfast but make it Chinese. An American digs deep into her heritage
For most Americans, breakfast looks like cereal, bagels, oatmeal, yogurt and fruit smoothies or the classic spread with eggs, bacon and pancakes. For Cindy Lam, a Chicago-born first-generation Cantonese-American entrepreneur, these options felt, in her words, “70-80 per cent” complete – a sentiment captured by the Cantonese phrase “chat chat baat baat” (literally “seven seven, eight eight”), meaning almost there, but not quite.
5. At this stunning Vietnamese mountain resort, luxury meets local culture

Standing in a protected heritage landscape in the remote, mist-shrouded mountains of northern Vietnam, the Garrya Mu Cang Chai resort features a main building that is believed to be the largest bamboo structure in the country.
6. Low-inflammation diet can cut dementia risk by almost 30%. Here’s how
Can your diet help override the early biological warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease? A new study says yes.
7. 8 surprising sleep facts and why shut-eye affects every aspect of our lives

Little was known about sleep until modern science revolutionised our understanding. It turns out that what happens while you are unconscious dictates almost every aspect of your waking health, mood and brainpower.


Erling Haaland’s Chinese drink; surprising facts about sleep: 7 Lifestyle highlights

China’s rare earth weakness, new rocket to rival SpaceX: 7 science highlights

South Korea’s lost Canadian deal; BN’s election win in Malaysia’s Johor: 7 Asia highlights

Filipino helpers as surrogates, Chinese scientist’s death in US: 5 weekend reads you missed

SCMP Highlights

Garrya Mu Cang Chai is nestled in a protected heritage landscape of terraced rice paddies in the northern Vietnamese mountains. As well as breathtaking scenery, the luxury resort offers wellness treatments, and food and activities intertwined with the traditions of the local Hmong people. Photo: Garrya Mu Cang Chai 

Norwegian football star Erling Haaland has recently been promoting Walovi, a popular Chinese herbal drink that is part of a nearly 200-year-old herbal tea brand.  Photo: instagram/walovi_official

Dilraba Dilmurat in a still from Kung Fu Soccer, Stephen Chow’s gender-flipped spin-off of his 2001 comedy classic Shaolin Soccer. The Hong Kong director’s first film in seven years lacks tension and has visuals that resemble AI slop.

Fans watch England’s World Cup match against Mexico inside Dot Cod in Hong Kong’s Central district on an early Monday morning in July 2026. Photo: Veronica Qi

We all sleep, but most of us aren’t aware of how it benefits us physically, mentally and emotionally. Sleep experts help us understand eight lesser-known things about shut-eye. Photo: Shutterstock

Charlene Choi’s rise to stardom; how to make a girl fall in love: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Charlene Choi on the red carpet of the 34th Hong Kong Film Awards at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, in Tsim Sha Tsui, in April 2015. Choi was nominated for the best actress award that year for her role in the film Sara. Photo: Sam Tsang

The gluten-free dim sum selection at London’s Golden Phoenix, where Marina Lai-Lentz is the second-generation owner. Photo: Marina Lai-Lentz

 Illustration: Henry Wong

Emily Lin became a full-time content creator in 2024. Her “School of Women” series on social media teaches straight men emotional literacy and how to develop healthy, fulfilling relationships with women. Photo: Instagram/therealemilylin

TCM’s take on human life; rise of China’s Empress Dowager Cixi: 7 Lifestyle highlights

One expert recommends that air conditioners should be professionally cleaned at least once a year, with twice a year being a better target to prevent significant mould growth, which generally begins around five to six months after cleaning. Photo: Shutterstock

A traditional Chinese medicine doctor looks at a research model of acupuncture points on the human body. Acupuncture is one of several treatments traditionally prescribed in TCM to ensure transitions between later life cycles feel smooth. Photo: Shutterstock

A portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi, one of the most powerful and influential women in Chinese history. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Andy Lau in a still from Running on Karma (2003). Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai teamed up to make this dark Buddhist tragedy packaged as a comedy that received a positive reception despite catching viewers off guard. 

Dishes from Chinesology’s Tales of History tasting menu, which reimagines the legendary Manchu-Han banquet. Photo: Chinesology

‘Indispensable to me’: how RedNote has taken over China’s travel scene

Two tourists from China’s Jilin province show their RedNote accounts on their mobile phones as they visit the Forbidden City in Beijing on July 11, 2026. The platform, also known as Xiaohongshu, has shaken up the tourism industry in China, where domestic travel is booming to record levels. Photo: AFP

A commercial photographer (left) takes a picture of a tourist visiting the Shichahai scenic area in Beijing on July 10, 2026. Photo: AFP

Women pose for pictures as they visit the Forbidden City in Beijing on July 11, 2026. Photo: AFP

A tourist from Hunan province shows her RedNote account on her mobile phone while visiting the Forbidden City in Beijing on July 11, 2026. Photo: AFP

Lifestyle

Culture

From a look at the new Kung Fu Soccer film to a stunning mountain resort in Vietnam, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting


From a look at the new Kung Fu Soccer film to a stunning mountain resort in Vietnam, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting.


Erling Haaland’s Chinese drink; surprising facts about sleep: 7 Lifestyle highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From a look at the new Kung Fu Soccer film to a stunning mountain resort in Vietnam, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting

1. All about Walovi, the Erling Haaland-promoted Chinese herbal drink

From a look at the new Kung Fu Soccer film to a stunning mountain resort in Vietnam, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting