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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. She hated working at her parents’ Chinese restaurant. Now she’s made it viral
Anna Peng shares the daily joys and challenges of running Canada’s Great Fountain Fast Food to its nearly 40,000 followers on Instagram.
2. Why Michael Tse, Hong Kong actor behind Laughing Gor, is a lesson in resilience

Michael Tse’s journey from backup dancer to Young and Dangerous henchman to leading film and TV actor showcases his endurance and tenacity.
3. All about TCM’s ‘miracle pill’ Angong Niuhuang Wan, and when not to take it

In the world of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), few remedies carry the legendary status – or the hefty price tag – of Angong Niuhuang Wan, often referred to as the “miracle pill”.
4. 75-year-old Hongkonger works over 70 hours a week. Why is he still so happy?
More seniors in Hong Kong like Benny Ratnani are working past the age of 65 and not just for financial reasons, but to retain self-esteem and self-worth.
5. Why Hangzhou’s 2-Michelin-star Ru Yuan is ‘a restaurant unlike any other’

Ru Yuan’s chef Fu Yueliang shares why everything from local dishes to the design at his restaurant is about transcending Song-dynasty tradition.
6. Love ‘A Better Tomorrow’? The Hong Kong director and film that inspired it
Patrick Lung Kong, also known as Long Gang, is an anomaly among Hong Kong filmmakers. He was known for films that imparted moral lessons. We look at The Story of a Discharged Prisoner and Teddy Girls.
7. How AI is helping bring Hong Kong history to life on Instagram and beyond

Cultural preservationists use generative AI to breathe life into photos from the past, but does this practice promote or distort history?


Shanghai’s changing expats, Hong Kong trail sign fallout: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Exhibition on gardens of China, Europe; art director’s top spots: 7 Lifestyle highlights

China builds world’s first ‘coal battery’, war on Alzheimer’s: 7 science highlights

UAE’s Opec exit, why Japan shared Mogami warship design with India: 7 Asia highlights

SCMP Highlights

Viral Hong Kong eatery in Canada; actor Michael Tse’s resilience: 7 Lifestyle highlights

A photo of Hong Kong during the mid-20th century, colourised by OldHKinColour. The team behind the popular Instagram account uses artificial intelligence to bring such photos to life, but some say this “distorts” history. Photo: OldHKinColour

Anna Peng with her parents at their eatery Great Fountain Fast Food, a Hong Kong-style Chinese restaurant in Scarborough, in Canada’s Ontario province. Photo: Great Fountain Fast Food


Michael Tse (front) as Laughing Gor in a still from the film Turning Point (2009), a prequel to the TV series E.U. Photo: Intercontinental Film Distributors (HK) 

Angong Niuhuang Wan is among the most prized traditional Chinese medicine formulas and costs an eye-watering amount. But do the pills actually help prevent and treat strokes, and can they be harmful? Photo: Shandong Hongjitang Pharmaceutical Group

Ru Yuan’s signature braised pork belly and seasonal vegetables with soy sauce. At the restaurant in Hangzhou, China, chef Ru Yuan takes classic Zhejiang dishes and elevates them for modern diners. Photo: Ru Yuan

Chinese zodiac feng shui tips; a mom’s path to pain-free movement: 7 Lifestyle highlights

How can those born under each Chinese zodiac sign use feng shui to improve their luck in love, money and health this coming year? Feng shui practitioner Andrew Kwan shares advice. Photo: Shutterstock

Kavita Biswas could barely walk short distances before she started physiotherapy and resistance training to strengthen the muscles around her knee. Now the osteoarthritis sufferer can walk for up to 45 minutes at a time and manages her daily life independently. Photo: Kavita Biswas

Zhongshan, in China’s Guangdong province, has developed rapidly in recent years, going from having not a lot to do to being a vibrant epicurean and cultural hub. Photo: Xinhua

Tourists gather around an old-school display at a Wellcome supermarket in Hong Kong’s Yau Ma Tei neighbourhood. Similar retro-themed displays are popping up all over the city. Photo: Dickson Lee

Betty Loh Ti (second from right) and Ivy Ling Po (right) in a still from The Love Eterne (1963), directed by Li Han-hsiang. Photo: Shaw Brothers Studio

Appeasing the tai sui, Lunar New Year customs, Hong Kong borscht: 7 Lifestyle highlights

A bowl of borscht soup at Borsch Spot in Fo Tan, Hong Kong. The restaurant offers traditional borscht quite unlike that commonly found in Hong Kong’s cha chaan tengs. Photo: Borsch Spot

Worshippers visit the Wong Tai Sin Temple in Hong Kong on Monday to pray for good luck in the Year of the Fire Horse. Photo: Sam Tsang

Ben Payet at his heaviest weight of 93kg in October 2024 (left) and at his current weight of 72kg, which he first achieved in July 2025. Photo: UP Singapore

Giving red packets (also called lai see or hong bao) is a Lunar New Year tradition, but when should you open them? Photo: Getty Images

Actress Athena Chu Yan attends the 23rd Hong Kong Film Awards Presentation ceremony in Tsim Sha Tsui in 2004. While Chu’s iconic role in A Chinese Odyssey defined her early career, she has transcended the “sexy goddess” label with a variety of gritty, diverse roles. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

70-year-old Chow Yun-fat’s endurance, feng shui advice: 7 Lifestyle highlights

How can those born in the Year of the Sheep use feng shui to improve their luck in love, money and health this coming year? Photo: Shutterstock

Actor Chow Yun-fat (middle) runs in the 10km event at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2026. The 70-year-old is part of a growing number of older people competing in endurance races. Photo: Eugene Lee

Where does Hong Kong turn to when digital romance fails? More of the city’s bachelors and bachelorettes are trading algorithms for professional human matchmakers. Illustration: Henry Wong

Audience members get an up-close view of the UK’s Paraorchestra performing The Nature of Why at a previous concert. The orchestra will bring the immersive show to Hong Kong’s Kwai Tsing Theatre in late February 2026. Photo: No Limits/Dom Moore

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Entertainment

Health & Wellness

Chinese culture

From TCM’s ‘miracle pill’ to the benefits of working past retirement age, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting


From TCM’s ‘miracle pill’ to the benefits of working past retirement age, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting.


China

Canada

Hangzhou

Hong Kong

Viral Hong Kong eatery in Canada; actor Michael Tse’s resilience: 7 Lifestyle highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From TCM’s ‘miracle pill’ to the benefits of working past retirement age, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting

1. She hated working at her parents’ Chinese restaurant. Now she’s made it viral

From TCM’s ‘miracle pill’ to the benefits of working past retirement age, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting