Short Reads

Explore Hong Kong’s Hakka heritage at traditional walled village
2 hours ago
Then & Now | Sonny Sales – a true Hong Kong patriot, 1920-2020

Sales was a politically talented, supremely civic minded – and occasionally divisive – local legend who personally negotiated the release of Hong Kong athletes taken hostage at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

19 Mar 2020 - 9:53AM
Then & Now | How Hong Kong’s glazed enamelware fell in and out of fashion

Cheap, durable, with instantly recognisable stencilled decorations, glazed enamelware was a sizeable industry in pre-war Hong Kong. Pushed out by Pyrex, it’s now enjoying a modest revival.

17 Mar 2020 - 9:33AM
Reflections | Malaysia’s political shenanigans have echoes in Qing dynasty China

In late 19th-century China, reformers might have set the country on an entirely different path, but they were no match for Empress Dowager Cixi.

16 Mar 2020 - 8:48AM
A Hong Kong food tour that takes you ‘off the eaten path’

Founder of Humid with a Chance of Fishballs, Virginia Chan, appears on the Netflix show Restaurants on the Edge and says her company aims to show guests another side of the city.

14 Mar 2020 - 5:00PM
Bye bye, Da Da: when store closures caused ‘cut-throat’ sales

Hong Kong shoppers ripped apart the gates of the Mong Kok store to get at the bargains during the month-long clearance sale.

12 Mar 2020 - 11:00AM
Then & Now | No historical basis for Hong Kong’s bad attitude to same-sex couples

The love story of a German sexologist and the Hong Kong-born scion of a wealthy, prestigious family clearly refutes modern-day bigots’ view that the Chinese are unable to condone same-sex relationships.

10 Mar 2020 - 8:03AM
Why Sammy Davis Jr loved Hong Kong: ‘finest tailors in the world’

The American singer, who ‘insisted’ on playing in the city, in 1970, performed at the Lee Theatre, where he ‘walked on the stage wearing a fashionable Afro haircut, a peace medallion and a smile’.

10 Mar 2020 - 7:00AM
Reflections | Political graffiti – as common in ancient China as in Hong Kong

Subversive messages and slogans, whether carved in rock or sprayed onto buildings, carry the same spirit of defiance.

9 Mar 2020 - 8:11AM
Connecting Hong Kong kids to nature no easy task? Enter A-Team

A-Team Edventures is dedicated to helping kids uncouple from their digital devices and get them in touch with the natural environment through outdoor activities include kayaking, camping and coasteering.

6 Mar 2020 - 1:45PM
Opinion | The Great Mask Mystery: where are people getting them from?

There weren’t any in the shops, but there were plenty on people’s faces. An underground mask racket must be the only explanation.

6 Mar 2020 - 8:42AM
Language Matters | ‘Woman’: the story of the word’s origin and evolution

No, it is not composed of womb, woe or wee with ‘man’, as folk etymology would have you believe.

8 Mar 2020 - 4:29PM03571EC5-13F4-4283-B996-99444BE88411
Seven entrepreneurs recreate tastes from childhood for charity

All proceeds from the evening will go to Beyond Foundation, a Hong Kong charity that supports children with special needs.

2 Mar 2020 - 3:00PM
Hong Kong’s PLA headquarters, originally home to British Forces

The Prince of Wales building was opened by Prince Charles and designed to withstand bomb attacks.

2 Mar 2020 - 9:30AM
Then & Now | Hong Kong loves all things Korean. That wasn’t always the case

The connection dates goes back to Japan’s pre-war militaristic expansion in East Asia.

28 Feb 2020 - 10:41AM
Reflections | Sharing dishes – and viruses – not a thing in Chinese history

Communal dining has been blamed for helping spread the coronavirus. When did the Chinese adopt the habit?

27 Feb 2020 - 10:51AM
Former lawmaker Emily Lau will never stop fighting for democracy

‘Some youngsters are very upset with us for not being able to deliver democracy. Yes, we didn’t get democracy, but don’t say our efforts are futile.’

25 Feb 2020 - 3:06PM
Oscars glory for Hong Kong children’s brand Pepper & Mint

The brand’s baby shoes and blankets are handcrafted by artisans in Indonesia and featured in this year’s Academy Awards swag bags.

25 Feb 2020 - 10:15AM
Reflections | ‘Misfortunes do not strike only once’, as Hong Kong well knows

The origins of the ancient Chinese saying lie in an anthology of historical morality tales, Garden of Persuasions.

24 Feb 2020 - 9:05AM