Lunar newsletter: How to age well, K-pop gets political and more

Lunar is a weekly curated selection of news, interviews and features dedicated to celebrating women in Asia and sharing stories that matter

Lunar: Stories

SCMP Reporters

Published: 4:00pm, 3 Jul 2020

Why you can trust SCMP

Hong Kong actress Carman Lee withdrew from the limelight at the height of her career in 2004 at her then boyfriend’s request. Then, in 2008, he broke up with her.

A year later, her father died following a stroke and she fell into a depression which lasted until 2010. In this frank interview, she tells how friends, family, and trips to the gym helped her recover.

Lee is not alone. Physical activity is key to a longer, healthier life, yet a WHO study published in The Lancet Global Health journal in 2016 estimates a quarter of adults across the planet are inactive.

In this feature, three other women talk about their health journeys: a lawyer who stopped ‘Tindering’ her fitness and embraced her passion for dance; a business executive who joined group fitness classes, then started teaching them; and a mother-of-two who couldn’t commit to gym classes but found her routine online.

Find out what worked for them, and share your tips with us on our Facebook page.

Lunar Voices

Know and spread your mission, find your allies and consistently work towards it every day, even just a little bit.

Sabrina Ho, Founder & CEO

Lunar Voices showcases advice and inspiration from our community. Share your quote here. We’d love to hear from you!

Stories worth sharing

Hnin Yee Htun in a market in Yangon, Myanmar. Photo: Kenji Photography

From Burmese refugee to food guru, Hnin Yee Htun’s ‘unusual life’

Hnin Yee Htun was born two days before Burma’s 8888 Uprising. After a protracted odyssey from semi-orphan to penniless refugee to stranger in a foreign land, she’s helping to introduce a taste of Burmese cuisine to Hong Kong.

Why the BTS Army and other K-pop fans are aiming their activism at Trump

“From what I’ve seen these past few years, our fandom is extremely politically engaged,” says Adaeze Agbakoba, a 21-year-old African-American BTS fan in Washington. Find out more.

Inside the round tulou houses you saw in ‘Mulan’

If you saw the trailer for Disney’s upcoming Mulan movie, you might have noticed the mysterious round fortresses that Mulan calls home. The only problem? The actual Mulan probably didn’t live in one.

Self-defence classes in one of Asia’s most dangerous places for women

The first time Pannarat Rattanasinchai was molested by a stranger, she felt ashamed and powerless. Here’s how she and other women are defending themselves.

Meet Elizabeth Gaines: Fortescue Metals’ first female CEO

“If this [Covid-19] crisis proves anything, it is the effectiveness of a caring and decisive leader. You can be both of those … they can be complementary,” says Elizabeth Gaines, one of only 12 female CEOs of Australia’s top 200 companies.

From running cutting-edge global companies to speaking out against sexism and stereotypes, women in Asia are making their voices heard around the world. Here at Lunar, we want to provide a platform to elevate and celebrate these voices, while exploring issues that affect women everywhere. Each week, we’ll bring you a curated selection of news, interviews and features about women, by women and for women. Sign up now!

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