Advertisement
SCMP Highlights
People & CultureTrending in China

Maria Cordero’s Cantopop journey, VTubers find fame in Hong Kong: 7 Lifestyle highlights

From the origins of the word ‘typhoon’ to a new ‘volume eating’ diet trend, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Maria Cordero in an interview with the Post in 2014. The Cantopop singer, actor and chef rose to popularity in Hong Kong in the 1980s, but more recently her political outspokenness has made her a polarising figure. Photo: Bruce Yan
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. How Hong Kong’s ‘Fat Mama’ Maria Cordero went from Cantopop to controversy

To generations of Hongkongers, she is Fei Ma, or “Fat Mama” – a beloved singer, actress and television chef whose booming voice and hearty recipes feel like a warm embrace. But in the past decade or so, Maria Cordero has adopted a new, more polarising role through her political expressions, which have complicated her legacy.

2. ‘We’ve been through a lot’: Metropol boss on closing after 35 years

Mamoru Hayashi, managing director of the Heichinrou Group, which owns Metropol, chooses dim sum dishes at the Hong Kong restaurant in Admiralty on August 26. Photo: Elson Li
Mamoru Hayashi, managing director of the Heichinrou Group, which owns Metropol, chooses dim sum dishes at the Hong Kong restaurant in Admiralty on August 26. Photo: Elson Li

For Mamoru Hayashi, the closure of Metropol – the Cantonese restaurant his family has run for the past 35 years in Hong Kong’s Admiralty area – on September 27 is not something he views with sadness. Unlike many recent restaurant closures – often lacking notice or completely unannounced – the sunsetting of Metropol was sealed months prior, in July, with news of the venue being acquired by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) for HK$354.4 million (US$45 million).

3. Where does the word ‘typhoon’ come from? It’s not what you might think

A man sits on a bench on the Tseung Kwan O promenade as waves approach during Super Typhoon Ragasa on September 24. Photo: Elson Li
A man sits on a bench on the Tseung Kwan O promenade as waves approach during Super Typhoon Ragasa on September 24. Photo: Elson Li
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x