https://www.scmp.com/rss/317910/feed Throughout its history, Hong Kong has been a place of ever-changing contours and skylines as well as home to a great variety of people. Here we present columns, photo galleries and stories about people who've lived in and helped shape Hong Kong, buildings preserved and long vanished, historical events, the city's changing culture and how the past shapes the present. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu Neon signs on a Mong Kok street, “ding ding” trams sounding their bells, milk tea at traditional cha chaan teng cafes – images such as these are what usually come to mind when one thinks of Hong Kong culture. During this year’s Hong Kong art week, indie collective N+ Museum are confronting how the city is increasingly caricatured by nostalgic tropes in “Hong Kong Nostalgia-Bait”, an exhibition that asks: what gets left when memory is treated as a commodity and turned into visual souvenirs? The... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347658/what-hong-kongs-n-museum-and-why-it-calling-out-cringe-nostalgia-trend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347658/what-hong-kongs-n-museum-and-why-it-calling-out-cringe-nostalgia-trend?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 04:45:08 +0000 Lisa Cam Lisa Cam Kowloon Walled City, with its triad gangs and lawless reputation, remains a symbol of Hong Kong’s underbelly more than three decades after it was demolished in 1994. What many forget, however, is that it was also home to tens of thousands of ordinary residents who lived ordinary lives trying to make ends meet. Ha Ming Kee, a Chiu Chow-style fish ball noodle restaurant and manufacturer, was founded decades ago by Roger Ha’s parents, Ha Fan-ming and Chan So-hing, in the narrow alleyways of Kowloon... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3347100/how-hong-kong-fish-ball-maker-kowloon-walled-city-became-thriving-family-business?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3347100/how-hong-kong-fish-ball-maker-kowloon-walled-city-became-thriving-family-business?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 04:45:08 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung A Hong Kong fixture since 1945 and with more than 320 outlets across the city today, supermarket chain Wellcome is synonymous with practicality. It is therefore one of the last places one might expect to become a tourist attraction. Recently, one branch in the Kowloon neighbourhood of Yau Ma Tei has transformed into a photo hotspot, largely thanks to its vibrant in-store tribute to the city’s “golden era” from the 1950s to the 1970s. Upon entering, customers pass through a “time tunnel” in the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3344329/whats-behind-hong-kongs-retro-display-craze-sweeping-supermarkets-shops-and-stations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3344329/whats-behind-hong-kongs-retro-display-craze-sweeping-supermarkets-shops-and-stations?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 04:15:08 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak Freezing temperatures are rare in Hong Kong, and frost is rarer still. But in decades past, a handful of particularly cold days transformed Tai Mo Shan into an ice-crusted winterscape. Here’s a look back at how South China Morning Post photographers captured Hong Kong’s frostiest moments from the 1970s to the 2010s. https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3340631/pictures-hong-kongs-coldest-days-1970s-2010s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3340631/pictures-hong-kongs-coldest-days-1970s-2010s?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 07:15:07 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak From the 1970s to the 2010s, Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour saw its fair share of sailing ships arriving from across the globe. Here’s how South China Morning Post photographers captured the arrival of these classic vessels. https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3339322/pictures-majestic-sailing-ships-made-hong-kong-port-call?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3339322/pictures-majestic-sailing-ships-made-hong-kong-port-call?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 04:00:15 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak For nearly 50 years, the New Year Winter Swimming Lifesaving Championships have represented a tradition of courage in Hong Kong, challenging participants with a 600-metre course from Middle Bay Beach to Repulse Bay Jetty. The fastest swimmers are crowned champions in various age groups and categories, including student and open divisions. Join us as we delve into the South China Morning Post’s picture archives, featuring generations of brave swimmers plunging into icy waters on the first day of... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3338235/pictures-hong-kong-swimmers-braving-cold-new-years-day-1970s-2000s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3338235/pictures-hong-kong-swimmers-braving-cold-new-years-day-1970s-2000s?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 22:00:10 +0000 Andrea Lo Andrea Lo I’M A TRUE HONG KONG BOY. I was born and raised here. I’m 73. MY FAMILY BUSINESS has a 183-year history. I’m the fifth generation to run it. It started in Guangzhou around the time the Treaty of Nanking was signed (in 1842). My ancestor (who started the business) was stupider than a pig; starting a shop during a war – how would anyone make money that way? He wrote a couplet that reads, “New additions bring prosperity and style; determined colours reveal elegance and grace.” The couplet talks... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3337576/yau-yiu-wai-fifth-gen-owner-hong-kong-umbrella-store-shutting-shop-despite-his-lifelong-obsession?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3337576/yau-yiu-wai-fifth-gen-owner-hong-kong-umbrella-store-shutting-shop-despite-his-lifelong-obsession?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 07:15:07 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak The 1970s, 80s and 90s were decades in which December grew into a lively festival season in Hong Kong – one that blended Western traditions with the city’s unique charms. Here’s how South China Morning Post photographers captured some of that Christmas magic. Christmas shopping Sending Christmas cards Enjoying the Christmas lights Feasting for Christmas https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3336997/pictures-how-hong-kong-celebrated-christmas-1970s-90s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3336997/pictures-how-hong-kong-celebrated-christmas-1970s-90s?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 07:15:08 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak In the 1980s and 90s, open-air food stalls were a common sight in Hong Kong and during the colder months, hotpot was a dish of choice for those dining alfresco. The steaming pot not only offered a variety of rich flavours but also a cosy way to bring family and friends together, sharing food and laughter to warm the chilly nights. For those preferring a more comfortable setting, Cantonese snake-soup restaurants offered another popular winter staple, the warming tonic having been supped by... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3335320/pictures-what-are-hong-kongs-most-beloved-winter-foods-snapshots-1970s-2000s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3335320/pictures-what-are-hong-kongs-most-beloved-winter-foods-snapshots-1970s-2000s?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 22:00:18 +0000 Dave Besseling Dave Besseling “Lustrous silks and satins, brocades, velvets and diaphanous chiffons will be among the fabrics fashioned into the season’s latest styles for the ball scene in the Hongkong Debutante show to be held in the Diocesan Girls’ School on Wednesday at 4.30 p.m. and 6.15 p.m,” reported the South China Morning Post on November 1, 1959. “Ladies of the Diocesan Old Girl’s Association are sponsoring the show in aid of school charities. Although details of some of the exclusive creations made specially and... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3331071/when-hong-kongs-young-women-made-headlines-their-looks-debutante-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3331071/when-hong-kongs-young-women-made-headlines-their-looks-debutante-show?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 14:00:44 +0000 Cat Nelson Cat Nelson I’m firmly a millennial, and honestly, I can’t complain. Sure, we’re avocado-toast-shamed into oblivion and blamed for killing everything from diamonds to department stores. But we’ve also had the rare privilege of growing up in a strange and specific in-between. I remember life before tech was everywhere. I knew how to burn a CD before I ever touched a touch screen. I was well acquainted with the pre-iPhone internet and actual boredom. That perspective – one foot in the analogue, the other... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3329395/week-postmag-tech-inspired-art-sex-tape-and-fading-neon-signs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3329395/week-postmag-tech-inspired-art-sex-tape-and-fading-neon-signs?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Oct 2025 04:45:07 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak Before 1992, Sheung Wan’s Tai Tat Tei or “Poor Man’s Nightclub” was a vibrant open space where market stalls, dai pai dong, Chinese opera, fortune-telling and all manner of entertainment came together, forming a hub for workaday shoppers and pleasure seekers while providing a means of livelihood for hawkers and street performers. Throughout the 1980s, it offered tourists a glimpse into the city’s everyday rhythm and character. August 2, 1992, was the last day of operations, as the site across... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3328778/pictures-hong-kongs-poor-mans-nightclub-popular-outdoor-bazaar-1980s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3328778/pictures-hong-kongs-poor-mans-nightclub-popular-outdoor-bazaar-1980s?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 07:15:07 +0000 Gavin Yeung Gavin Yeung One cold March evening two years ago, Hongkongers were witness to an unscheduled spectacle as an inferno tore across the nearly complete, then 42-storey shell of the Kimpton Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong. Flaming tufts of scaffolding nets were sent airborne, blowing across the rooftops of the dense urban core, threatening to ignite fires at the nearby Sheraton and Hermes House, as the night sky lit up with a glow that could be seen from far and wide. Some nine hours later, firefighters had put out the... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3328518/hong-kongs-kimpton-hotel-and-former-mariners-club-rise-ashes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3328518/hong-kongs-kimpton-hotel-and-former-mariners-club-rise-ashes?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Oct 2025 07:15:08 +0000 Dave Besseling Dave Besseling “Hongkong will stage an official exhibit at the Frankfurt Trade Fair, Germany, in September,” reported the South China Morning Post on February 29, 1956. “This is in line with the Hongkong Government policy to bring the Colony’s manufactured goods to the attention of prospective buyers in as many countries as possible. Arrangements are being made for Hongkong to take over part of a pavilion. This will give it 200 square metres of space in which to stage its exhibit which will be more than twice... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3324313/when-hong-kong-impressed-business-visitors-trade-fair-germany?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3324313/when-hong-kong-impressed-business-visitors-trade-fair-germany?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 22:15:07 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma Briskly walking down an office corridor at the Hong Kong police headquarters, a blond-haired uniformed officer energetically greets passing colleagues with a jovial “Wei hing dai!”, meaning “Hey, brother!” in Cantonese. His office displays a kaleidoscopic collection of memorial coins and medals from law enforcement agencies worldwide, alongside a wall covered with pictures showing myriad police units, from frontline operations to the secretive VIP protection unit. The officer was Assistant... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3323767/beat-hong-kongs-highest-ranking-colonial-era-expatriate-officer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3323767/beat-hong-kongs-highest-ranking-colonial-era-expatriate-officer?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Aug 2025 01:00:19 +0000 Fiona Sun Fiona Sun Ahead of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, marking the end of the Sino-Japanese war and the global fight against fascism, we look at the effects of the conflict and its aftermath, and how they continue to affect China’s place in the world. In the third part of a series, the Post looks at Hong Kong’s experience and one veteran’s call for the people’s sacrifices to be remembered. Lam Chun witnessed the brutality of war up close in Japanese-occupied Hong Kong when she was just eight years... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3323729/keeping-light-shining-dark-days-japanese-occupation-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3323729/keeping-light-shining-dark-days-japanese-occupation-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Aug 2025 00:30:12 +0000 Dave Besseling Dave Besseling “Long queues lined up at the Government health centres to receive anti-cholera inoculations yesterday when two suspected cases of cholera – a 12-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl – were reported,” the South China Morning Post stated on August 17, 1961. “A Government spokesman said bacteriological tests for the two cases – which were classified as gastroenteritis – were being carried out and should be completed by this morning.” “The boy was brought in dead to the Kowloon Public Mortuary from... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3323041/when-129-people-were-infected-and-15-people-died-cholera-outbreak-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3323041/when-129-people-were-infected-and-15-people-died-cholera-outbreak-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 22:15:07 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak With its signature bitterness, leung cha (“cooling tea”) may not be everyone’s beverage of choice, but it has long been valued for restoring balance to the body according to traditional Chinese medicine principles. The first herbal tea shop is thought to have been established in Guangzhou in 1828, and people in southern China often quaff the drink to counteract the hot and humid climate. By dispelling excess “internal heat”, the infusion is believed to alleviate various ailments and improve... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3323162/pictures-enduring-appeal-hong-kongs-herbal-tea-shops?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3323162/pictures-enduring-appeal-hong-kongs-herbal-tea-shops?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Aug 2025 10:15:08 +0000 Mathias Woo Mathias Woo Hong Kong has long celebrated its status as a “culinary paradise” – a city where East meets West across steaming bamboo baskets and sizzling skillets. Yet behind the Michelin stars and street food fame, the city’s food and drink industry is quietly unravelling. Soaring rents, a deepening labour shortage, fractured supply chains and a vanishing pool of culinary talent have left businesses scrambling. In response, policymakers and industry leaders have embraced one particular remedy: the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3322680/5-step-recipe-revival-hong-kongs-food-sector?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3322680/5-step-recipe-revival-hong-kongs-food-sector?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Aug 2025 22:30:11 +0000 Dave Besseling Dave Besseling “The remote New Territories village of Ho Sheung Heung was silent yesterday – except for the weeping of seven young orphans and five fatherless children,” reported the South China Morning Post on August 8, 1981. “Only hours before, Chan Ping (14) and his younger sister Chan-ho had been busy catching frogs and playing around the pond area where the villagers cultivate worms to make their living. “But Chan-ho returned alone and distressed to her parents’ home, telling her mother that Chan Ping... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3322007/when-4-people-were-killed-after-boy-fell-remote-hong-kong-village-well?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3322007/when-4-people-were-killed-after-boy-fell-remote-hong-kong-village-well?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Aug 2025 10:00:13 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak Long before the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal – long before airliners started landing at Kai Tak Airport, even – leisure passengers would arrive in Hong Kong by ship in their thousands. After arriving in the city, some would continue by train to Guangdong province, and explore deeper into mainland China. Here, we present South China Morning Post photographs from the decks of those giant cruise liners – and from the shore. https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3322239/pictures-cruise-liners-sailing-hong-kong-1970s-and-80s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3322239/pictures-cruise-liners-sailing-hong-kong-1970s-and-80s?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Aug 2025 10:55:46 +0000 Paul French Paul French Beloved by children, parents, aunties and grandparents alike, this tall, thin, bespectacled and mustachioed gentleman clad in traditional Chinese attire seems to have emerged straight out of the Qing dynasty to observe, under his furrowed brow, the boomtown Hong Kong has become. Old Master Q (老夫子) is too honest, too trusting, too kind for the city’s dog-eat-dog ways, but one who always gets up and dusts himself off. After first appearing in February 1962, the manhua art, or Chinese-language... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3321945/how-legacy-beloved-hong-kong-comic-strip-old-master-q-lives?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3321945/how-legacy-beloved-hong-kong-comic-strip-old-master-q-lives?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Aug 2025 22:15:08 +0000 Dave Besseling Dave Besseling “The Hongkong Kidney Foundation will soon have its own treatment centre in Kowloon for patients with kidney diseases,” reported the South China Morning Post on September 23, 1980. “The centre will be in Prince Building, Prince Edward Road. It will be the colony’s first kidney diseases treatment centre. The centre, which will also serve as the foundation’s headquarters, has been made possible by various donations. “Earlier in the year, the Royal Hongkong Jockey Club donated $2 million towards... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3321585/when-hong-kong-got-its-first-kidney-dialysis-treatment-centre-1981?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3321585/when-hong-kong-got-its-first-kidney-dialysis-treatment-centre-1981?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Aug 2025 22:15:08 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak Haircuts are not just a basic necessity – they also reflect Hong Kong’s cultural evolution and economic development. Back in the day, roadside barbers and small back-alley salons just offered quick trims. These affordable services were popular among working-class families. During the 1940s and 50s, a wave of Shanghai immigrants brought with them refined hair styling and shaving techniques. Shanghai-style salons quickly set a new trend, offering elegant and quality grooming in addition to the... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3321412/pictures-streets-or-salons-hong-kong-barbers-make-cut?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3321412/pictures-streets-or-salons-hong-kong-barbers-make-cut?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Aug 2025 10:15:07 +0000 Cat Nelson Cat Nelson The best stories are often the ones hiding in plain sight: half-obscured and easy to overlook. That’s the starting point for our cover story this week, on Hong Kong’s ghost signs. It’s a spooky, slightly mysterious term, but you know them – hand-painted shopfronts, weather-worn billboards and bits of calligraphy that have somehow survived decades of redevelopment and repainting. The project is the work of designer Billy Potts and photographer Ben Marans, who have spent the past few years... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3321219/week-postmag-ghostly-signs-hong-kong-and-old-master-q?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3321219/week-postmag-ghostly-signs-hong-kong-and-old-master-q?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Aug 2025 04:45:07 +0000 Annemarie Evans Annemarie Evans Focus your eyes, there, across the road, at layers upon layers of cream paint on the opposite wall, and don’t blink. See that hint of green? It’s the remnants of an old advertisement for Green Spot, a glass-bottled soft drink once available at every family-run shop in town. These kinds of sightings have become less common in Hong Kong, but once you’ve seen one, it’s hard not to see, and seek out, other examples of these palimpsest survivors of humidity, rain or repainting. They can be small or... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3321209/ghost-signs-resurrect-bygone-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3321209/ghost-signs-resurrect-bygone-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Aug 2025 10:00:10 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak Long before chain supermarkets and convenience stores became the norm, small family-run shops were fixtures of Hong Kong’s neighbourhoods. Stocked with rice, soy sauce and other household staples, they were sites of vibrant exchanges in the local community. These stores provided affordable daily goods to their customers, and brought in a steady stream of income for small business owners. They were an essential part of everyday life for Hongkongers. Today, the number of these shops across Hong... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3320677/pictures-hong-kongs-local-grocery-stores-through-decades?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3320677/pictures-hong-kongs-local-grocery-stores-through-decades?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Aug 2025 10:00:27 +0000 Dave Besseling Dave Besseling “A wealthy businessman who killed a young student with chloroform after luring her to a hotel to film a pornographic video had made explicit videos of three of his employees,” reported the South China Morning Post on August 12, 1994. “Luk Yee-ling, 21, died after she was drugged and subjected to a sex attack by property agent Hon Leung-fong and his lover, Phoebe Wong Yim-ping. “After stripping the Baptist College student, Hon filmed her lying naked on the floor and left the camera running as he... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3320228/when-university-student-drugged-and-sexually-assaulted-her-boss-ended-dead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3320228/when-university-student-drugged-and-sexually-assaulted-her-boss-ended-dead?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Aug 2025 20:00:09 +0000 Erika Na Erika Na Hoisin sauce is a thick, fragrant condiment that originated in southern China’s Guangdong province. Its name hints at its origin – hoisin means “seafood” in Cantonese – yet the sauce contains no seafood. It is entirely vegan, made from fermented soybeans, sugar, vinegar, garlic and spices. The resulting umami flavour is savoury, slightly sweet and spicy. Hoisin sauce resembles oyster sauce in colour and texture, but their flavours differ. Oyster sauce lacks the prominent sweetness of hoisin, and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3319242/what-hoisin-sauce-how-chinese-condiment-spread-asia-trader-joes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3319242/what-hoisin-sauce-how-chinese-condiment-spread-asia-trader-joes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Jul 2025 09:15:07 +0000 SCMP Reporters SCMP Reporters Hong Kong’s historic Central Market, which first opened in 1842, has been at its present site since 1858. Plans to sell the site for development were met with a public outcry and the government decided to preserve the market instead and give it a radical makeover reopening the Grade 3 listed building – now full of restaurants and small shops – in 2021. https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3318739/pictures-central-market-has-been-serving-hong-kong-almost-170-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3318739/pictures-central-market-has-been-serving-hong-kong-almost-170-years?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Jul 2025 07:15:11 +0000 Dave Besseling Dave Besseling “A driver was arrested yesterday after a bus ploughed into a huge crowd at North Point killing four people and injuring 46,” reported the South China Morning Post on July 23, 1979. “The man, Ling Sum-ha (57), has been charged with dangerous driving causing death. He was released on $5,000 bail and is required to report to Traffic headquarters, Island, tomorrow. “The accident happened at North Point bus terminus shortly before 9am when it was packed with about 1,000 people – hundreds of whom... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3318716/when-5-people-were-killed-and-50-hurt-runaway-hong-kong-bus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3318716/when-5-people-were-killed-and-50-hurt-runaway-hong-kong-bus?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Jul 2025 04:45:09 +0000 Christopher DeWolf Christopher DeWolf If you visit Venice, Italy, this year and stumble upon a courtyard wrapped in a lattice of bamboo poles, you might think you’ve been transported to the streets of Hong Kong. But it isn’t a mirage – it’s the SAR’s official contribution to the Venice Biennale of Architecture. The installation stands out for its utilitarian aesthetic. Designed by Hong Kong-based Beau Architects and the Architecture Land Initiative (a Swiss- and Hong Kong-based architectural cooperative), in collaboration with... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/design-interiors/article/3318683/world-discovering-bamboo-scaffolding-hong-kong-phases-it-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/design-interiors/article/3318683/world-discovering-bamboo-scaffolding-hong-kong-phases-it-out?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Jul 2025 22:15:09 +0000 Dave Besseling Dave Besseling “Police have started an investigation into the dramatic escape yesterday of a 23-year-old Chiu Chow woman from the Sheung Shui Police Station after she was arrested in connection with a $1 million heroin seizure,” reported the South China Morning Post on July 14, 1974. “The escape, which took place only one hour after the woman, Yeung Yiu-hung [sic], was taken into police custody, seems to have been well-planned. “She is believed to have intimate knowledge of the Chiu Chow-dominated drug gang... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3317848/when-hong-kong-drug-queen-fled-police-station-could-not-escape-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3317848/when-hong-kong-drug-queen-fled-police-station-could-not-escape-law?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Jul 2025 02:15:07 +0000 Sammy Heung Sammy Heung On a Saturday afternoon, a vintage double-decker bus rolled into Hong Kong’s Wah Fu Estate, dubbed the “luxury residence for ordinary people”, piquing the curiosity of residents. The beige and red Leyland Fleetline bus was carrying members of a walking tour organised by Henry Chai Man-hon, who served as the district councillor for the estate from 2004 to 2019, and community group Wah Fu Hub. The public housing estate will soon join the bus and become a relic of old Hong Kong as it will be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3317940/walk-through-history-soon-be-demolished-hong-kong-sea-view-public-estate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3317940/walk-through-history-soon-be-demolished-hong-kong-sea-view-public-estate?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Jul 2025 04:00:12 +0000 Kylie Knott Kylie Knott Hong Kong neon master Wong Kin-wah holds a glass tube over a burner’s flame, bending it and occasionally blowing into it with the finesse that comes from decades of honing his craft. Speed and precision are needed to mould the tube into shape before it is filled with noble gases such as neon and argon to create its distinctive glow. “I modified this burner myself so I could get a more intense flame,” Wong says at his studio in the Kowloon neighbourhood of Mong Kok, where he has worked for the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3316082/striking-hong-kong-neon-exhibition-honours-heroes-craft-and-familys-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3316082/striking-hong-kong-neon-exhibition-honours-heroes-craft-and-familys-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jun 2025 23:15:14 +0000 Sumnima Kandangwa Sumnima Kandangwa For decades, neon signs lit up Hong Kong, casting vivid hues across the urban jungle. But as government regulations continue to tighten, most of those glowing tubes have been replaced with LED. To celebrate the city’s neon heritage, artist Jerry Loo has collaborated with his grandfather, Master Wong Kin-wah, one of Hong Kong’s few remaining neon masters, to transform PMQ into a luminous outdoor exhibition inviting the public to explore and interact with a dying art form once synonymous with our... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3316018/neon-heroes-shines-light-hong-kongs-illuminated-heritage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3316018/neon-heroes-shines-light-hong-kongs-illuminated-heritage?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jun 2025 06:00:12 +0000 Dave Besseling Dave Besseling “Little Michael Paine was the victim of one of the most extraordinary outrages ever witnessed in Hongkong, when, yesterday afternoon, an apparently demented Chinese seized five European children (three girls and two boys) and threw them into the nullah adjoining Murray Barracks,” reported the South China Morning Post on June 23, 1934. “The deceased child was swept through the nullah into the harbour near the Victoria Recreation Club, where he was rescued in an unconscious condition by Private... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3315056/when-five-children-were-flung-hong-kong-drain-mentally-unsound-man?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3315056/when-five-children-were-flung-hong-kong-drain-mentally-unsound-man?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Jun 2025 00:00:08 +0000 Dave Besseling Dave Besseling “Executives of the Hilton Hotel chain said today that they would visit Hongkong for the express purpose of discussing plans for a new luxury hotel there,” reported the South China Morning Post on January 11, 1956. “Mr John Houser, executive vice-president of Hilton Hotels International, and Mr Rug Purpus, publicity director for the new hotel chain, will leave New York on January 20 on a tour through Asia and the Middle East which will take them to Hongkong, Honolulu, Tokyo, Manila, Sydney,... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3314282/when-hilton-hotel-chain-came-hong-kong-1960s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3314282/when-hilton-hotel-chain-came-hong-kong-1960s?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Jun 2025 22:15:08 +0000 Christopher DeWolf Christopher DeWolf Many years ago, artist Adrian Wong Ho-yin was astonished to discover a lazy trick used by many Hong Kong contractors. He was walking down an alley in Tsim Sha Tsui, not far from Chungking Mansions, when he noticed a wall clad in mosaic tiles bulging from water damage. He looked more closely and realised that there were at least six or seven types of tiles layered atop each other. “It felt like I was standing in the present and looking through a wormhole into the past,” he says. He soon... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3314314/how-mosaics-capture-moments-hong-kong-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3314314/how-mosaics-capture-moments-hong-kong-history?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Jun 2025 00:15:08 +0000 Kylie Knott Kylie Knott Yeung Yan-chi knows his way around a crab. In his nearly 30 years as head chef of Bamboo Village restaurant, in Kowloon’s Jordan neighbourhood, he estimates he has prepared about 60,000 of them. These days, the Hong Kong-born 64-year-old works in a front-of-house role at the restaurant, a position that is less demanding on his body. But the vast knowledge he accumulated over the years has stayed with him. That includes the skills needed to prepare typhoon shelter-style spicy fried crab, one of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3313951/typhoon-shelter-crab-hong-kong-seafood-dish-made-garlic-chilli-and-dab-nostalgia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3313951/typhoon-shelter-crab-hong-kong-seafood-dish-made-garlic-chilli-and-dab-nostalgia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Jun 2025 04:43:16 +0000 Dave Besseling Dave Besseling “Three boys and their parents were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide yesterday,” reported the South China Morning Post on June 10, 1999. “The bodies of Ng Jo-yin, 12, Ng Ho-yin, 10, and Ng Chung-yin, 8, were discovered on a bed with their father, Ng Chung-kit, 42, and mother, Lam Siu-ying, 39, in a Tin Shui Wai flat. “The windows and doors of the flat were sealed and charcoal had been burned. Lam was lying to one side of the three boys, hemming them in against the wall, and Ng was lying... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3313588/when-family-five-died-tragically-murder-suicide-1999?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3313588/when-family-five-died-tragically-murder-suicide-1999?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Jun 2025 06:00:14 +0000 Jason Wordie Jason Wordie Since the mid-19th century, Hong Kong has been famed for the extensive array of (mostly, but not exclusively, Chinese) curios available in speciality shops. A mainstay of the local tourism industry, generations of visitors have departed these shores with some appealingly “oriental” item tucked away in their baggage as a memento of their stay. While some are genuine antiques, most curios are recently manufactured. Porcelain items, jade and intricately carved netsuke remain popular, along with... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3313278/legacy-hong-kongs-signature-curio-shops?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3313278/legacy-hong-kongs-signature-curio-shops?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jun 2025 11:00:08 +0000 Jason Wordie Jason Wordie Since the colony’s earliest years, the summer months of dankly humid weeks of near-constant rain, followed by a few baking-hot, magnificently clear days, punctuated by passing typhoons, have been the season to escape. But before air services expanded everyone’s travel horizons, where lay within reasonable reach by sea, offering pleasant, modern resort localities with warm daytime weather, fresh mornings and cool afternoons? Regional options were limited. In mainland China, modest hill stations,... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3313153/interwar-hongkongers-summer-destination-choice-indonesia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3313153/interwar-hongkongers-summer-destination-choice-indonesia?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jun 2025 09:00:08 +0000 Dave Besseling Dave Besseling “A young European mother of four, and five schoolchildren were killed yesterday when a ten-foot high concrete wall collapsed on a bus queue during heavy rain in Boundary Street. Sixteen people were injured,” reported the South China Morning Post on June 9, 1966. “The woman, wife of a British serviceman, and the children, aged between 12 and 16, were crushed under tons of masonry as a 50-foot section of the 250-ft long wall crashed on to the pavement in front of the La Salle Primary School.... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3312229/when-6-people-were-killed-hong-kong-bus-stop-1960s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3312229/when-6-people-were-killed-hong-kong-bus-stop-1960s?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 May 2025 22:15:08 +0000 Dennis Lee Dennis Lee I have been trying to discover Hong Kong’s “hidden gems”, as seen through the eyes of a budget traveller. Out of curiosity, I downloaded and explored mobile apps such as Meituan and RedNote (also known as Xiaohongshu), to see what a local might be missing out on. Some of the recommended spots seem debatable, including the alleyways between Tai Wai’s village houses that have been dubbed “Little Kyoto”, an ordinary street sign on the corner of New Praya in Kennedy Town and the Hong Kong Cemetery... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3311998/forget-tourist-fads-lets-better-preserve-promote-hong-kong-heritage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3311998/forget-tourist-fads-lets-better-preserve-promote-hong-kong-heritage?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 May 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Jason Wordie Jason Wordie Cool-weather clothes in Hong Kong have long been chosen from classic styles that would not date too quickly. As only three or four months of the year are suitable for most temperate-climate garments – barely two for heavier items, such as tweed overcoats – winter clothes were expected to last for many years, and would only be replaced on periodic long leaves or when an individual’s body shape had changed too dramatically for alterations. Hong Kong’s torrid summer months with prolonged high... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3311976/how-hongkongers-protected-winter-wardrobes-perils-summer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3311976/how-hongkongers-protected-winter-wardrobes-perils-summer?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 May 2025 10:00:21 +0000 Fionnuala McHugh Fionnuala McHugh In 1904, Hong Kong’s Supreme Court held a maiden sessions: no criminal cases were recorded for the whole month of November. Following an English tradition to mark the occasion, the chief justice, Sir Henry Berkeley, was presented with a pair of white gloves by the registrar “in token of the spotless innocence of the whole population”. Berkeley replied how remarkable the achievement was in a place like Hong Kong, with its vast, transient class of villains. He attributed the success to “dealing... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3311307/new-book-examines-evolution-justice-during-hong-kongs-death-penalty-era?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3311307/new-book-examines-evolution-justice-during-hong-kongs-death-penalty-era?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 May 2025 01:00:13 +0000 Dave Besseling Dave Besseling “More than $1 million worth of sound equipment – 12 tons of it – will arrive here next month, accompanied by 31 musicians, dressers, secretaries, technicians, and stage road crew which comprise the four member group Boney M,” reported the South China Morning Post on April 16, 1979. “Already nearly all of the 10,000 tickets for the group’s concert at the Hongkong stadium have been sold. “The group was first conceived in Germany by its manager, Mr Frank Farian, in 1976, and its first big hit was... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3311308/when-rain-dampened-disco-group-boney-ms-hong-kong-debut?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3311308/when-rain-dampened-disco-group-boney-ms-hong-kong-debut?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 May 2025 06:00:12 +0000 Jason Wordie Jason Wordie Urban Hong Kong is known across the globe as a vertical environment. Even those who have never visited will have some, mostly cinematic-driven, awareness of the city’s high-rise nature. The impacts of such spatial realities on everyday life are less widely known, however. For most residents, the ability to just “lok lau” (literally “go down [from] the building”) and find whatever they are looking for, all within a few minutes walk, is the single most important factor for a desirable living... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3310616/hong-kong-delivery-apps-once-took-different-more-physical-form?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3310616/hong-kong-delivery-apps-once-took-different-more-physical-form?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 May 2025 05:00:08 +0000 Dave Besseling Dave Besseling “A gang of teenagers took turns torturing a boy to death before burning his body and dumping it in a rubbish bin,” reported the South China Morning Post on June 5, 1998. “Luk Chi-wai, 16, was punched, kicked, whipped with a leather belt, held upside down and swung around the room, and hit with poles and stools until he was dead, the [Court of First Instance] heard. “The prosecution accepted a guilty plea to a lesser charge of manslaughter yesterday after one of the 14 attackers, Shek Tsz-kin,... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3310459/torture-murder-and-life-sentences-shocking-1999-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3310459/torture-murder-and-life-sentences-shocking-1999-case?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 May 2025 05:00:07 +0000