https://www.scmp.com/rss/326240/feed Juliana is editor at Inkstone. Before joining Inkstone, she was an international correspondent for BBC News, based in Hong Kong. She has also been based in Beijing, Colombo, New York and London. She started her career as a graduate trainee at Reuters. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com As melting sea ice makes shipping across the North Pole more viable, the Arctic Ocean has become an important region for countries to expand their presence. The Artic's potential has led to a spat between the US and China, both vying for influence around the North Pole and the potential economic opportunities. In the video above, we look into why the region is so important and why tension over China’s plans there could escalate. https://www.scmp.com/politics/china-has-its-eyes-arctic-us-fighting-against-their-claims/article/3047126?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/china-has-its-eyes-arctic-us-fighting-against-their-claims/article/3047126?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jan 2020 09:23:51 +0000 Tucked into a corner of northern San Jose, California, near where she lived with her family, lies a small park full of modern sculptures celebrating the life of Iris Chang, a groundbreaking Chinese-American historian and author known for The Rape of Nanking, a bestselling book that brought a brutal period in Chinese history to Western attention. Chang, the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, published the book in 1997 to instant acclaim. She would publish one more book – this one about... https://www.scmp.com/arts/rape-nanking-author-celebrated-california-park/article/3036887?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/arts/rape-nanking-author-celebrated-california-park/article/3036887?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Nov 2019 09:43:54 +0000 With a history of dog eating, especially in lean times, China hasn’t always been a haven for pets. Pet keeping was branded as bourgeois after the communists swept to power in 1949. But in the past few decades, as Chinese citizens have become wealthier, pet ownership has soared. In fact, China has the second-largest pet market in the world, behind only the US, says Cai Xiaodong, general manager of Royal Canin in China. The pet food producer is a unit of Mars, an American global food giant that... https://www.scmp.com/business/us-pet-food-maker-behind-pedigree-whiskas-betting-big-china/article/3036585?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/us-pet-food-maker-behind-pedigree-whiskas-betting-big-china/article/3036585?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Nov 2019 09:47:00 +0000 For Beijing’s bookish English-speaking expatriate population, the Bookworm was more than a humble cafe full of reading material. It was a cultural destination, a place for live performances and a home away from home. But after being in business for nearly 20 years, its managers announced on Tuesday that the bookstore would close next week – to the shock of its current patrons and legions of former Beijingers around the world. “Despite our best efforts, we appear to have fallen prey to the... https://www.scmp.com/society/beijing-expats-mourn-closure-bookworm-cafe-and-bookstore/article/3036382?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/beijing-expats-mourn-closure-bookworm-cafe-and-bookstore/article/3036382?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Nov 2019 10:39:16 +0000 A woman reported to be China’s oldest mother gave birth last week at the age of 67. If the claim is substantiated, the woman, surnamed Tian, would have overtaken the previous record held by a woman who gave birth at the age of 64 in 2016. But that woman, from the northern Chinese province of Jilin, reportedly conceived her child from in vitro fertilization. It was not known whether she had used her own eggs or eggs from a donor. Celebrities such as Janet Jackson and Brigitte Nielsen have made... https://www.scmp.com/health/doctor-says-67-year-old-mother-china-conceived-naturally/article/3035355?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/health/doctor-says-67-year-old-mother-china-conceived-naturally/article/3035355?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Oct 2019 11:00:49 +0000 Animal protection groups in China have expressed sadness and disappointment about the arrival of some 30 baby African elephants from Zimbabwe, in a case that has caused outrage among global wildlife campaigners. The wild-caught baby elephants, estimated to be between two to six years old, arrived last week at Shanghai’s Pudong Airport, according to two animal rights groups.  The elephants are believed to be undergoing one month of inspection and quarantine at an unknown location before being... https://www.scmp.com/society/chinese-animal-rights-groups-outraged-about-arrival-baby-elephants/article/3035174?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/chinese-animal-rights-groups-outraged-about-arrival-baby-elephants/article/3035174?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Oct 2019 09:17:22 +0000 Comedian Ali Wong entered my life this summer when I desperately needed her. I had returned to work three months after the birth of my fourth child. In a routine familiar to many working moms, every few hours, I excused myself to go to the nursing room to pump. Somehow, I got the idea to watch something funny as I pumped to boost my supply. It worked! For many weeks, I watched Wong’s two stand-up Netflix specials Baby Cobra and Hard Knock Wife on a loop.  Last week, the talented... https://www.scmp.com/arts/ali-wongs-rules-living-told-her-daughters/article/3034016?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/arts/ali-wongs-rules-living-told-her-daughters/article/3034016?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Oct 2019 10:53:36 +0000 The animated film Abominable, the first Hollywood cartoon to feature a modern Chinese family, has conquered the US box office in its opening weekend, taking in more than $20 million, according to Box Office Mojo. But in order to recoup its reported $75 million production budget and related marketing costs, it’ll have to do better than that. Film watchers say it’ll have to be a global hit, particularly in China, the world’s second-largest box office. Luckily, Abominable is a co-production between... https://www.scmp.com/arts/how-abominable-trying-avoid-crazy-rich-asians-style-flop-china/article/3031108?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/arts/how-abominable-trying-avoid-crazy-rich-asians-style-flop-china/article/3031108?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Oct 2019 11:09:40 +0000 A wealthy Chinese tech bro has stirred up a hornet’s nest with a brutally honest online ad looking for love. Actually, he doesn’t talk about love at all. Instead, he lists his salary, job, education, financial assets and family background and gives a detailed description of the kind of woman he is looking for.  The ad was posted on the Twitter-like Weibo last week by an online influencer, Beijing Big Potato, on behalf of the man, who says he’s an employee at tech giant Alibaba. Inkstone, which... https://www.scmp.com/society/what-happens-when-rich-chinese-tech-bro-looks-love-online/article/3030937?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/what-happens-when-rich-chinese-tech-bro-looks-love-online/article/3030937?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Sep 2019 10:46:23 +0000 The ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, currently in their 15th week, have spawned a creative outpouring of books, poetry, music and artwork, including propaganda cartoons. An Australian comedian, Sammy J, has joined the fray by dropping a satirical video using yoga to convey what’s happening in the city, which is gearing up for another weekend of demonstrations. In a Q&A with Inkstone, the comic explains his creative process. 1. Most of your work seems to be centered around Australian... https://www.scmp.com/politics/aussie-comic-satirizes-hong-kong-protests-yoga-video/article/3029660?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/aussie-comic-satirizes-hong-kong-protests-yoga-video/article/3029660?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Sep 2019 09:31:46 +0000 Last week, we wrote about a professor at Shanghai’s prestigious Fudan University who gave the graduating class of 2019 an audacious speech. In it, Qu Weiguo praised the importance of fighting for individual liberty and encouraged students to think independently. You loved it. Readers asked us for a full translation of Qu’s speech, so after a lot of work, here it is. Dear students, parents and teachers, greetings everyone! First of all, please allow me to offer my warmest congratulations to you... https://www.scmp.com/education/chinese-college-professor-qu-weiguos-full-graduation-speech/article/3015786?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/education/chinese-college-professor-qu-weiguos-full-graduation-speech/article/3015786?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Jun 2019 09:29:57 +0000 Street demonstrations are a colorful feature of life in Hong Kong, a former British colony that retains many civil liberties despite legally being a part of China. But getting official data on exactly how many people show up is trickier than you’d think. The controversy surged in headlines again this week. The organizers of a massive demonstration against a proposed extradition law said more than one million people were there. The police said 240,000 people took part at its peak. Clearly, that’s... https://www.scmp.com/politics/why-estimates-hong-kong-demonstrations-are-so-inconsistent/article/3014028?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/why-estimates-hong-kong-demonstrations-are-so-inconsistent/article/3014028?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Jun 2019 10:04:09 +0000 The world of science was rocked this week when a Chinese scientist named He Jiankui announced that he had created the first gene-edited babies. The twins had their DNA edited when they were embryos to make them more resistant to HIV infection, the researcher claimed. But many in the scientific community were appalled by the experiment. The university in southern China that he is affiliated with has distanced itself from the announcement and is investigating what happened. So far, Dr He has not... https://www.scmp.com/science/gene-editing-chinese-embryos-shocks-world-science/article/2175226?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/science/gene-editing-chinese-embryos-shocks-world-science/article/2175226?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Nov 2018 10:00:00 +0000 Google CEO Sundar Pichai isn’t buckling under political and social pressure to scrap its plans for China. Speaking publicly for the first time about Project Dragonfly, a censored search engine for the world’s biggest internet market by users, Pichai said the service had been tested and that it was capable of serving 99% of search queries. “We wanted to learn what it would look like if Google were in China,” Pichai said at an event hosted by Wired magazine in San Francisco, according to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/google-ceo-disses-baidu-still-wants-explore-search-china/article/2168799?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/google-ceo-disses-baidu-still-wants-explore-search-china/article/2168799?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Oct 2018 09:45:00 +0000 Hong Kong, which has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, has extended its maternity leave entitlement to 14 weeks, the city’s first female chief executive, Carrie Lam, said in her annual policy address. Government employees are immediately eligible for this extended leave, up from a previous entitlement of just 10 weeks. It’s unclear exactly when this policy will be implemented more widely. “We propose to extend the statutory maternity leave from the current 10 weeks to 14 weeks, so that... https://www.scmp.com/health/hong-kong-extends-maternity-leave-14-weeks/article/2167883?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/health/hong-kong-extends-maternity-leave-14-weeks/article/2167883?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Oct 2018 09:45:00 +0000 China is catching up quickly to the US in the global race to develop artificial intelligence, says Kai-Fu Lee, a respected expert on AI. In his new book AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order, Lee argues that competition between the US and China on AI is heating up. For China, AI dominance is part of national prestige. In July 2017, the country launched an ambitious strategy to be the world’s primary AI innovation center by 2030, with an industry worth $150 billion. As... https://www.scmp.com/tech/kai-fu-lee-says-china-catching-us-ai-competition/article/2166978?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/kai-fu-lee-says-china-catching-us-ai-competition/article/2166978?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Oct 2018 10:15:00 +0000 Amidst an ongoing (and possibly escalating) trade war with the US, the Chinese currency, the yuan, has plunged in value. And this is making Wall Street really, really nervous. President Trump has intensified those fears, telling CNBC that he's ready to put tariffs on all Chinese imports, and that the yuan has been “dropping like a rock,” putting the US at a disadvantage. He’s right. A weaker currency makes a country’s products cheaper than its competitors when sold overseas. That’s why a less... https://www.scmp.com/politics/chinese-yuan-drops-one-year-low-against-dollar-amid-trade-tensions/article/2156161?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/chinese-yuan-drops-one-year-low-against-dollar-amid-trade-tensions/article/2156161?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Jul 2018 09:45:00 +0000 Poet and artist Liu Xia, the widow of China’s best known democracy advocate, has left the country after living under house arrest for nearly eight years. Liu Xia’s departure, on a Finnair flight, is being toasted by her family, friends and supporters around the world. Her brother Liu Hui celebrated In a social media post, saying she would start a new life in Europe. “She will finally get some more freedom,” Hu Jia, a friend and human rights activist, told Inkstone. “Her life had been full of... https://www.scmp.com/china/liu-xia-widow-liu-xiaobo-leaves-china/article/2154656?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china/liu-xia-widow-liu-xiaobo-leaves-china/article/2154656?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Jul 2018 10:15:45 +0000 President Trump has chosen to back off from a direct confrontation over Chinese investment in US tech companies. Instead, he’s decided to broaden the powers of an existing government agency to quash foreign investment. But in China, policymakers appear to be talking about and maybe even preparing for potential “financial panic” as a result of rising trade tensions magnifying unhealthy market trends. That’s according to a leaked report from a Chinese government-backed think thank seen by... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-very-likely-see-financial-panic-warns-official-think-tank/article/2152897?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-very-likely-see-financial-panic-warns-official-think-tank/article/2152897?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Jun 2018 09:30:45 +0000 The leaders of the US and North Korea will be meeting for a historic summit in Singapore. The city-state is best known for its clean streets, a long-standing ban on bubble gum and a stunning airport. What may be less well known is that its a multi-ethnic city state with citizens who speak a colorful, distinctive dialect of English, called Singlish. We run you through a few of the Singlish phrases which Trump and Kim might be employing on June 12. https://www.scmp.com/politics/singlish-guide-north-korea-summit/article/2149881?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/singlish-guide-north-korea-summit/article/2149881?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Jun 2018 10:00:00 +0000 The White House appears to be pushing back against Chinese demands that airlines explicitly name Taiwan as part of China. It’s the latest example of an increasingly fractious relationship between the US and China over trade and politics. According to the Financial Times, the Trump administration is telling US carriers to ignore a Chinese decree to list the self-ruled island as “Taiwan, China” on their maps or drop-down menus.   China had previously ordered dozens of international airlines to... https://www.scmp.com/politics/white-house-tells-us-airlines-ignore-taiwan-decree-report/article/2149519?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/white-house-tells-us-airlines-ignore-taiwan-decree-report/article/2149519?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Jun 2018 10:15:30 +0000 It’s official. A five-star luxury hotel in Singapore will be the location for talks between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un next week. Trump’s press secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed the location in a tweet: UPDATE: The venue for the Singapore summit between @POTUS and Leader Kim Jong Un will be the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island. We thank our great Singaporean hosts for their hospitality. — Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) June 5, 2018 The Capella Singapore is located on... https://www.scmp.com/politics/sentosas-capella-singapore-hotel-will-host-trump-kim-summit/article/2149562?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/sentosas-capella-singapore-hotel-will-host-trump-kim-summit/article/2149562?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Jun 2018 10:15:15 +0000 What can we expect when US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross sits down with Chinese officials in Beijing this weekend? The trade talks have been complicated by news this week that Washington will soon impose 25% tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports, as well as restrict Chinese access to some US technology. Some experts have called the tough announcement a negotiating play from President Trump. But what exactly is America’s endgame? Speaking from Paris, Ross said the ultimate goal was to end... https://www.scmp.com/politics/wilbur-ross-press-china-ip-tech-transfer/article/2148831?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/wilbur-ross-press-china-ip-tech-transfer/article/2148831?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Jun 2018 09:15:15 +0000 Police in Los Angeles are investigating dozens of sexual abuse allegations against a gynecologist at the University of Southern California, who may have targeted students from China. The authorities are looking into complaints from 1990 to 2016, during which Dr George Tyndall may have treated more than 10,000 women. The authorities are encouraging all potential victims to come forward. “LAPD stands ready to listen, respond, investigate, and ultimately work with prosecutors where the facts may... https://www.scmp.com/society/la-police-investigate-sex-abuse-allegations-usc/article/2148476?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/la-police-investigate-sex-abuse-allegations-usc/article/2148476?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 May 2018 10:00:15 +0000 Chinese internet users have expressed outrage over an escalating scandal at the University of Southern California, in which professors are now calling for the resignation of the university’s president. Last week, the Los Angeles Times published an investigation into Dr George Tyndall, the sole full-time gynecologist at USC’s student health clinic. It reported that he had quietly left the university, after allegedly having sexually abused female students for decades. The doctor was particularly... https://www.scmp.com/society/chinese-internet-users-outraged-over-usc-sex-abuse-scandal/article/2147404?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/chinese-internet-users-outraged-over-usc-sex-abuse-scandal/article/2147404?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 May 2018 10:30:30 +0000 Staff at China’s most successful soccer club, Guangzhou Evergrande, have been disciplined after pulling a MacGyver. Last week, they sprang into action when star player Zhang Linpeng’s shirt was bloodied during a match against Tianjin Quanjian. Match officials ordered him to change. When a replacement couldn’t be found immediately, Evergrande employees found a shirt with the number 15. They nimbly taped over the number one, leaving the number five –  Zhang’s number – visible. The player... https://www.scmp.com/sports/last-wonton-guangzhou-evergrande-staff-fined-shirt-tape-fix/article/2146043?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sports/last-wonton-guangzhou-evergrande-staff-fined-shirt-tape-fix/article/2146043?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 May 2018 10:00:30 +0000 The diplomatic temperature is rising in Taiwan. Just days after US President Donald Trump angered the Chinese government by signing legislation boosting relations with Taiwan, a US government official is visiting the self-ruled island and reasserting Washington's support. At a dinner organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alex Wong said the US wished to "strengthen our ties with the Taiwan people and to bolster Taiwan’s ability to defend its... https://www.scmp.com/politics/us-diplomat-reasserts-taiwan-support/article/2138376?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/us-diplomat-reasserts-taiwan-support/article/2138376?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Mar 2018 09:30:00 +0000 America’s top diplomat had tough words for China, Africa’s biggest trading partner, ahead of his first official tour of the continent. Rex Tillerson accused China of encouraging dependency, using predatory loan practices and engaging in corruption. The diplomat praised his own country’s engagement with countries in Africa, saying the US promoted good governance to meet long-term security and development goals. “This stands in stark contrast to China's approach, which encourages dependency using... https://www.scmp.com/politics/tillerson-slams-china-ahead-africa-trip/article/2136123?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/tillerson-slams-china-ahead-africa-trip/article/2136123?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Mar 2018 08:30:15 +0000 A Chinese video gaming company, Perfect World, is celebrating three Oscar wins for two films it helped to finance. Darkest Hour, a movie about former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, won the Academy Awards for best actor and best make-up and hair.    Romantic drama Phantom Thread won for best costume design.   Another of the films it helped fund, Victoria & Abdul, was nominated for two Oscars, but didn't win. Perfect World is best known for its massively multiplayer online... https://www.scmp.com/arts/big-oscar-wins-beijing-video-game-maker/article/2135892?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/arts/big-oscar-wins-beijing-video-game-maker/article/2135892?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Mar 2018 11:00:00 +0000 Dear inkstoner, China is a big country, far, far away. It’s also hugely exciting, literally changing faster than any nation in history. As the world’s second-largest economy and America’s perpetual frenemy, China affects us all. For all these reasons, we are launching inkstone: a daily multimedia look at what’s happening in China. We’re named for actual inkstones, which were invented thousands of years ago in China to grind and store ink for calligraphy. As a team, we’ll bring you the latest... https://www.scmp.com/introducing-inkstone/article/2128245?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/introducing-inkstone/article/2128245?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Mar 2018 03:30:30 +0000