https://www.scmp.com/rss/328090/feed Lise Poulsen Floris is a Danish freelance writer currently based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She writes about life and aims to tell 'the big story in a small story'. In addition to the Post, her work has been published by ABC Australia, Global Times, Beijingkids, WomanScape and Point of View International. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The moment Beijing-based Inna Nolde opens the door to her hotel room determines how she is likely to feel during an entire holiday. And the Russian has learned the hard way not to take any chances when it comes to choosing accommodation. When she stayed at a rat-infested Airbnb property in South Africa with her mother, the owner denied the problem and asked: “Don’t you have rats in Russia?” She was also disappointed by a stay at a resort in Sanya, Hainan Island, southern China. “The place was... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3229364/fly-budget-stay-luxury-or-vice-versa-hotel-choices-travellers-make-and-why?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3229364/fly-budget-stay-luxury-or-vice-versa-hotel-choices-travellers-make-and-why?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Jul 2023 08:15:07 +0000 After four-and-a-half years of living as expats in Beijing, my diplomat husband, my daughter and I moved to Kuala Lumpur, where he was posted in August 2020. I have not worked full-time these seven-and-a-half years. Now we’re going to Brussels, in Belgium, where I will be taking up a job as a European Union official. In Malaysia, I’ve gone from being rather uninterested in sports to exercising five to six times a week and taking part in official sports events such as a bike race in Kuala Lumpur,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3225910/5-tips-become-fitter-healthier-and-happier-ever-expat-who-transformed-her-body-and-mind-malaysia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3225910/5-tips-become-fitter-healthier-and-happier-ever-expat-who-transformed-her-body-and-mind-malaysia?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Jul 2023 05:15:15 +0000 Jessica Coup was in the grip of an excruciating headache as she was getting ready to go to a gala. She was about to cancel their plans when her husband placed his hands on her head. Within five minutes, the pain was gone. “What happened?” Coup asked him. He had done reiki, also known as the healing touch, to relieve her pain. Nearly 20 years later, reiki – a form of energy healing that originated in Japan in the early 20th century – would play an important role in Coup’s life. But it took the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3216663/how-reiki-healed-expats-pent-fear-and-uncertainty-and-her-journey-learning-and-practising-energy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3216663/how-reiki-healed-expats-pent-fear-and-uncertainty-and-her-journey-learning-and-practising-energy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Apr 2023 23:15:10 +0000 A 40th birthday is a milestone and Auzani Ridzwan wanted his to be special. He planned to celebrate the positive changes he had made to his life by taking part in a serious athletic challenge. “I had gone from a sedentary lifestyle to the best shape of my life thanks to walks that led to runs, then cycling and swimming, so I decided to sign up for my first ever half Ironman, the Langkawi 70.3, [in] 2018,” the Malaysian says. But Ridzwan’s life turned upside down one week before the big... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3204919/after-2-heart-attacks-40-vegan-diet-switch-and-exercise-overhaul-turned-things-around-malaysian?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3204919/after-2-heart-attacks-40-vegan-diet-switch-and-exercise-overhaul-turned-things-around-malaysian?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Jan 2023 10:15:09 +0000 The sea has always held Nadia Louw spellbound, whether it was when she was snorkelling in the Atlantic Ocean or swimming in the tropical reefs of the South China Sea. “I knew I would only be happy if I lived closer to the ocean and could incorporate my love for the sea into my day-to-day life,” she says. For 18 years, Louw worked as an executive chef and restaurant manager in her native Cape Town, South Africa. Although she was passionate about cooking and customer service, the long hours and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3199698/south-africa-malaysia-and-island-resort-their-dreams-then-came-pandemic-now-family-owned-dive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3199698/south-africa-malaysia-and-island-resort-their-dreams-then-came-pandemic-now-family-owned-dive?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Nov 2022 23:15:09 +0000 With more consumers opting to go alcohol-free, what does it take for companies to nail that true-to-taste non-alcoholic drink? Sydney-based Alexandria Brock decided to go dry in 2019 after her “very boozy wedding and honeymoon”. Having worked as a bartender for a decade at watering holes in the Australian metropolis like The Clock Hotel, Paddo Inn and the Bowral Hotel, Brock recalls that, at first, the thought of life without cocktails was daunting. “For the first few months of my sobriety, I... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3196184/alcohol-free-beer-wine-spirits-taste-real-thing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3196184/alcohol-free-beer-wine-spirits-taste-real-thing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Oct 2022 11:15:08 +0000 Backpackers and other international tourists are making a welcome return to Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands. The plateau, famous for its tea plantations, strawberry farms and cool climate, saw tourism almost completely vanish over the past two-and-a-half years, the sealing of international borders having excluded foreign travellers from the country. Today, Father’s Guesthouse, standing at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in the town of Tanah Rata, is at full occupancy and buzzing with activity – a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3195044/malaysias-beautiful-cameron-highlands-are-hive-tourist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3195044/malaysias-beautiful-cameron-highlands-are-hive-tourist?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Oct 2022 23:15:11 +0000 From their bicycle shop near Shah Alam on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Munirah Hanim Ahmad Jahudi and Ahmad Syauqi Ahmad Said are preparing for their Tuesday night bike ride. They expect around 50 riders to join the 40-kilometre (25-mile) loop. Ahmad and Munirah are the parents of 14-year-old Malaysian wonder kid Uzair, who has captured the cycling world’s attention with his remarkable endurance and joy of cycling. Uzair trains five times a week, cycling a total of 200km to 300km per... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3189758/cycling-wonder-kid-autism-malaysia-sleeps-better-calmer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3189758/cycling-wonder-kid-autism-malaysia-sleeps-better-calmer?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Aug 2022 23:15:18 +0000 Had someone told Joshua James five years ago that he would be organising non-alcoholic events and own a zero-proof bar, he likely would have laughed. At only 18 years of age, James joined the food and beverage industry and had a career in bartending that lasted 17 years. Bartending fitted his personality. He enjoyed being behind the bar, making drinks and talking to people – and the money was not bad. But the late-night, alcohol-fuelled lifestyle started taking its toll on James. He lost jobs,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3183292/alcohol-free-drinks-events-growing-trend-drawing-sober?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3183292/alcohol-free-drinks-events-growing-trend-drawing-sober?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jun 2022 03:17:08 +0000 Other than the distinctive hues that colour their exteriors, there is one major difference between the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (the Blue Mansion) and the Pinang Peranakan Mansion (the Green Mansion) in Georgetown, Penang: you can spend the night only in the former, which is now a boutique heritage hotel. Both mansions, however, belong on must-see lists for visitors to the Malaysian island capital. But if you must choose, which one should you visit? Built around the same time (the late 1890s) and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3180264/2-unique-places-visit-malaysia-which-penangs-blue-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3180264/2-unique-places-visit-malaysia-which-penangs-blue-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Jun 2022 04:15:24 +0000 One of the striking things about Marguerite Brodie is her posture. At 78, she carries herself with admirable strength and grace, and it’s the result of decades of dancing and tennis, combined with Rolfing (a holistic method of manipulating the body’s fascia, or connective tissue) and Dharma practice (applying Buddha’s teachings in her daily life). From her home in Kuala Lumpur, the grandmother of six reflects on how these elements came to gradually shape her life after tragedy struck in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3179210/how-age-well-tennis-dancing-massage-and-meditation-keep?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3179210/how-age-well-tennis-dancing-massage-and-meditation-keep?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 May 2022 07:15:08 +0000 The sun rises at 5.59am in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is day 10 of the holy month of Ramadan in which practising Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Today, I – a non-Muslim – decide to fast to show solidarity with Muslim friends and learn how I react after having no food or water for 13 waking hours. For suhoor, the meal ahead of sunrise, I sit down at 5.30am and have two bread rolls, some smoked salmon, oats with blueberries, cheese, a fried egg, a litre of water and a glass of chocolate... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3175627/whats-it-fast-ramadan-non-muslim-goes-13-hours-without?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3175627/whats-it-fast-ramadan-non-muslim-goes-13-hours-without?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Apr 2022 21:45:14 +0000 In the Western world, alcohol consumption is associated with enjoyment and fun. The social glue that is alcohol keeps the night going and the conversation flowing. So can life ever be fun again if we decide to give up drinking? It’s an issue worth exploring during April, which happens to be Alcohol Awareness Month. “Life actually becomes 100 per cent more fun once you’re free of the alcohol trap,” says Janey Lee Grace, a BBC journalist, author and founder of The Sober Club. She embarked on Dry... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3173859/how-stop-drinking-and-keep-your-friends-two-women-who?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3173859/how-stop-drinking-and-keep-your-friends-two-women-who?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Apr 2022 20:15:19 +0000 The table is brimming with food at the Farooq household in the Petaling Jaya suburb of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. There is creamy spinach, broccoli, cauliflower rice, beef and chicken for Sunday lunch – and seated around the table are Norah Mohammed Khir, her mother Chan Yoke Yen, husband Mohammed Farooq and son Azran Farooq. The dishes Khir is serving are part of the ketogenic diet that all three generations have been following for several years to improve or reverse their individual medical... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3164744/how-keto-diet-helped-malaysian-family-tackle-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3164744/how-keto-diet-helped-malaysian-family-tackle-health?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Jan 2022 23:15:15 +0000 Off Malaysia’s North-South Expressway, two hours to the north of Kuala Lumpur, stands a former tin mining town that is at the centre of a half-hearted struggle between residents who would like to turn it into a tourist attraction and those who would prefer to let sleeping ghosts lie. Papan – little more than a strip of crumbling heritage houses and two parallel alleys of humbler homes – may be ignored by guidebooks to Malaysia, but those who know of the place refer to it as a ghost town fit for... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3162193/can-malaysian-ghost-town-become-tourist-attraction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3162193/can-malaysian-ghost-town-become-tourist-attraction?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Jan 2022 04:45:20 +0000 On a Wednesday morning in Janda Baik, a lush, hilly area around 40 minutes from the Malaysian capital city, Kuala Lumpur, a group of women start unloading their bicycles from their cars. They check their tyres, chains, gears and lights and don their gloves and helmets. The sun is out and the jungle surrounding them is wide awake. As usual, this Wednesday’s route was announced in the Bike in Nature group chat the day before. “We meet at 8.15am sharp and we start rolling at 8.30,” the message... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3161952/women-malaysia-meet-group-bicycle-rides-connect-nature?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3161952/women-malaysia-meet-group-bicycle-rides-connect-nature?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jan 2022 23:15:21 +0000 If you love dancing but your partner doesn’t, line dancing can be the perfect solution. “And if you’re a practising Muslim who is not supposed to get too close to anyone but your husband, it is really ideal,” says Morina Mohamed. The 58-year-old Kuala Lumpur native thrives on fun activities, and line dancing – in which lines of dancers perform choreographed sequences – has helped her stay positive through the coronavirus pandemic. Universal choreographies and easy-to-follow step sheets available... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3158623/why-modern-line-dancing-ideal-way-hijab-wearing-muslims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3158623/why-modern-line-dancing-ideal-way-hijab-wearing-muslims?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Dec 2021 10:15:19 +0000 Looking for new hairstyles is a favourite pastime of mine, and I turn to Pinterest for inspiration, to copy celebrities. Demi Moore in GI Jane inspired my most radical transformation, Úrsula Corberó from Money Heist my most commented on (a mullet) and Jada Pinkett Smith a few hairstyles that looked better on her than on me. But hair grows out, and I can always change it again. I interpret my need for constant change as a reflection of my impatience and tendency to grow bored easily. But I asked... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3154959/what-your-hairstyle-says-about-you-and-your-mental-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3154959/what-your-hairstyle-says-about-you-and-your-mental-health?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Nov 2021 11:15:20 +0000 No Bra Day, celebrated each year on October 13, was launched in 2011 by plastic surgeon Dr Mitchell Brown of Toronto, Canada, to promote breast cancer awareness. Women are encouraged to go braless on the day – not only to free themselves from a constrictive garment, but to alert them to breast cancer symptoms, remind them to get screened and to conduct regular self-examinations. From breast-compressing ribbons used in ancient Greece to tight figure-moulding metal corsets in the 19th century, the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3152046/no-bra-day-reminder-women-celebrate-their-breasts-get?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3152046/no-bra-day-reminder-women-celebrate-their-breasts-get?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Oct 2021 20:15:18 +0000 Residents of Malaysia were recently given a week’s notice of the opening of the country’s first domestic travel bubble, which is allowing tourists back to the archipelago of Langkawi amid the coronavirus pandemic. To take advantage of the opportunity, travellers over 18 would need to be fully vaccinated (in Malaysia, that means having received a second vaccine dose at least 14 days earlier, or, for single-dose vaccinations, having been jabbed at least 28 days earlier). Authorities had planned to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3150864/langkawi-domestic-travel-bubble-malaysia-has-approval?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3150864/langkawi-domestic-travel-bubble-malaysia-has-approval?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Oct 2021 23:15:14 +0000 Celine Suiter, a Singapore-based photographer and long-term expat, has not seen her husband since September 23, 2020, when he left to take up a new position in France. Closed borders and the risk of being stranded have made a reunion impossible. The couple are now counting the days until they will be together again: 285. After her son’s high school graduation in May 2022, Suiter, 51, will say goodbye to Asia and join her husband in her native France. “An IB [International Baccalaureate]... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3148135/couples-forced-long-distance-relationships-coronavirus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3148135/couples-forced-long-distance-relationships-coronavirus?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Sep 2021 01:15:15 +0000 Overthinking has been part of my life for the last year and a half, since the world started feeling the impact of the coronavirus. I have tried to find answers to existential questions like “Why am I a pleaser?” or “Am I making the most of my life?” and spent most of my waking hours worrying about the impact the pandemic has had on our lives, or simply whether I might have said something to someone to offend them. Research shows that symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety are often caused by... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3146421/how-stop-worrying-metacognitive-therapy-helps-writer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3146421/how-stop-worrying-metacognitive-therapy-helps-writer?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Aug 2021 06:15:08 +0000 In early August in Denmark, Zhang Lianying’s WeChat notifications pinged, indicating that he had received a voice message. When he listened on his phone, he heard a recording in Mandarin that said simply: “I don’t know what to say. Thank you very much.” The note of gratitude came from Viktor Axelsen, a Danish badminton player who, minutes before, had just won his first Olympics gold medal by beating defending champion Chen Long in the men’s singles tournament. Zhang is Axelsen’s technical coach,... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3144497/tokyo-olympics-how-danish-golden-dragon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3144497/tokyo-olympics-how-danish-golden-dragon?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Aug 2021 07:58:08 +0000 Many foreigners living in mainland China appreciate the variety of landscapes, weather, customs and food the Middle Kingdom has to offer, but also like to take holidays abroad – if not back in their home countries then perhaps on the beaches of Southeast Asia. With international borders having been sealed by coronavirus restrictions for the past year and a half, however, the resort city of Sanya, on Hainan Island, the southernmost province of China, has proven to be a valued substitute, and a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3138699/sanya-beach-resorts-draw-tourists-missing-their-bali-or?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3138699/sanya-beach-resorts-draw-tourists-missing-their-bali-or?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Jun 2021 04:15:16 +0000 Lena Horlyk, who has called Beijing home for 12 years, is one of many returnees who have had to endure months of uncertainty, cancelled flights and separation from loved ones, friends or work while trying to get back into China during the coronavirus pandemic. Horlyk was in her native Denmark when China closed its borders to all foreign citizens on March 28 last year. She immediately started looking for help online, but personal reasons and then a cancelled flight prevented her from returning... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3126149/stuck-outside-china-quarantine-hotel-advice-visas-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3126149/stuck-outside-china-quarantine-hotel-advice-visas-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Mar 2021 20:15:05 +0000 The crew of the Totem are smiling from ear to ear in an Instagram picture taken in September, as they eat long-awaited tacos. The family were on land for the first time in six months; docked, for a few days, at the Santa Rosalia marina, in Mexico. It was a rare break from their own version of Covid-19 lockdown, isolating in the Sea of Cortez after more than a decade of living on the ocean wave. In 2008, the Gifford family – mum Behan, dad Jamie and their three children, Niall (then nine), Mairen... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3112414/meet-family-who-have-been-sailing-around-world-2008?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3112414/meet-family-who-have-been-sailing-around-world-2008?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Dec 2020 12:45:12 +0000 The sudden Covid-19-related culling of as many as 17 million mink in Denmark has shaken the fur industry. Television footage shows breeders weeping outside their empty farms as thousands of dead mink are taken away to be transformed into biofuel. Because of the risk of infection, only around one third of the pelts can be saved. T he world’s largest fur auction house, Kopenhagen Fur, has announced that it will close by 2023 because of the cull. So what led to this disastrous turn of events and do... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3109986/mink-farming-denmarks-loss-chinas-gain-amid-mass-cull-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3109986/mink-farming-denmarks-loss-chinas-gain-amid-mass-cull-over?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Nov 2020 12:15:14 +0000 Wearing a face mask is, or has been, mandatory in most countries this year. Whether single-use or made of cloth, most have one thing in common: they are designed to be fixed behind the ears. But if you’re a hijab-wearing woman, that can be a problem. To address this, Muslim women across the world are sharing their solutions on how to wear a face mask when their ears are covered by a hijab, and a myriad of hacks have appeared online. One YouTuber came up with a very simple solution: “All you... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3103020/how-wear-face-mask-over-hijab-and-stay-fashionable-muslim?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3103020/how-wear-face-mask-over-hijab-and-stay-fashionable-muslim?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Sep 2020 04:15:07 +0000 A group of well-heeled friends were having dinner in Palm Beach, in the US state of Florida. It was the end of January. Some of them, including Shawna Huffman Owen, were about to embark on an invitation-only Wellness Explorer trip to China – but news was spreading about some kind of virus that wasspreading in China. To be on the safe side, the women decided to reschedule until April. Now, with China’s borders having been closed since March 28 because of the Covid-19 outbreak and political... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3097819/luxury-travel-china-not-any-time-soon-wealthy-tourists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3097819/luxury-travel-china-not-any-time-soon-wealthy-tourists?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Aug 2020 04:15:10 +0000 Wendy Suen’s living room in Shanghai is filled with the world’s largest collection of snow globes. Her passion for the ornaments began in 2000 when her husband gave her one as a gift. “It has a cat and a mouse inside and holds a lot of symbolism,” says Suen. “My husband was born in the Year of the Rat, and the mouse is 24-carat gold, which, to me, symbolises pure love.” Charmed by the magical landscapes inside the snow globes, Suen decided to start collecting them. The Hong-Kong born human... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3075531/chinas-guinness-world-records-diamond-crusted-toilet-seat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3075531/chinas-guinness-world-records-diamond-crusted-toilet-seat?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2020 21:00:14 +0000 On a crisp November morning at Beijing’s Olympic Forest Park, a group of women approach their meeting point not far from the car park. They are dressed in brightly coloured running clothes and are all wearing their “full pack”, filled with obligatory gear, ready for the training session of Wild Women on the Wall 2020. A three-day, 90km hike and run that will take 24 women from all over the world on the adventure of a lifetime on the Great Wall of China. It all began when Lucille Van der Merwe, a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/trail-running/article/3037085/wild-women-head-south-african-coast-great-wall-90km?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/trail-running/article/3037085/wild-women-head-south-african-coast-great-wall-90km?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Nov 2019 05:00:59 +0000 The small town of Roth in Bavaria, Germany, prides itself on hosting the world’s biggest triathlon event, Challenge Roth, where 3,500 individuals and 650 relay teams, 7,000 volunteers and 300,000 spectators come together once a year. Challenge Roth was launched by a small family business that has grown over the past 40 years to a series of triathlons with 40 annual events in 26 countries. It is called Challenge Family and in October 2019, it held its first event in China’s Anhui province, over... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/3036243/challenge-triathlon-debuts-china-changing-perceptions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/3036243/challenge-triathlon-debuts-china-changing-perceptions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Nov 2019 09:05:25 +0000 Chao Xiaomi considers the question: “Why are you not happy that you were born a man?” That’s because, she says, “in order to live like a man I should drink more, be stronger, have many girlfriends, play rugby – you know – do manly things.” Chao, who describes herself as gender fluid and prefers female pronouns, giggles as she covers her bright-red lipsticked mouth with a hand. We are seated in her vintage clothing shop, Equal, in the Beijing neighborhood of Gulou, known for its many surviving... https://www.scmp.com/society/what-its-be-transgender-china/article/3017987?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/what-its-be-transgender-china/article/3017987?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jul 2019 10:11:03 +0000 Chao Xiaomi considers the question: “Why are you not happy that you were born a man?” That’s because, she says, “in order to live like a man I should drink more, be stronger, have many girlfriends, play rugby – you know – do manly things.” Chao, who describes herself as “gender fluid” and prefers to be referred to as a “her”, giggles as she covers her bright-red lipsticked mouth with a hand. We are seated in her vintage clothing shop, Equal, in the Beijing neighbourhood of Gulou, known for its... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3017823/transgender-china-trans-activist-her-struggles-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3017823/transgender-china-trans-activist-her-struggles-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jul 2019 21:00:10 +0000 Page 120 of Cuisine Mei Wenti is slightly faded and daubed with grease stains. That’s because Zhang Ting, my full-time maid, or ayi, in Beijing, has been using it once a week for the past three years to cook French Brittany crêpes for my family. She prefers to have the cookbook in front of her, even though she has already mastered the recipe for the crêpes and makes our family happy every week with her tall piles of the thin, golden treats. Cuisine Mei Wenti – or “Cuisine no problem” – by... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3014360/how-teach-chinese-maid-cook-western-food-write-cookbook?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3014360/how-teach-chinese-maid-cook-western-food-write-cookbook?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Jun 2019 07:00:12 +0000 Chinese billionaires travelling abroad are 10 a penny. But equally well-off foreign tourists are travelling in the other direction, and specialised ultra-luxury travel agencies are there to cater to their every whim, whether it's a sit-down dinner on the Great Wall, a private jet transfer or an exclusive kung fu performance. “A decade ago, going to China as a tourist would have been like going to Tanzania but without the safari,” says Guy Rubin, managing partner of Imperial Tours, which... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3011757/where-johnny-depp-went-china-ultra-luxury-holidays-wealthy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3011757/where-johnny-depp-went-china-ultra-luxury-holidays-wealthy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 May 2019 07:00:05 +0000 Warren Hsu Hua-jen makes what is undoubtedly one of the world’s most unusual chocolate concoctions, and in a somewhat unlikely place. His shrimp and almond bars are produced using ingredients sourced almost entirely from his native Taiwan – an island better known for its bubble tea and beef noodles. Hsu, 36, produces a range of chocolate at Fu Wan Cafe Villa in Donggang township, southwest Taiwan. Managed by Hsu, designed by his architect brother Jeffery Hsu Chao-chin and funded by their father,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3006152/meet-taiwanese-chocolate-maker-turning-local-cocoa-award?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3006152/meet-taiwanese-chocolate-maker-turning-local-cocoa-award?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Apr 2019 21:00:08 +0000 In the Danish town of Frederikssund is a soccer club. It is, like many Danish clubs, the hub of a tight-knit community and, while it boasts several teams of all ages, one particular team has earned itself a place on the world map of sports science. “Momseholdet”, or grannies team, consists of women above the age of 60. They meet every Thursday come rain or shine to practice Football Fitness, an all-Danish concept which is gaining a foothold in several countries around the world. Soccer is the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3005883/danish-grannies-soccer-team-helps-elderly-players-boost?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3005883/danish-grannies-soccer-team-helps-elderly-players-boost?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Apr 2019 11:30:06 +0000 “As I shuffle into a more comfortable position, my body starts to melt into the mattress and my visions become more intense. I helplessly mumble, ‘Please make it stop’, but it’s no use. Mother ayahuasca hasn’t finished with me yet.” So writes Lee Walpole, whose curiosity about ayahuasca was sparked when he watched a YouTube documentary on the ancient Amazonian concoction. Ayahuasca has been used as a spiritual healing medicine for thousands of years and is ceremoniously administered by... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2189468/ayahuasca-asia-amazonian-hallucinogenic-plant-medicine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2189468/ayahuasca-asia-amazonian-hallucinogenic-plant-medicine?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Mar 2019 22:01:40 +0000 The audience is roaring at the jam-packed Anchor bar in Beijing’s Chaoyang district. Lola Du Jour and Anita Schwanz are about to werq the stage. The two drag queens hit the catwalk on nine-inch heels – lip-syncing, voguing and flirting outrageously with the audience. Homosexuality is not illegal in China (and the nation has the world’s largest gay dating app), but it’s frowned upon by both the authorities and much of the country’s conservative culture. That hasn’t stopped the crowds from... https://www.scmp.com/society/drag-queens-beijing/article/3000860?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/drag-queens-beijing/article/3000860?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Feb 2019 09:31:37 +0000 The audience is roaring at the jam-packed Anchor bar in Beijing’s Chaoyang district. Lola Du Jour is about to start her performance alongside Anita Schwanz. But first, a word of warning from Lola: “Ladies and gentlemen, before we start the show, remember the three rules: do not touch the queens unless they touch you first; address all queens by their full drag names or ‘Your royal Highness’ – never by their boy names; do not forget to tip your queens.” Drag Queen Story Hour lesson to Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/2186000/drag-queens-beijing-strut-their-stuff-while-they-can-fearing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/2186000/drag-queens-beijing-strut-their-stuff-while-they-can-fearing?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Feb 2019 11:17:40 +0000 Steve Lo Chun-yin was halfway into his first ultra-marathon, the Marathon des Sables, in 2012 when he had to make a tough decision. The 251-kilometre (156-mile) race across the Sahara desert can see temperatures reach 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), and the Hongkonger was suffering from diarrhoea and dehydration. Lo decided to withdraw from the race and was relieved when he spotted a chaperon from the top of a sand dune. How Hongkonger became world’s fastest Indian endurance... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2185073/hong-kong-ultrarunner-giving-disabled-children-chance-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2185073/hong-kong-ultrarunner-giving-disabled-children-chance-race?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Feb 2019 15:00:15 +0000 Water is Lauren Tininenko’s element. She started swimming at the age of five when living in Australia with her family. They since moved back to Arkansas in the US and little Lauren made it straight onto the swimming team in second grade and the sprint team of her university in New Mexico where 50m freestyle became her speciality. Despite this enthusiasm for sports, neither she, nor her keen triathlete father, had imagined that she would one day become the first foreign woman to swim from China’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2181482/how-25-year-old-became-first-foreign-woman-swim-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2181482/how-25-year-old-became-first-foreign-woman-swim-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Jan 2019 13:00:28 +0000 Thousands of fitness centres have popped up in China over the past decade – particularly after the Chinese government implemented the National Fitness Plan in 2016. The ambitious plan hopes to incorporate regular physical exercise into the weekly routine of over one billion citizens by 2020. The plan was music to the ears of one fitness chain in Denmark. For Loop Fitness, entering the Chinese market was a long journey that began by chance.   The China fitness club where music matters as much as... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2178465/chinas-fitness-model-gets-shake-danish-gym-chain-no?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2178465/chinas-fitness-model-gets-shake-danish-gym-chain-no?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Dec 2018 06:30:45 +0000 Fresh off a plane from Beijing, my 19-year-old son and I are having dinner with American friends in the city of Savannah in the southern state of Georgia. The menu boasts southern soul food with a modern twist and the drinks list does not disappoint, either. It is my son’s first week of college at the Savannah College of Art and Design and I catch his eye as I order a bourbon-based cocktail. Five days ago, back in Beijing, he would have had a glass of white wine or a gin and tonic. I ask my... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2172462/teen-who-drank-alcohol-freely-china-has-shock-us-where?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2172462/teen-who-drank-alcohol-freely-china-has-shock-us-where?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Nov 2018 12:48:04 +0000 Caring for a depressed person proved to be more challenging than expected for concerned husband Tim Coghlan, but he hopes his story can be a source of inspiration on World Mental Health Day, which falls on Wednesday. Coghlan is married to social entrepreneur and writer Enoch Li, who suffers from severe depression. Not only is he her husband, but he also acted as her main carer. The shocking truth about ECT and the treatment of depression It was not unusual for Coghlan, who had a career advising... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2167481/world-mental-health-day-2018-how-husband-helped-wife-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2167481/world-mental-health-day-2018-how-husband-helped-wife-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Oct 2018 14:00:15 +0000 I meet Gronya Somerville for lunch on a polluted Monday near the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Her face lights up as she browses through the restaurant’s rather inventive menu. We go for “lamb skewers” (except they are made of mushrooms) and “grilled salmon” made of tofu with a crust of seaweed. She had clearly anticipated my first question about her lifestyle. “Both my coach and my doctor were very supportive when I decided to become a vegetarian, or rather 90 per cent vegan,” she says. “There... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2164202/badminton-womens-doubles-star-her-vegan-diet-and-why-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2164202/badminton-womens-doubles-star-her-vegan-diet-and-why-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Sep 2018 01:15:30 +0000 At 4am on February 6, Giovanna Caria received a call from Whitehorse, Canada. On the other end of the line was the organiser of the Yukon Arctic Ultra trail race: “Roberto has suffered 4th-degree frostbite on his hands and feet. He will almost certainly need amputation and you must get here urgently.” In total shock, and failing to understand the seriousness of her husband’s situation, Caria got assistance from the Italian consulate in Vancouver and travelled to Canada. Before she left, she... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2161960/canadian-arctic-cost-ultrarunner-his-feet-and-9-fingers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2161960/canadian-arctic-cost-ultrarunner-his-feet-and-9-fingers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Aug 2018 18:00:51 +0000 At the Chongqing North railway station in western China, we’re stocking up on snacks at FamilyMart on a Saturday afternoon ahead of a mountain marathon. We’re not sure what food to expect at this weekend’s race, as messages tick into the dedicated mountain marathon WeChat group. Some runners are worried they might not make the train, some arrive from Shanghai and others from Beijing. Others want to know what platform the train departs from, while others wonder what the weather forecast for the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2157108/trail-races-remote-parts-china-make-expats-ambassadors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2157108/trail-races-remote-parts-china-make-expats-ambassadors?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Jul 2018 05:45:45 +0000