https://www.scmp.com/rss/328816/feed Gavin Huang was the editor of Goldthread. He was previously an editor at the Korea JoongAng Daily, the partner paper of The New York Times in Seoul, South Korea. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com What happens when a Chinese-American restaurant opens in China? Nom Wah Tea Parlor is one of New York’s oldest Chinese restaurants, serving Chinese-American dim sum classics like deep-fried egg rolls and giant roast pork buns. In 2019, they opened their first store in China, with the hope of introducing Chinese-American food to Chinese people. https://www.scmp.com/food/these-guys-are-bringing-new-york-chinatown-food-china/article/3134899?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/these-guys-are-bringing-new-york-chinatown-food-china/article/3134899?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 May 2021 08:05:27 +0000 Just 10 years ago, Yim Tin Tsai was one of many deserted islands in Hong Kong, abandoned by the villagers who once lived there, with houses left to rot and trees growing through walls and ceilings. It was a sad sight, says Colin Chan, 57, who grew up in the quaint village outside Sai Kung, a small town in the northern reaches of Hong Kong. When he became the village head in 1999, he began an effort to revive Yim Tin Tsai and bring it back to life. Today, the island is home to a working salt pan... https://www.scmp.com/travel/hong-kong-yim-tin-tsai-salt-flat/article/3126605?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/travel/hong-kong-yim-tin-tsai-salt-flat/article/3126605?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Mar 2021 14:50:47 +0000 Chloé Zhao made history on Sunday when she became the first woman of Asian descent to win a Golden Globe for best director. She is now considered a front-runner for an Oscar. In China, fans and media outlets were celebrating, claiming Zhao as one of their own. Social media was awash with hashtags that referred to her as “China’s first Golden Globe winner.” “The pride of China!” proclaimed the Global Times tabloid. But the celebratory mood was quickly dampened by questions over Zhao’s nationality... https://www.scmp.com/identity/chloe-zhao-golden-globe-nomadland-china/article/3124077?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/identity/chloe-zhao-golden-globe-nomadland-china/article/3124077?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Mar 2021 15:50:09 +0000 This week, an Amazon listing for an “antique fruit basket” is making the rounds on the internet...because it isn’t a fruit basket. The product in question is actually a Chinese chamber pot that was used in homes before modern plumbing became widely available. It’s also used as a spittoon—that is, you hock a loogie into it while smoking. There were multiple listings for this portable potty/fruit basket, all of which have since been deleted, but thanks to the Wayback Machine, you can view one of... https://www.scmp.com/culture/chinese-porcelain-potty-sold-amazon-antique-fruit-basket/article/3123218?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/chinese-porcelain-potty-sold-amazon-antique-fruit-basket/article/3123218?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Feb 2021 07:13:01 +0000 By her account, Chau Ka-ling was a poor student. She had little interest in school and books. Instead, she preferred to spend her days at her father’s shop in Hong Kong, watching him slaughter and cook snakes to make snake soup, a local delicacy. Years later, when Chau took over his business, Shia Wong Hip, she became one of only a handful of women in Hong Kong to run a snake soup shop. To this day, she remains the city’s only certified female snake catcher. “Because my dad couldn’t see a woman... https://www.scmp.com/videos/hong-kongs-snake-queen-catches-and-makes-snake-soup/article/3116920?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/videos/hong-kongs-snake-queen-catches-and-makes-snake-soup/article/3116920?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Jan 2021 06:13:47 +0000 When people think of Chinese food, cheese does not usually come to mind. Lactose intolerance is prevalent—in one study, more than 90% of subjects said they were “lactose malabsorbers.” But there is cheese in China, and locally-made ones, too. Lactose intolerance does not mean people can’t eat cheese, since most lactose is drained out when the curds are separated from whey during the cheese-making process. Still, the population remains dairy-averse. Most dairy consumption is limited to China’s... https://www.scmp.com/food/rubing-chinas-must-try-deep-fried-cheese/article/3111189?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/rubing-chinas-must-try-deep-fried-cheese/article/3111189?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Nov 2020 11:01:48 +0000 While the world was watching the U.S. presidential election with nails on their teeth, the Chinese internet was buzzing about this supercut of Trump dad-dancing to “YMCA.” VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!pic.twitter.com/85ySh1KYkh — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2020 For many people in China, the campaign season has been one giant spectacle, watched from a distance with a mix of amusement and schadenfreude. On Chinese social media, it can feel more like a pop culture moment than a political... https://www.scmp.com/culture/china-us-election-must-see-television/article/3108551?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/china-us-election-must-see-television/article/3108551?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Nov 2020 04:09:20 +0000 On Tuesday night, over 150 million people—that’s more than a tenth of China’s population—tuned into the shopping app Taobao Live to watch a man sell lipstick for seven hours. But it wasn’t just lipstick. There was also face cream, clothes, and a giveaway involving Hermes bags and the soon-to-be-released iPhone 12. The event was a promotion for Singles’ Day, which has eclipsed Black Friday as the world’s biggest shopping holiday. What is Singles’ Day?     Held on Nov. 11, Singles’ Day is... https://www.scmp.com/culture/150-million-people-china-watched-man-sell-stuff-7-hours/article/3106678?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/150-million-people-china-watched-man-sell-stuff-7-hours/article/3106678?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Oct 2020 16:00:10 +0000 Stepping into The Record Museum is like entering a time capsule. Over 20,000 records, tapes, and CDs are crammed inside a 900-square-foot space in Hong Kong’s bustling Causeway Bay neighborhood. The collection includes rare master recordings of the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Nat King Cole. It’s the result of one man’s obsession with finding the “purest sound.” James Tang has spent the past four decades hunting down some of the world’s rarest records. His journey has led him to the cellars and... https://www.scmp.com/culture/hong-kongs-record-museum-one-mans-mission-preserve-music-history/article/3102484?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/hong-kongs-record-museum-one-mans-mission-preserve-music-history/article/3102484?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Sep 2020 05:34:46 +0000 As the coronavirus continues to take its toll around the world, the class of 2020 is entering the toughest job market in recent memory. Companies are laying off workers. Some are considering hiring freezes. For China’s more than eight million undergraduates, who came of age during the country’s economic boom times, the prospect of being unemployed straight out of school is especially stark. One economist estimates about a quarter of them may be jobless this year. (Read more: What it’s like to... https://www.scmp.com/videos/coronavirus-what-its-graduate-middle-pandemic/article/3095035?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/videos/coronavirus-what-its-graduate-middle-pandemic/article/3095035?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jul 2020 10:48:48 +0000 Sandwiched between two clothing stores on a bustling street in Hong Kong, the Kee Tsui Cake Shop looks out of place in a neighborhood that’s better known for tacky teen fashion and stalls peddling sink faucets, lingerie, and other household miscellany. But the bakery, which sells traditional Chinese pastries such as egg tarts, wife cakes, and red bean cakes, has stood the test of time, making hundreds of baked goods fresh, by hand, every day for over 30 years. On a rainy Friday afternoon,... https://www.scmp.com/food/hong-kong-kee-tsui-cake-shop-traditional-chinese-pastries/article/3086722?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/hong-kong-kee-tsui-cake-shop-traditional-chinese-pastries/article/3086722?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2020 10:18:13 +0000 While the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc around the world, cities in China, where the first Covid-19 cases were reported, are cautiously humming back to life—and one school in Hangzhou has come up with a novel way to teach students about social distancing. Students at Yangzheng Elementary School started the semester on Monday with a homework assignment unique to these fraught times: design a hat with a one-meter, or three-foot, diameter. The hats, with two wing-like flaps, are modeled... https://www.scmp.com/culture/coronavirus-chinese-students-hats-social-distancing/article/3081768?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/coronavirus-chinese-students-hats-social-distancing/article/3081768?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2020 10:35:19 +0000 Every year around April, millions of Chinese people visit the graves of their ancestors to burn paper offerings and pay respects to the dead as part of the Qingming Festival. This year, with the Covid-19 coronavirus wreaking havoc around the world, the Chinese government is asking families to worship remotely. Qingming falls on April 4 this year, and the whole-day rituals typically involve families visiting the graves of their deceased loved ones and cleaning the tombs. They also burn paper... https://www.scmp.com/culture/china-coronavirus-qingming-tomb-sweeping/article/3075777?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/china-coronavirus-qingming-tomb-sweeping/article/3075777?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2020 08:32:41 +0000 For bubble tea fanatics who can’t let go of their favorite drink while stuck at home practicing social distancing, shops in China have come up with an answer: 5-liter boba. With restaurants, bars, and cafes forced to close during the coronavirus pandemic, many businesses have shifted to takeout and delivery—and bubble tea shops are no exception. (Read more: China’s delivery drivers are now basically first responders because of the coronavirus) Popular Chinese chain Nayuki started offering a... https://www.scmp.com/food/coronavirus-essential-5-liter-jugs-bubble-tea/article/3075574?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/coronavirus-essential-5-liter-jugs-bubble-tea/article/3075574?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2020 08:28:48 +0000 Consumer DNA tests have exploded in popularity in recent years, with an estimated 26 million people having taken tests from DNA kit providers. Companies like Ancestry and 23andMe promise details such as where your ancestors came from and what hereditary diseases you’re likely to contract. But for many people of East Asian background, the results from these Western-based companies can be unsatisfying. When I took a test with Ancestry three years ago, the test showed I was 99% East Asian and 1%... https://www.scmp.com/identity/chinese-dna-ancestry-test/article/3064650?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/identity/chinese-dna-ancestry-test/article/3064650?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2020 11:16:38 +0000 For over 80 years, a small family-run shop in New York’s Chinatown gained a loyal following for its fresh handmade tofu and sweet spongy rice cakes. So when Fong Inn Too closed in 2017 due to rising rents and falling demand, the family’s youngest son, Paul Eng, was determined to keep it going. There was just one problem: he didn’t know the recipes. None of them were written down, and the old shop had used makeshift measuring tools: recycled milk cans, plastic buckets, and ladles of all... https://www.scmp.com/food/new-york-chinatown-fong-on-rice-cakes/article/3052737?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/new-york-chinatown-fong-on-rice-cakes/article/3052737?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Feb 2020 01:05:14 +0000 In one of the most riveting scenes from Crazy Rich Asians, Constance Wu’s character, Rachel Chu, squares off against her stern mother-in-law-to-be, Eleanor Young (played by Michelle Yeoh), in a game of mahjong. “My mom taught me how to play,” Chu tells Young. “She told me mahjong would teach me important life skills—negotiation, strategy, cooperation.” Dating back more than 100 years, the tile game is played in Chinese communities around the world. It’s a raucous affair that demands quick... https://www.scmp.com/culture/mahjong-china-origins-history/article/3048500?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/mahjong-china-origins-history/article/3048500?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Jan 2020 15:54:11 +0000 The Farewell star Awkwafina made history by becoming the first actress of Asian descent to win a Golden Globe, but her victory didn’t seem to generate enough interest among moviegoers in China. Despite near universal critical acclaim and a China-set story, The Farewell bombed at the Chinese box office, making just $290,000 during its opening weekend, according to box office tracker Ent Group. In the United States, The Farewell has earned $17.6 million. The flop was widely anticipated as advance... https://www.scmp.com/culture/farewell-chinese-box-office/article/3045871?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/farewell-chinese-box-office/article/3045871?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Jan 2020 09:50:51 +0000 For Chinese photographer Zhou Qiang, there was life before the Sichuan earthquake of 2013 and life after. At the time, he was working as a breaking news photographer, covering explosions, floods, and other disasters. But nothing prepared him for the scene that unfolded before him. “I went to the disaster area,” he recalls. “It was my first time witnessing such a devastating scene.” The 6.6-magnitude earthquake left more than 190 people dead, according to official government figures, and... https://www.scmp.com/culture/chinese-photographer-taoist-priest/article/3045432?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/chinese-photographer-taoist-priest/article/3045432?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jan 2020 13:44:47 +0000 After months of delay, The Farewell is finally heading to theaters in China. Ahead of its wide release, the local distributor has whipped up a tearjerker promo that’s making the rounds on the Chinese internet—and sure to have some people calling their grandparents. The critically acclaimed film, which earned Awkwafina a Golden Globe for best actress in a comedy, is opening in China on Friday after an initial release date of Nov. 22 was pushed back. Directed by Chinese-American Lulu Wang, The... https://www.scmp.com/culture/farewell-promo-china/article/3045164?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/farewell-promo-china/article/3045164?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Jan 2020 10:41:38 +0000 For years, Chinese internet celebrity Li Ziqi has been dazzling legions of fans with her fairy-tale-like depictions of life in rural China. Her videos, which are uploaded to YouTube and Chinese social media, show her performing seemingly mundane farm work against scenic mountain backdrops, set to light, airy music and soothing ASMR. For her more than 50 million fans in China and eight million more abroad, her ethereal videos are meditative and show a side of China that is fast... https://www.scmp.com/culture/li-ziqi-chinese-media-culture/article/3041801?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/li-ziqi-chinese-media-culture/article/3041801?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Dec 2019 11:39:26 +0000 Stanley Yang was just 23 when his best friend was killed outside a nightclub in Vancouver, a gunshot wound to the head. The death hit Yang hard. In 2003, he had just graduated from film school in Vancouver and was living the high life. By day, he worked on the production sets of indie films, and at night, he partied hard. “I was a harsh raver,” he recalls. Yang was always a rebel. He grew up in a dysfunctional family that constantly fought, and tried to spend as much time as possible away from... https://www.scmp.com/culture/zhongtv-22k-stanley-yang-chinese-hip-hop/article/3037892?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/zhongtv-22k-stanley-yang-chinese-hip-hop/article/3037892?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Nov 2019 08:36:25 +0000 If the lingering smell of chili oil on your shirt after a night of spicy hot pot isn’t enough to show your love of mala, the Chinese hot pot chain Haidilao has the answer for you: cute little earrings shaped like miniature hot pot ingredients. They come in classics like chili peppers and star anise, two core ingredients in a Sichuan-style hot pot broth, as well as mushrooms and lotus root. But if jewelry isn’t your thing, Haidilao also has sticky notes shaped like a hot pot stove, as well as... https://www.scmp.com/food/haidilao-hot-pot-jewelry-ultimate-gift/article/3037742?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/haidilao-hot-pot-jewelry-ultimate-gift/article/3037742?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Nov 2019 09:36:12 +0000 In college, I lived in a dorm with international students. Every week, one of us was assigned to cook dinner for everyone else on the floor, a chore we accepted as a condition for living in one of the nicer buildings on campus. Whenever my turn came, I invariably fell back on the food I grew up with: Cantonese. I would roast sweet marinated pork in the oven to make char siu. I would stir-fry beef tips and broccoli with oyster sauce, and blanch Chinese greens with fine minced garlic. The... https://www.scmp.com/food/cantonese-food-bland/article/3037237?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/cantonese-food-bland/article/3037237?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Nov 2019 10:54:59 +0000 For most people, winning Hong Kong’s Oscars would be a dream come true. But for one unknown rapper, it nearly derailed his career. In 2014, Dough-Boy was a 24-year-old producer just two years out of school when he won the award for Best Original Song at the Hong Kong Film Awards. He wrote the song for a small indie production called The Way We Dance on a miniscule budget of $200. “I didn’t even have anyone to thank,” recalls the rapper, whose real name is Galaxy Ho. “I didn’t even know what I... https://www.scmp.com/culture/dough-boy-hong-kong-hip-hop-rapper/article/3035795?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/dough-boy-hong-kong-hip-hop-rapper/article/3035795?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Oct 2019 11:21:22 +0000 In the 1980s and ’90s, a series of Chinese horror films became a worldwide cult sensation. Like other great monster flicks before them, so-called jiangshi 僵尸 movies focused exclusively on one character: reanimated corpses dressed in Chinese court attire. They usually came in groups, were controlled by Taoist priests, and their distinguishing feature was that they hopped. (The explanation was that their legs were stiff from rigor mortis.) (Read more: Why do Chinese vampires hop and suck your... https://www.scmp.com/culture/chinese-jiangshi-zombies/article/3035503?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/chinese-jiangshi-zombies/article/3035503?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Oct 2019 10:19:12 +0000 At some point, you have to start asking whether you really should put boba in everything. Just in time for Halloween, Domino’s Pizza in Taiwan has released a Frankenstein creation called “black sugar pearl pizza,” complete with mozzarella cheese, tapioca pearls, mochi balls, and a generous dose of honey. Not to be outdone, Pizza Hut in Taiwan at the same time began sales of its own boba pizza. Along with the standard bubbles and mozzarella cheese, its version comes with a drizzle of... https://www.scmp.com/food/dominos-and-pizza-hut-release-boba-pizza-taiwan/article/3035309?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/dominos-and-pizza-hut-release-boba-pizza-taiwan/article/3035309?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Oct 2019 06:09:41 +0000 When you step into Tell Camellia, what may be Hong Kong’s only tea-focused cocktail bar, the first thing you’ll get is a lecture on the origins of the tea plant. “So Camellia, what is Camellia? It’s the mother plant of all tea,” says Gagan Gurung, the co-owner, as he hands us the menu and explains the bar’s name and concept. In an age of gimmicky mixology bars, you can be forgiven if Gurung sounds like he’s overcompensating. Bars that combine tea with alcohol are a dime a dozen, especially in... https://www.scmp.com/food/molecular-mixology-hong-kong-bar-tell-camellia-infuses-tea-alcohol/article/3034596?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/molecular-mixology-hong-kong-bar-tell-camellia-infuses-tea-alcohol/article/3034596?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Oct 2019 11:31:50 +0000 When James Mao first started making music videos, he had a problem. Googling his name turned up a basketball player in Taiwan named James Mao. “The first five pages are that f---ing basketball player,” says Mao, now a music video director for the Asian-American label 88rising. So he came up with “mamesjao,” a moniker he still uses. “Now you Google mamesjao and it’s all my work,” he says. A stupid reason, he admits, but it helped build his career. Now, he’s the go-to director for hip-hop... https://www.scmp.com/culture/mamesjao-james-mao-88rising-hip-hop/article/3033073?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/mamesjao-james-mao-88rising-hip-hop/article/3033073?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Oct 2019 11:25:20 +0000 A night out in Hong Kong leaves much to be desired. Clubs and lounges tend to play the same EDM and pop music. Underground parties are few, and house parties even fewer in between. In densely populated Hong Kong, you’re probably living in a tiny apartment that can fit at most four people, and your neighbors, who are literally a wall away, will likely call the cops at the first sign of a beat. Enter Yeti Out, a music collective that’s upturning the party scene in Hong Kong and mainland... https://www.scmp.com/culture/yeti-out-hong-kong-shanghai-china-party-scene/article/3032170?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/yeti-out-hong-kong-shanghai-china-party-scene/article/3032170?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Oct 2019 10:39:57 +0000 In recent years, New York’s Chinese food scene has evolved with incredible speed and diversity. Long gone are the days of chop suey and egg foo young. Now, the discerning diner can choose between Yunnan rice noodles and Sichuan dry pot, a stir-fried version of the venerated spicy hot pot. Food trucks deliver jianbing with toppings adjusted for the American palate, noodle purveyors slow-cook broth to exacting standards, and hot pot chains from mainland China are opening outlets in the... https://www.scmp.com/food/hunan-slurp-new-york-fish-noodle-soup/article/3031457?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/hunan-slurp-new-york-fish-noodle-soup/article/3031457?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Oct 2019 11:37:23 +0000 There’s a story that Chinese-born rapper Bohan Phoenix likes to tell about his first few years adjusting to life in America. Born Leng Bohan, he and his mother had just moved from China to Boston three years earlier. He was 14 years old and starting at a new high school. The building had a long hallway connecting the east and west wing. To avoid talking to anyone, Bohan would duck outside one end of the school and walk the entire perimeter to the other. “Because I was so terrified of being in... https://www.scmp.com/culture/chinese-american-rapper-bohan-phoenix-not-selling-out/article/3030617?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/chinese-american-rapper-bohan-phoenix-not-selling-out/article/3030617?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Sep 2019 05:31:18 +0000 Twenty years on, Jay Chou is still going strong. The Taiwanese pop sensation broke sales records—and a music streaming site—this week after his latest single, “Won’t Cry,” was downloaded more than eight million times. The track was so popular that Chinese streaming giant QQ Music crashed momentarily from the traffic spike on Monday, when the song came out. But the schmaltzy ballad and its music video have also garnered criticism in China for being out of touch with the times. The video, which... https://www.scmp.com/culture/jay-chou-wont-cry-chinese-song/article/3029701?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/jay-chou-wont-cry-chinese-song/article/3029701?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Sep 2019 09:45:18 +0000 It’s the end of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and you have a bunch of empty mooncake tins. What do you do? In Hong Kong, many kids set them on fire. The Mid-Autumn Festival, traditionally a fall harvest celebration, has morphed into a family-gathering holiday akin to Thanksgiving. A longstanding tradition involves exchanging mooncakes, small, round pastries stuffed with a sweet or savory filling and usually packaged in tin boxes. Like the fruitcake in the West, these dense pastries have become such... https://www.scmp.com/culture/hong-kong-mid-autumn-festival-wax-burning/article/3026958?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/hong-kong-mid-autumn-festival-wax-burning/article/3026958?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Sep 2019 11:07:38 +0000 Now you can watch The Farewell with your Chinese grandparents. In honor of Grandparents Day on Sunday, distributor A24 is releasing a Chinese subtitled version of the film in select cities in the United States.         View this post on Instagram                   Big News! 🎊A Chinese immigrant-friendly version of #TheFarewell is coming to theaters this weekend. ⁣ ⁣ If you've been wanting to share The Farewell with your non-English speaking family, we made this full Mandarin... https://www.scmp.com/culture/lulu-wang-awkwafina-farewell-chinese-subtitles/article/3026173?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/lulu-wang-awkwafina-farewell-chinese-subtitles/article/3026173?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Sep 2019 12:15:13 +0000 They say there are two types of people in the world: those who celebrate 七夕 Qixi, and those who don’t. That is, you’re either out at an overpriced dinner—or binge-watching rom-coms at home by yourself. Qixi is the Chinese equivalent of Valentine’s Day, and it dates back more than 2,000 years. The festival, which is also celebrated in Japan and Korea, falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese calendar, which means the date changes every year (this year, it falls on Aug. 7). As... https://www.scmp.com/culture/chinese-valentines-day-qixi-luxury/article/3021844?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/chinese-valentines-day-qixi-luxury/article/3021844?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Aug 2019 11:46:04 +0000 In the past month, Donald Trump’s tirades against Congressional members of color have sparked discussion of an oft-heard refrain among immigrants and children of immigrants: “Go back to where you came from.” As a child of immigrants from China, I’ve always felt the sting of the line. I can’t recall if I’ve actually heard it—if I have, I must have blocked it from memory—but I’ve always felt its essence in the cold stares my family would get at roadside diners and the distance that seemed to... https://www.scmp.com/identity/i-went-back-where-i-came/article/3021001?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/identity/i-went-back-where-i-came/article/3021001?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Aug 2019 10:31:04 +0000 Marvel has its first Asian superhero lead in Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu, who will play the titular kung fu master in the upcoming movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Many people already know Liu from film and television, including the hit series Kim’s Convenience about a Korean-Canadian family. But before Marvel—and before he was the affable Jung in Kim’s Convenience—he was “accountant giving a presentation.” Call @Alanis Morissette because I just died from irony. I did a stock... https://www.scmp.com/culture/shang-chi-simu-liu-marvel/article/3019607?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/shang-chi-simu-liu-marvel/article/3019607?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jul 2019 09:37:40 +0000 A video of a hundred Chinese people staring into a camera and stating their age from 0 to 100 is going viral—and some of them don’t look a day over 90. The video was shot in the southwestern city of Chengdu by Dutch filmmaker Jeroen Wolf. It’s the latest in his long-running series documenting how people age in different countries. So far, he’s done similar videos in the United States, Morocco, Senegal, Spain, and his native Netherlands. But Wolf had always wanted to go to China—“a big country... https://www.scmp.com/culture/viral-video-shows-chinese-people-age-0-100/article/3019204?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/viral-video-shows-chinese-people-age-0-100/article/3019204?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jul 2019 12:57:42 +0000 Summers in China are sweltering, especially in big cities, where temperatures can reach upwards of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. To cope, many men of a certain age resort to rolling up their shirts to just above their bellies—or opt for going topless altogether. They do it in public—on the streets, in parks, and even at work if the job involves outdoor labor. The boorish look has become a hallmark of the Chinese summer, so much so that it has an affectionate nickname: the Beijing bikini (though the... https://www.scmp.com/culture/beijing-bikini-chinese-government-cracks-down-men-baring-midriffs/article/3017379?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/beijing-bikini-chinese-government-cracks-down-men-baring-midriffs/article/3017379?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jul 2019 05:41:21 +0000 There are a lot of different teas out there, and understanding what sets them apart can be challenging. But first, where does tea come from? Strictly speaking, all tea—whether it’s green, black, or white—comes from one plant: Camellia sinensis. Everything else commonly referred to as tea—such as chrysanthemum, barley, and chamomile tea—is technically an herbal infusion. True tea, the kind made from Camellia sinensis leaves, has its origins in southeastern China, where the plant grows natively in... https://www.scmp.com/food/chinese-tea-guide-green-black-oolong/article/3016816?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/chinese-tea-guide-green-black-oolong/article/3016816?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jul 2019 11:04:33 +0000 In China, hot pot is king. The premise is simple: a group of people gather around a simmering broth and dip raw slices of meat, vegetables, and other ingredients until they’re fully cooked. But China is a big country, and just as there are different languages spoken, there are also numerous varieties of hot pot. The ingredients vary by region, and the soup flavors can range from flowery fragrant to numbingly spicy. In Jiangsu province, for example, the broth often includes chrysanthemums. The... https://www.scmp.com/food/guide-all-chinese-hot-pot-styles/article/3014340?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/guide-all-chinese-hot-pot-styles/article/3014340?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Jun 2019 13:45:08 +0000 This week, in one of the largest protests Hong Kong has seen in years, an unlikely pop culture icon was spotted among the crowd. Pikachu was there at the march, as people held up signs and carried plushies of the famous yellow Pokémon.   A protester with a Pikachu doll. The secretary for security, John Lee Ka Chiu (hence Pi-Ka-Chiu), is pushing for the controversial Hong Kong extradition law. pic.twitter.com/yMwhB6snu9 — Mary Hui (@maryhui) June 9, 2019   Hundreds of thousands gathered on Sunday... https://www.scmp.com/culture/hong-kong-protests-why-pikachu-was-march/article/3014191?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/hong-kong-protests-why-pikachu-was-march/article/3014191?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jun 2019 09:09:57 +0000 Every year in May, a small island in Hong Kong celebrates a bun festival, where tens of thousands of buns stuffed with sweet bean paste are stacked into towers several stories high. Many of them are made by hand at a small, family-run bakery called Kwok Kam Kee, which has been doing it for over four decades. About two years ago, Martin Kwok, the owner, left a cushy job in finance to take over the shop from his father. “I want to show my father and mother that they raised a good child.” Martin... https://www.scmp.com/culture/hong-kong-family-bakery-cheung-chau-bun-festival/article/3012066?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/hong-kong-family-bakery-cheung-chau-bun-festival/article/3012066?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 May 2019 10:08:10 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/story/im-pei-louvre-architect-china/article/3010737?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/story/im-pei-louvre-architect-china/article/3010737?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 May 2019 14:59:18 +0000 The first time I encountered Xuan Juliana Wang’s writing, it was an essay in The Cut titled “Long Live Chinatown, Especially When I’m Gone.” Reading her piece, I realized how much I missed the place where I grew up. Wang is not from Chinatown, but her words demonstrated a deep love for this immigrant community which we both called home in different ways. Her gift for empathy and compassion is apparent in her new book Home Remedies, a collection of 12 stories that span across time zones, from the... https://www.scmp.com/culture/xuan-juliana-wang-home-remedies-author-debut/article/3010545?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/xuan-juliana-wang-home-remedies-author-debut/article/3010545?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 May 2019 12:48:21 +0000 No matter how often the beverage industry touts the potent Chinese liquor baijiu 白酒 as the “most purchased spirit in the world” (simply by the sheer size of the Chinese market), it remains unknown to most of the world. It makes up less than 1% of distilled spirits sold in the United States, according to the Distilled Spirits Council, and it doesn’t help that the high-alcohol liquor—sometimes as high as 65%—has a stinging flavor that’s been invariably described as “firewater,” “moonshine,” and... https://www.scmp.com/food/baijiu-cocktails-liquor/article/3009728?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/baijiu-cocktails-liquor/article/3009728?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 May 2019 11:20:18 +0000 How much would you pay to be among the first to watch Avengers: Endgame? In China, some were willing to shell out $100—and that’s not even a black market price. In the weeks leading up to the premiere of the highly anticipated Marvel sequel, cinemas in China expected high demand and raised prices accordingly—to up to three times the normal rate.   #Avengers fever is real. One ticket for the premiere in Shanghai: $75. In Beijing: $100. pic.twitter.com/QHwS6ay4se — Goldthread (@Goldthread2) April... https://www.scmp.com/culture/avengers-endgame-china/article/3008095?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/avengers-endgame-china/article/3008095?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Apr 2019 08:30:09 +0000 The first time I went into a hair salon in a country where I didn’t speak the language, I carried a photo of Leslie Cheung. It was a still from his 1990 movie Days of Being Wild. His hair was parted, with one side combed back and the other permed in a wave. A few strands of hair hung down to just above his eyebrows. He had a boyish look but still exuded confidence. He was cool yet sensitive, and every time I went to the hair salon, I showed the stylist the photo and he would do his work. This... https://www.scmp.com/culture/leslie-cheung-taught-me-power-being-brave-and-unapologetic/article/3004177?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/leslie-cheung-taught-me-power-being-brave-and-unapologetic/article/3004177?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Apr 2019 10:57:15 +0000 If you went on Google in Taiwan and Hong Kong today, you would have found a Doodle of a woman in a loose blue dress sitting alone in a desert with pen and paper in hand. The woman in the illustration is Taiwanese writer Sanmao, who would have turned 76 today. Born in Chongqing, China, as Chen Maoping in 1943, Sanmao moved with her family to Taiwan at a young age, developed an early interest in literature, and went on to become one of the most prolific travel writers of her time. In more than 20... https://www.scmp.com/culture/globetrotting-taiwanese-writer-who-inspired-generations-women/article/3003332?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/globetrotting-taiwanese-writer-who-inspired-generations-women/article/3003332?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Mar 2019 08:45:03 +0000