https://www.scmp.com/rss/330286/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The coronavirus pandemic, with its social distancing mandates and gym closures, has spurred worldwide demand in bicycles. In the United States, sales of recreational bikes for adults doubled in March compared to last year, according to market research firm NPD Group. On the resale platform Carousell, searches for bikes more than doubled in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore, the platform’s core markets, in 2020. That has been a boon for Phoenix, China’s oldest and perhaps most famous bicycle... https://www.scmp.com/culture/china-phoenix-bicycle-factory/article/3127565?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/china-phoenix-bicycle-factory/article/3127565?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Mar 2021 07:32:33 +0000 Soy sauce is a versatile condiment. It can be used as a dip, a marinade, or poured directly over food. But making this simple condiment takes a lot of time and patience. There are different varieties—dark, light, sweet, and salty—depending on the type of soybean used and how the beans are fermented. Most soy sauces are made with yellow soybeans, but in Taiwan, traditional makers like to use black beans and ferment them directly under the sun. “Black soybeans are unique because they have high oil... https://www.scmp.com/food/yu-ding-shing-soy-sauce-taiwan/article/3123589?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/yu-ding-shing-soy-sauce-taiwan/article/3123589?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Mar 2021 00:10:12 +0000 Hand sanitizers have become a scarce commodity as the virus spreads around the world. To respond to the shortage, several baijiu companies in China have switched to producing sanitizer. Baijiu is a distilled liquor known for its high alcohol content, usually around 40% but sometimes as high as 65%. Because of its strong flavor, it is often paired with intense dishes such as spicy hot pot. (Read more: Everything you've wanted to know about China's potent liquor, baijiu) One distiller, Guomei,... https://www.scmp.com/food/coronavirus-chinese-baijiu-hand-sanitizer/article/3076474?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/coronavirus-chinese-baijiu-hand-sanitizer/article/3076474?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2020 11:21:39 +0000 When Simon Li, a Chinese expat in France, went back home for Lunar New Year in January, he arrived at the peak of the coronavirus outbreak in China. The streets were empty, people were staying at home, and anyone who ventured outside wore a mask, following a directive from local police. Naturally, Li also wore a mask when he left the house. But when he flew back to Paris after the holiday, he noticed that the only people covering their faces appeared to be of Asian descent. Weary of judgement... https://www.scmp.com/culture/coronavirus-masks-china/article/3076130?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/coronavirus-masks-china/article/3076130?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2020 09:04:13 +0000 Red lanterns can be seen in Chinese communities around the world during Lunar New Year, and one small village in China is responsible for making most of them. The village of Tuntou in Hebei Province, about 200 miles outside Beijing, produces 80% of China’s lanterns. Nearly every family here has a workshop for making lantern parts. Altogether, the village produces more than 80 million lanterns every year, supplying markets across China, Asia, and beyond. It collectively brings in $160 million... https://www.scmp.com/culture/china-lantern-village/article/3047611?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/china-lantern-village/article/3047611?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Jan 2020 15:23:56 +0000 Looking out over her small restaurant in Huizhou city on the north of the Pearl River Delta, known to be the beating heart of China’s manufacturing industry, Li Bing can still picture the hustle and bustle of a throng of customers from a nearby factory. But now, as Li looks up from her broom, she is gr eeted by empty tables, a sight that has been familiar for the last two months, and one that is replicated around the local industrial complex, located in the southern Chinese province of... https://www.scmp.com/politics/these-chinese-communities-are-struggling-survive-after-us-china-trade-war-caused-samsung-factory/article/3041575?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/these-chinese-communities-are-struggling-survive-after-us-china-trade-war-caused-samsung-factory/article/3041575?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Dec 2019 09:54:32 +0000 Cheap, plastic, and just barely functional, the Holga camera is beloved among photography enthusiasts for its ultra-analogue simplicity. Rather than producing crisp, sharp exposures, the Holga creates pictures full of distortion, lens flare, faded colors, and vignettes. They appear, by today’s standards, to be highly flawed. The cameras were so janky that users often cocooned their camera in duct tape or wedged cardboard under the film spool to prevent light from leaking into the box.  But the... https://www.scmp.com/culture/holga-camera-hong-kong-origin-story/article/3040519?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/holga-camera-hong-kong-origin-story/article/3040519?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Dec 2019 13:05:10 +0000 They’re the go-to shoes of skateboarders, Shaolin monks, and Orlando Bloom. For years, the Chinese sneaker brand Feiyue has been a favorite of kung fu artists and street artists alike, spawning collaborations with Céline, Marvel, and Swarovski. English model Poppy Delevingne once told W Magazine that she “lived” in the sneakers.     The shoes date back to the Mao era, and for a long time, they were seen in China as a cheap alternative to higher-quality foreign brands. But they inadvertently... https://www.scmp.com/culture/inside-feiyue-shoe-factory-china/article/3032865?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/inside-feiyue-shoe-factory-china/article/3032865?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Oct 2019 10:55:02 +0000 Kinmen, a cluster of small islands off the eastern coast of China, stands in the crosshairs of an international conflict, though you wouldn’t know it visiting there. The subtropical islands have become a popular tourist destination because of its quaint villages, quiet beaches—and a factory that makes knives out of discarded bombs. The factory, called Chin Ho Li, has been in continuous operation since 1937, when it used artillery shells fired during World War II to make knives. Its products are... https://www.scmp.com/travel/taiwan-kinmen-knives-bomb-factory/article/3013421?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/travel/taiwan-kinmen-knives-bomb-factory/article/3013421?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jun 2019 09:28:22 +0000 Humans might still be debating the authenticity of certain Chinese dishes, but factories in China believe robots already have the answer. More than 10 manufacturers of mass-produced Chinese food products have been using taste-testing robots for over three years now to ensure the quality and authenticity of their products, according to a report submitted to the Chinese government last month. The foods tested include cured pork belly, black rice vinegar, fine dried noodles, Chinese yellow wine,... https://www.scmp.com/food/ai-robot-factory-taste-test-authentic-chinese-food/article/3009173?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/ai-robot-factory-taste-test-authentic-chinese-food/article/3009173?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 May 2019 07:37:09 +0000 Pearl River Piano Group, based in Guangzhou, China, is one of the biggest and busiest piano factories in the world, but their market is almost completely domestic. We went inside their shop to have a look at their piano-making process. https://www.scmp.com/videos/inside-biggest-piano-factory-world/article/3000725?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/videos/inside-biggest-piano-factory-world/article/3000725?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Feb 2019 16:41:46 +0000 The road to worldwide recognition for Chinese caviar maker Kaluga Queen has been a long and winding one. Started in 1998 in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province, Kaluga Queen today accounts for a third of global caviar production. But it had to overcome doubts about its products coming from a country more associated with food scandals than haute cuisine. After two decades of overseas promotion, the breakthrough came in 2018 when Lufthansa, Germany’s largest airline, struck a deal with Kaluga Queen... https://www.scmp.com/videos/inside-largest-caviar-factory-world/article/3000682?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/videos/inside-largest-caviar-factory-world/article/3000682?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jan 2019 12:41:22 +0000 Young Master is one of the oldest and largest craft breweries in Hong Kong making local brews. But what exactly makes a beer local? We went inside their factory in Hong Kong. https://www.scmp.com/videos/what-makes-craft-beer-local/article/3000568?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/videos/what-makes-craft-beer-local/article/3000568?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jan 2019 07:56:32 +0000 Rice noodles are the main carb of choice in Southwest China. However, they have an extremely short shelf life and have to be made, delivered, and consumed within a 24 hour time period. Here’s the inside scoop. Noodle Factory: 米厂心 Michang Xin Restaurant: 米线研究所 Mixian Yanjiu Suo https://www.scmp.com/videos/inside-rice-noodle-factory/article/3000120?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/videos/inside-rice-noodle-factory/article/3000120?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Sep 2018 04:55:39 +0000 We got an inside tour of Jian Nan Chun 剑南春, a baijiu factory in Sichuan, and found out how the world's most consumed liquor is made. Written by: Clarissa Wei Voiceover: Clarissa Wei & Dolly Li Featuring: Jian Nan Chun Produced by: Clarissa Wei & Dolly Li Shot by: Mario Chui & Nicholas Ko Edited by: Nicholas Ko Mastered by: Victor Peña https://www.scmp.com/videos/inside-very-large-baijiu-factory/article/2160462?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/videos/inside-very-large-baijiu-factory/article/2160462?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Aug 2018 06:00:45 +0000 White Rabbit is one of China’s most iconic candy brands. We took an inside look at the confectionary factory in Shanghai. Written by: Clarissa Wei Voiceover: Laurie Chen Produced by: Lea Li Shot by: Lea Li Edited by: Mario Chui Mastered by: Victor Peña https://www.scmp.com/culture/inside-white-rabbit-candy-factory/article/2159535?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/inside-white-rabbit-candy-factory/article/2159535?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Aug 2018 13:42:07 +0000 The Shanghai watch company has the distinction of being China’s very first watch factory, and over 60 years ago, produced the country’s first mechanical watch. Compared with Swiss counterparts, the first Shanghai watch was inexpensive, at just 120 yuan, or $295 in today’s dollars. But against the country’s average monthly income of 36 yuan, the watch was largely an aspirational luxury item for the masses. And from the 1950s up until the ’70s, everyone in China wanted one, because the late... https://www.scmp.com/culture/chinas-first-mechanical-watch-still-total-steal/article/2153716?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/chinas-first-mechanical-watch-still-total-steal/article/2153716?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jul 2018 06:15:00 +0000 Hot pot is a culinary icon in Sichuan. Conceptually it’s a cauldron of broth where diners cook their ingredients tableside. But what makes it so addicting? We found out when we visited a family-owned hot pot factory in Chengdu—a city with nearly 10,000 hot pot establishments. Written by & Voiceover: Clarissa Wei Featuring: Anita Lai Produced by: Dolly Li, Clarissa Wei Shot by: Mario Chui, Nicholas Ko Edited by: Mario Chui Mastered by: Victor Peña https://www.scmp.com/videos/inside-spicy-hot-pot-factory/article/2151907?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/videos/inside-spicy-hot-pot-factory/article/2151907?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Jun 2018 17:15:30 +0000