https://www.scmp.com/rss/330339/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Jill Lander Jill Lander It’s November! The 10th solar month in the Chinese calendar runs from November 7 to December 6, and it’s the month of the Fire Pig – ding hai. The Pig symbol relates to wealth – which is why we have piggy banks! It’s almost the end of the year, a time of reflection, short days and an excess of yin energy, so if life has felt out of sync lately, you are not alone. November is a unique month, as it is one of the “double months” of 2025, meaning that the good energy residing within our personal... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/leisure/article/3332147/your-horoscopes-november-2025-month-fire-pig-work-money-and-relationships?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/leisure/article/3332147/your-horoscopes-november-2025-month-fire-pig-work-money-and-relationships?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 07:14:33 +0000 Yating Yang Yating Yang A specialist pig farm in China has become a popular – and bizarre – wedding venue, especially for couples born under the animal’s zodiac sign. The Panda Pig Farm in Jinhua, Zhejiang province in southeastern China, has diversified into a holiday resort and a destination at which to tie the knot. Last year, it hosted more than 200 weddings, according to Shen Jianjun, the farm’s owner. “People born in the Year of the Pig are especially drawn to this place. Some even include the animals in their... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3274280/swine-romance-china-pig-farm-cleans-unlikely-wedding-venue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3274280/swine-romance-china-pig-farm-cleans-unlikely-wedding-venue?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Aug 2024 01:00:09 +0000 A rebound in the second quarter is likely to lift overall property sales in Hong Kong 10 per cent higher in the Year of the Rat despite uncertainties such as the deadly Wuhan virus outbreak and intermittent protests, according to Ricacorp Properties. The property agency expects transactions of flats, commercial and industrial units to rise to 79,300 from around 72,100, a second straight year of declining volumes in the just-concluded Year of the Pig. The volumes were also the lowest in the past... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3047875/hong-kong-property-sales-rise-10-cent-year-rat-investors-shrug-impact?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3047875/hong-kong-property-sales-rise-10-cent-year-rat-investors-shrug-impact?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jan 2020 06:34:15 +0000 On witnessing the turmoil occurring almost daily on our streets, I tried to seek some solace in past editions of the Post, to see what the most renowned of Hong Kong’s feng shui masters predicted for us at the beginning of this Lunar Year. In an article headlined “Sinking economy, stock market setbacks, transport woes and infectious disease outbreaks: Hong Kong feng shui masters make their predictions for Year of the Pig” (February 5), I was shocked, horrified and amazed to find that not one of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3022921/why-did-hong-kongs-feng-shui-masters-fail-predict-protests-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3022921/why-did-hong-kongs-feng-shui-masters-fail-predict-protests-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Sep 2019 22:20:09 +0000 In China, pigs symbolise wealth. And 2019, being the Year of the Pig, was supposed to be a great year to make money. Instead, the nation’s 26 million hog farmers are battling the deadly African swine fever epidemic that is in its second year now. The virus, harmless to humans, has spread across 32 of the nation’s 34 administrative regions since the outbreak was first reported in August 2018, affecting a large portion of the nation’s 348 million strong swine inventory, according to Rabobank. “We... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3023181/miserable-year-pig-chinas-hogs-godsend-american-farmers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3023181/miserable-year-pig-chinas-hogs-godsend-american-farmers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Aug 2019 18:30:14 +0000 A case of a schoolgirl in China buying a so-called copying robot to write her homework has caused many social media users to leap to her defence and fuelled growing interest in the machines. It was reported last week by Qianjiang Evening News, in the eastern city of Hangzhou, that a woman surnamed Zhang in the northeast city of Harbin had discovered that her daughter, aged about 15, had bought the robot to help her complete homework during the Lunar New Year holiday. She used it for exercises... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2186780/chinese-schoolgirl-shamed-using-robot-write-homework-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2186780/chinese-schoolgirl-shamed-using-robot-write-homework-now?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Feb 2019 07:45:20 +0000 As Lord Mayor of London and a principle ambassador for the UK’s financial and professional services sector, I am confident that the Year of the Pig bodes well for relations between the UK and Hong Kong. We have learned recently of British and Hong Kong children’s love for a cartoon pig named Peppa, who has become a great ambassador for the UK. Peppa has been popular in Hong Kong for more than a decade and recently made great strides into local homes and schools thanks to the musical staged in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2186291/hong-kong-and-uk-can-develop-fintech-sectors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2186291/hong-kong-and-uk-can-develop-fintech-sectors?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Feb 2019 02:03:26 +0000 Drums, dragons and dancers paraded through New York’s Chinatown on Sunday to usher in the Year of the Pig in the metropolis with the biggest population of Chinese descent of any city outside Asia. Confetti and spectators a half-dozen or more deep at points lined the route of the Lunar New Year Parade in lower Manhattan. “The pig year is one of my favourite years, because it means lucky – everybody likes lucky – and, for me, a relationship or family” and a better life, Eva Zou said as she... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2186565/new-yorks-chinatown-welcomes-year-pig-drums-dragons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2186565/new-yorks-chinatown-welcomes-year-pig-drums-dragons?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Feb 2019 22:30:23 +0000 A 10-year-old Chinese boy has successfully sued his father for the return of his lucky money. It is a Lunar New Year tradition in China to give children money in red packets, known as hongbao. But when the unnamed child’s father, surnamed Su, withdrew the saved funds from the bank – with interest – his son took him to court. The case was heard in the Baiyun District Court in Guangdong province, southern China, which recently ordered Su to return the money to his son. According to a summary of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2186380/chinese-boy-10-sues-father-return-his-lucky-lunar-new-year-money?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2186380/chinese-boy-10-sues-father-return-his-lucky-lunar-new-year-money?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Feb 2019 12:52:42 +0000 A Chinese multimillionaire truly embraced the spirit of giving over the Lunar New Year holiday, lavishing 12 million yuan (US$1.8 million) in cash, gifts and helicopter rides on the residents of the small village he once called home. Zheng Daqing, the 60-year-old chairman of conglomerate Xinjiang Tiandi Group, flew into Dingziqiao in southwest China’s Sichuan province on Wednesday and spent several days meeting villagers and showering those aged 50 or more with gifts, Chengdu Economic Daily... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2185711/chinese-tycoons-us18-million-gift-hometown-includes-wads-cash-tvs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2185711/chinese-tycoons-us18-million-gift-hometown-includes-wads-cash-tvs?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Feb 2019 10:37:31 +0000 The No 86 fortune stick drawn for Hong Kong by rural chief and legislator Kenneth Lau Ip-keung on the second day of the Year of the Pig put a downer on all the New Year celebrations. Although it is a “neutral” stick, meaning Hong Kong will neither be lucky nor unlucky this year, when the advice is to be “happy to get a rocky field for business”, it’s clear that tough times lie ahead. But we don’t need to be superstitious to expect that. The global economic situation, exacerbated by the US-China... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2185407/new-year-fresh-hope-carrie-lams-new-governance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2185407/new-year-fresh-hope-carrie-lams-new-governance?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Feb 2019 00:00:30 +0000 Instead of buying confectionery or toys, Hong Kong’s next generation is focused on the future as they count their annual haul from “lai see” packets they receive from family and friends during Lunar New Year, according to a survey by AXA Investment Managers. More than three-quarters of children in Hong Kong are actively saving into bank accounts and enjoy a weekly income of HK$180 (US$23) on average, the survey found. The city’s children receive about HK$9,400 a year in pocket money either as... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/2185420/forget-confectionery-hong-kong-children-more-likely-save?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/2185420/forget-confectionery-hong-kong-children-more-likely-save?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Feb 2019 23:01:49 +0000 It’s time for a victory lap for Xi Wuyi. She has finally “won” against “Islamic extremists” she has been fighting for years. A few days before the start of the Lunar New Year, People’s Daily, the Communist Party's official newspaper, sent out a new year’s greeting on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like service. It said: “Butcher the pig and save some pork!” For a small online group of vigilantes waging a war against “pan-halal tendencies” in Chinese society, the short message was loaded with importance... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2185350/no-halal-please-meet-chinas-pig-vigilantes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2185350/no-halal-please-meet-chinas-pig-vigilantes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Feb 2019 20:02:42 +0000 An assurance of good luck is of vital importance at Lunar New Year. That is why rural communities religiously take to the Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin this time of year in the hope of seeking some words of wisdom from the mighty and divine. As the Chinese believe, there is no better way to start a new year than being blessed by the wheel of fortune. Luck is not always on our side, though. The “middle” or average fortune stick drawn yesterday by Heung Yee Kuk chairman Kenneth Lau Ip-keung did not... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2185207/best-stick-cautious-optimism-year-pig?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2185207/best-stick-cautious-optimism-year-pig?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Feb 2019 13:16:52 +0000 Pig-themed pyrotechnics sparkled over Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour as the city marked the Lunar New Year with a showpiece fireworks display on Wednesday evening. The weather gods were much kinder than the forecasters had predicted, and fog and drizzle mostly held off so visitors enjoyed a clear view of the 23-minute show. Hundreds of thousands of people – locals and visitors alike – lined both sides of the harbour to enjoy the HK$10 million display marking the Year of the Pig. The newly... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2185175/hong-kong-weather-brings-fog-and-drizzle-lunar-new-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2185175/hong-kong-weather-brings-fog-and-drizzle-lunar-new-year?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Feb 2019 08:45:30 +0000 A rural leader in Hong Kong drew a less-than-ideal prophecy for the city, foretelling struggles in the Year of the Pig, at a traditional fortune stick ritual in the New Territories on Wednesday. But Kenneth Lau Ip-keung, also a pro-Beijing legislator, was quick to add a helpful spin, interpreting his fortune as meaning things would go well as long as people support the government. He did not address the part of the omen which augured “no success in gaining wealth”, for a city largely focused on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2185146/hong-kong-have-no-success-gaining-wealth-during-year-pig?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2185146/hong-kong-have-no-success-gaining-wealth-during-year-pig?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Feb 2019 05:15:45 +0000 As Asian-Americans across the US mark the Lunar New Year, they can celebrate by eating Mickey Mouse-shaped tofu, sporting a pair of Year of the Pig-inspired Nike shoes and by snacking on pricey cupcakes. The delicacies and traditions that once made a generation of Asian-Americans feel foreign are now fodder for merchandising. Between now and February 17, Disney California Adventure Park is offering “Asian eats” that include the Mickey-shaped tofu and purple yam macaroons. Nike is issuing a... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2185136/american-companies-get-spirit-lunar-new-year-hoping-good-fortune?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2185136/american-companies-get-spirit-lunar-new-year-hoping-good-fortune?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Feb 2019 04:18:14 +0000 A digital tapestry portrays a royal courtyard filled with snow, the flakes of which waft up and down, following the movements of those watching it. Peking opera performers come to life on another big screen, recreating the Lunar New Year theatre set up in the Chinese imperial palace in Beijing. How the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac were chosen These are among the highlights of a digital immersive display recreating royal Spring Festival festivity scenes of old at the Forbidden City in the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/2184982/inside-emperors-chinese-new-year-celebrations-immersive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/2184982/inside-emperors-chinese-new-year-celebrations-immersive?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Feb 2019 23:47:31 +0000 Tens of thousands of people lined the balmy streets along Tsim Sha Tsui to catch a glimpse of the annual Cathay Pacific Lunar New Year Night Parade. The annual extravaganza featured a glittering procession of nine sumptuously decorated carnival floats bearing messages of goodwill, luck and health for the coming Year of the Pig. The carnival floats were packed with dancers and performing groups from across the city and international performers from the UK, Spain, South Korea, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2185100/hongkongers-treated-performance-extravaganza-annual-lunar-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2185100/hongkongers-treated-performance-extravaganza-annual-lunar-new?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Feb 2019 14:43:35 +0000 So much has been said about polarisation under Donald Trump. And now even feng shui masters are divided over the US president, with contrasting outlooks on how he will perform in the Year of the Pig. One Hong Kong fortune-teller said impeachment was on the cards for the president, while another went as far as pinpointing the 31-day window during which he would be most vulnerable to an unseating. Ahead of the start of Lunar New Year, experts made their predictions on famous figures by studying... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2184989/polarising-us-president-donald-trump-even-has-chinese-feng?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2184989/polarising-us-president-donald-trump-even-has-chinese-feng?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Feb 2019 13:42:08 +0000 Five people have died in an explosion caused by firecrackers in southern China in the early hours of Lunar New Year. The explosion happened at around 2am on Tuesday in Rongan county in the southern region of Guangxi outside a shop which was suspected of illegally storing and selling the explosives, Xinhua news agency reported. The explosion started a fire that spread to four neighbouring households, killing five people and forcing 14 others to evacuate their homes. The fire was put out by 5am... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2185074/chinese-firecracker-explosion-kills-five-early-hours-lunar-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2185074/chinese-firecracker-explosion-kills-five-early-hours-lunar-new?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Feb 2019 09:28:47 +0000 When the sounds of a drum, cymbals and gongs pierce the air in Foshan, a city in southeast China, local children know the lion dancers are performing. Excitedly, they flood into the streets to catch a glimpse of the performers in the lion costume wagging the lion’s head and tail and climbing up and down poles as high as 20 metres (60 feet). Li Zhihao was one of these children some 20 years ago. For as long as he could remember, the lion dance had been a part of life in the city in Guangdong... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2185021/lopsided-fortunes-chinas-ancient-lion-dance-thriving-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2185021/lopsided-fortunes-chinas-ancient-lion-dance-thriving-south?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Feb 2019 03:15:15 +0000 More than a decade ago Aries Cheung, a Toronto-based artist, graphic designer and filmmaker, was approached by a representative from the Royal Canadian Mint. Would he like to enter a competition for a new series of coins to celebrate the Lunar New Year? The 58-year-old Hong Kong native won, and this year’s coin celebrating the Year of the Pig will be his 11th design from that initial competition. He’ll celebrate his birth year – the Year of the Rat – with next year’s coin, the final of his... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2184660/year-piggy-bank-mints-canada-singapore-hope-cash-year-pig?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2184660/year-piggy-bank-mints-canada-singapore-hope-cash-year-pig?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Feb 2019 02:30:00 +0000 Everywhere you look in China, it is hard to avoid Peppa Pig. The popular British children’s character has become the unofficial mascot of the Year of the Pig, cementing her global popularity and sealing her return to favour in China. A Chinese-language version of the cartoon first aired on state broadcaster CCTV in 2015 and became an overnight sensation among younger audiences, notching up more than 60 billion views on television and streaming websites. But Peppa soon become one of the more... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2185004/lunar-new-year-puts-seal-peppa-pigs-chinese-comeback?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2185004/lunar-new-year-puts-seal-peppa-pigs-chinese-comeback?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Feb 2019 11:43:19 +0000 The Lunar New Year holiday is one of the few times in the calendar year the South China Morning Post does not publish a newspaper. This year we’ve made a podcast talking to some of our journalists about the stories they cover at this time of year, as well as the new stories they’ve uncovered in the hunt for interesting people, places and happenings. The zodiac animal for this coming Lunar New Year is the pig – and SCMP reporters have worked on some fascinating stories on that theme, from the... https://www.scmp.com/podcasts/article/2184977/behind-story-how-scmp-reported-lunar-new-year-year-pig?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/podcasts/article/2184977/behind-story-how-scmp-reported-lunar-new-year-year-pig?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Feb 2019 08:15:00 +0000 This is the Year of the Pig, but have you ever wondered why and how the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac were chosen? According to legend, the heavenly Jade Emperor wanted to segment time into cycles of 12 years with an earthly animal guarding each cycle. He sent word that the fastest animals to reach the Heavenly Gate would be chosen, ranked accordingly and have a year in the cycle named after them. Sensing an opportunity, the animals raced against each other to win the emperor’s favour. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2184650/why-2019-year-pig-how-chinese-zodiacs-12-animals-were-chosen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2184650/why-2019-year-pig-how-chinese-zodiacs-12-animals-were-chosen?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Feb 2019 08:01:33 +0000 The Year of the Pig may be at hand, but in China the animals themselves – central to Chinese cuisine for thousands of years – are disappearing. Across the country hog breeds are vanishing rapidly, taking with them some of China’s signature dishes and, more worryingly, exposing the remaining swine to increased risk of disease, agricultural specialists said. As the world’s biggest producer and consumer of pork, China has been domesticating pigs for 8,000 years. But indigenous Chinese pig species... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2184766/chinas-pigs-are-vanishing-consumers-go-whole-hog-leaner-pork?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2184766/chinas-pigs-are-vanishing-consumers-go-whole-hog-leaner-pork?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Feb 2019 03:31:33 +0000 In China, pigs symbolise wealth. Their chubby little faces and big ears are associated with good fortune. According to Chinese astrology, they are realistic and pragmatic – where other zodiac signs may dither, pigs are decisive. Tap here to launch the special feature https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2184459/chinese-zodiac-2019-all-you-need-know-about-year-pig?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/2184459/chinese-zodiac-2019-all-you-need-know-about-year-pig?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Feb 2019 00:03:50 +0000 Sometimes the mood is one of enchantment and melancholy, of moonlit evenings when soft rain mists the windows and memories lie heavy on the heart. More often, though, Pu Songling’s Strange Tales From a Chinese Studio calls to mind a collection of mildly racy club stories or lost episodes of The Twilight Zone. Reading this beloved classic provides a particularly enjoyable way to help celebrate Chinese New Year. The festivities for the Year of the Pig officially start on February 5 but have... https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2184732/perfect-book-celebrate-chinese-new-year-250-year-old-tome-full-ghosts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2184732/perfect-book-celebrate-chinese-new-year-250-year-old-tome-full-ghosts?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Feb 2019 11:02:35 +0000 This week marks the start of the Year of the Pig – the final Chinese zodiac animal in a 12-year cycle. According to Kay Tom, a UK-based master in feng shui and horoscopes, those born in the Year of the Pig – 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995 and 2007 – are honest leaders, often employers, who are focused on achieving goals and are not afraid of responsibility. Many are entrepreneurs and success is a common trait. “The pig is the 12th animal, so he represents the leader from the back,” said... https://www.scmp.com/business/money/wealth/article/2184722/tencent-ceo-pony-ma-and-other-chinese-tycoons-born-year-pig?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/money/wealth/article/2184722/tencent-ceo-pony-ma-and-other-chinese-tycoons-born-year-pig?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Feb 2019 03:00:48 +0000 As China ushers in the Year of the Pig, globally beloved cartoon Peppa Pig is ramping up its presence in the country that has become a key market in just three years. Peppa Pig has taken children worldwide by storm since 2004. What began as a preschool animated television series in the UK of a smiling pink pig, has spanned into everything from backpacks to bicycles and even theme parks. The brand makes up about 62 per cent of revenue for London-listed media group Entertainment One’s Family &... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2184719/why-could-be-year-china-falls-love-smiling-pink-peppa-pig-has?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2184719/why-could-be-year-china-falls-love-smiling-pink-peppa-pig-has?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Feb 2019 02:00:00 +0000 Theresa Yiu, founder of Hong Kong food brand Dashijie, is frying radish cake in a canteen in the offices of food and beverage company Maxim’s Group on a recent winter morning. It doesn’t take long before the aroma starts to attract a crowd. Yiu launched Dashijie in 2009, starting with three items that are popular around Lunar New Year – radish cake, sticky rice cake and water chestnut pudding – and selling them at City’super. Over Lunar New Year 2010, she sold 10,000 of them. Yiu was raised in a... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/2184436/why-chinese-new-year-puddings-hong-kong-brand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/2184436/why-chinese-new-year-puddings-hong-kong-brand?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Feb 2019 03:00:00 +0000 Lunar New Year is one of the most popular festivals celebrated by East Asians and their diasporas worldwide. In Hong Kong, homes and streets become filled with the sweet scent of flowers and the pungency of festive snacks, before spectacular fireworks captivate the city, ringing in a new beginning. On Tuesday the world will welcome the Year of the Pig. The celebrations will last until February 19, the day of the Lantern Festival. As Hong Kong amps up ahead of the big day, red and gold... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2184668/how-stay-lucky-lunar-new-year-and-what-it-means-if-youre-pig?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2184668/how-stay-lucky-lunar-new-year-and-what-it-means-if-youre-pig?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Feb 2019 01:01:39 +0000 Five hundred lanterns. More than a mile of twinkling red lights. Thousands of willow branches. And 1,000 paper pigs adorning the place. The Temple House, a luxury hotel in Chengdu, China, has put in hundreds of hours of labour for Lunar New Year, an indication of the effort hospitality organisations devote to the holiday – and the returns they stand to gain. Tuesday, February 5, will kick off the Lunar New Year holiday – also known as the Chinese New Year – marking the transition from the Year... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2184676/most-extravagant-chinese-new-year-menus-us-macarons-cordyceps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2184676/most-extravagant-chinese-new-year-menus-us-macarons-cordyceps?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Feb 2019 18:33:28 +0000 Every year is the Year of the Pig in Jenny Tsai’s ninth-floor flat in Taiwan’s Taichung City which she shares with one fellow human and four pampered porcine housemates. Website designer Tsai says her pigs are so clever they’ve worked out how to open the fridge, which is now protected from wandering snouts with a rope. “Pigs are very affectionate,” she said. “When I am sick they stay by my side and keep me company. But you can’t pretend to be sick or they’ll find out and wreak havoc.” It is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2184625/pigs-blankets-taiwanese-woman-and-her-four-porky-housemates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2184625/pigs-blankets-taiwanese-woman-and-her-four-porky-housemates?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Feb 2019 05:22:46 +0000 Every year, hundreds of millions of people travel across China during the Lunar New Year to reunite with their families. As locals travel from cities to their hometowns, Beijing Railway Station is often the centre of the travel rush, also known as chunyun. The season runs from January 21 to March 1. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2184588/live-beijing-railway-station-chinese-new-year-travel-rush-begins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2184588/live-beijing-railway-station-chinese-new-year-travel-rush-begins?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Feb 2019 02:45:45 +0000 On Tuesday, February 5, the Chinese calendar will usher in the Year of the Pig. For Chinese, the year in which one is born determines personality traits and luck in life. For luxury brands, the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival celebration, offers a chance to deliver capsule collections aimed at those celebrating the seasonal change and a possibility of bumping revenues in the weeks following the end-of-year holiday period. Porcine shapes and imagery are covering everything from elegant Swiss... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2184582/luxury-brands-pig-out-year-pig-images-hoping-it-will-bring-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2184582/luxury-brands-pig-out-year-pig-images-hoping-it-will-bring-home?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Feb 2019 02:08:38 +0000 ByteDance, the world’s most valuable start-up, slashed the amount of bonus it gave employees before the Lunar New Year, with founder Zhang Yiming becoming the latest of China’s technology industry leaders to warn of a challenging year ahead. It is customary for many companies to give some form of discretionary bonus to their employees in the form of “red packets” for the Lunar New Year, the most important holiday in China. While discretionary, many employees have nonetheless come to expect the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/start-ups/article/2184365/worlds-most-valuable-start-bytedance-slashes-lucky-money-year-pig?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/start-ups/article/2184365/worlds-most-valuable-start-bytedance-slashes-lucky-money-year-pig?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jan 2019 22:00:15 +0000 From butcher aprons to Spam cushions, vendors went the whole hog on Wednesday to attract festive shoppers as the Lunar New Year market at Victoria Park opened – the most popular of 15 such bazaars across the city. The Year of the Pig begins on Tuesday and stalls hammed up their decorations to fit the theme. A group of university students – who had been classmates in middle school – were dressed as butchers, with “bloody” aprons, to hawk stuffed pig toys, chopping boards and Spam cushions. One... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2184272/pig-themed-items-hog-limelight-hong-kongs-most-popular-lunar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2184272/pig-themed-items-hog-limelight-hong-kongs-most-popular-lunar?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jan 2019 07:14:05 +0000 Squeals and grunts are part of every metal band’s musical lexicon, and now one act from China is hogging the limelight with a novel approach. Meaty blast beats, muddy breakdowns and oinking vocals are elements that are not exactly unusual to grindcore – an extreme branch of the metal genre – but there’s a twist in the tail: this particular band is fronted by a pig. The name? Pig Cage. The man behind Pig Cage is a graphic designer and musician, known only as Maihem (which he pronounces... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/2184215/chinese-grindcore-band-pig-lead-singer-pig-cage-squeals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/2184215/chinese-grindcore-band-pig-lead-singer-pig-cage-squeals?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jan 2019 05:00:45 +0000 While Christmas and Lunar New Year embody the spirit of caring and giving, they more often than not serve as reminders of consumerism and overconsumption. Lane Crawford is hoping to change that this year with a two-pronged initiative to help the elderly while tackling the city’s waste problem. What Carrie Lam failed to tell her Davos audience about Hong Kong’s welfare system The luxury department store has collaborated with Hong Kong fashion designer Johanna Ho – co-founder of sustainable... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2184211/lane-crawford-upcycles-bags-year-pig-decorations-help-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2184211/lane-crawford-upcycles-bags-year-pig-decorations-help-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jan 2019 03:29:04 +0000 France is commemorating the Chinese year of the pig with two sets of stamps that officially went on sale on Monday. La Poste, the national postal service, has made 40,000 copies of a set known as “mountain”, which shows the animal walking on a mountain dressed in Chinese traditional clothing, and another 20,000 of a series called “lantern” which shows three pigs on a traditional red lantern. The sets of five stamps, priced at €4.40 (US$5) and €6.50 respectively, both have the words “year of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2183958/bonne-annee-du-cochon-france-marks-year-pig-special-set-stamps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2183958/bonne-annee-du-cochon-france-marks-year-pig-special-set-stamps?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jan 2019 10:42:18 +0000 If you’re hoping to bring home the bacon by investing in stocks during the Year of the Pig, you may want to proceed with caution, according to investment bank CLSA’s annual Feng Shui Index. But if property is more your thing, Hong Kong’s Central district may be in for a prosperous 12 months, if Chinese fortune-telling is anything to go by. The Lunar New Year kicks off on February 5, and stock market investors are not the only ones facing a bumpy ride. US President Donald Trump is also destined... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2183376/hoping-bring-home-bacon-year-pig-avoid-stock-market-then-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2183376/hoping-bring-home-bacon-year-pig-avoid-stock-market-then-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jan 2019 23:30:00 +0000 Lunar New Year is almost here! Huzzah! Who doesn’t love painfully packed airports and train stations, getting rinsed on the lai see and the awkward small talk with family members you barely know/dislike intensely? No? No one? Oh. Anyhow, getting on with business, Lunar New Year-themed watches, or, more accurately, Chinese zodiac watches, have become lucrative for luxury brands, even though Christmas/Easter/Eid/Hanukkah watches haven’t really taken off. Ever. Luxury watchmakers lure Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/fashion/article/2183247/three-year-pig-watches-chopard-jaquet-droz-vacheron?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/fashion/article/2183247/three-year-pig-watches-chopard-jaquet-droz-vacheron?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jan 2019 12:16:45 +0000 Dazzling circles of fireworks in the shape of a pig’s nose and the rings of Saturn will wow revellers as Hong Kong celebrates the arrival of the Lunar New Year next month. Some 23,888 pyrotechnic shells will light up the skyline from both banks of the city’s iconic Victoria Harbour to herald the start of the Year of the Pig. In total, 4.5 tonnes of fireworks will be fired into the night sky on February 6 – the second day of the Lunar New Year – from three barges anchored 350 metres off the Wan... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2183034/saturn-rings-and-pig-noses-light-hong-kong-harbour-hk10?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2183034/saturn-rings-and-pig-noses-light-hong-kong-harbour-hk10?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Jan 2019 11:31:55 +0000 A trailer for an upcoming film starring Peppa Pig, co-produced by a Chinese company, has taken the country’s social media by storm with its bittersweet story about family bonds. Telling the story of the British cartoon character from the perspective of an old Chinese man living in the remote mountains whose grandson in the city has asked for a present called “Peppa”, the five-minute clip has won the hearts of hundreds of millions of internet users in the country. Peppa Celebrates Chinese New... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2182777/peppa-pig-trailer-strikes-chord-chinese-ahead-lunar-new-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2182777/peppa-pig-trailer-strikes-chord-chinese-ahead-lunar-new-year?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Jan 2019 15:30:45 +0000 As goes January, so goes the year? If that’s the case, Chinese yuan strength in the early weeks of this year should mean a strong performance versus the US dollar in 2019 as a whole. But such has been the pace of this yuan rise, investors might be disinclined to chase the move from current levels. Such a cautionary approach might well be justified.  Indeed, some likely drivers of the yuan’s early January rise may prove short-lived. Investors who are already “on the trade” will be mindful of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2182080/will-year-pig-rein-chinese-yuan-bulls-seasonal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2182080/will-year-pig-rein-chinese-yuan-bulls-seasonal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jan 2019 04:00:45 +0000 China will mark the Year of the Pig with a film starring Peppa Pig, the much-loved British cartoon character that fell foul with Chinese censors last year. Peppa Celebrates Chinese New Year will hit Chinese screens on February 5, the first day of Chinese New Year and the first day of the Chinese zodiac’s Year of the Pig. The film is co-produced by Canadian media company Entertainment One (eOne) and Alibaba Pictures (part of the Alibaba Group, which owns the South China Morning Post). What does... https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2181679/peppa-pig-celebrate-chinese-new-year-special-film?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2181679/peppa-pig-celebrate-chinese-new-year-special-film?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Jan 2019 10:32:18 +0000 African swine fever has been reported in several pig farms in China recently and measures are being implemented to prevent its spread. While experts say the virus poses no threat to human beings, people are worried because many still recall the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) epidemic that terrified the world 15 years ago, when a mutated animal-borne virus jumped species and infected human beings. A mass cull of pigs would severely affect the Chinese, for whom pork is the meat of... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/2180351/african-swine-flu-threatens-chinas-long-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/2180351/african-swine-flu-threatens-chinas-long-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jan 2019 13:00:30 +0000 The release this week of the design for China’s new zodiac stamps – for the Year of Pig – has led to speculation from a demographics expert and the public that the government might soon relax its family planning policies. The China Post stamps have two designs, one featuring a hog running towards a better life, and the other showing a happy five-member pig family. Although the designs were made public on Monday, after the stamps went to the printer, they will not be on sale until January 5,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2158850/expert-wonders-if-new-stamps-suggest-further-relaxation-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2158850/expert-wonders-if-new-stamps-suggest-further-relaxation-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Aug 2018 12:30:15 +0000