https://www.scmp.com/rss/330702/feed From boy band Mirror to the city's indie scene, get the latest musical updates from Hong Kong right here. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak This is the 73rd instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. In the golden age of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry, Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing was a star so bright that he rewrote the rules of conservative Asian society. Affectionately nicknamed Gor Gor – Cantonese for “older brother” – the Cantopop legend’s talent spanned disciplines and extended far beyond the city’s borders. Even now, decades after his death in 2003, fans from around the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348009/how-leslie-cheung-broke-all-rules-become-hong-kongs-greatest-modern-superstar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348009/how-leslie-cheung-broke-all-rules-become-hong-kongs-greatest-modern-superstar?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 23:15:13 +0000 Divia Harilela Divia Harilela Douglas Young is the co-founder and creative force behind the iconic lifestyle brand Goods of Desire (G.O.D). Bringing humour and creativity, the brand offers home furnishings, fashion and premium gifts with a distinct Hong Kong identity. Who are your top local style icons? David Tang, Josephine Siao, Bruce Lee and Labubu. What has been the city’s best creative export in the last 20 years? Cathay Pacific. They consistently maintain high standards when it comes to design. They are patrons to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/icons-influencers/article/3346355/their-words-douglas-young-founder-hong-kong-lifestyle-brand-god?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/icons-influencers/article/3346355/their-words-douglas-young-founder-hong-kong-lifestyle-brand-god?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 11:00:09 +0000 Lauren James Lauren James Wit and warmth abounded in the Stella Cole Quartet’s run of four performances at Hong Kong’s Xiqu Centre. A baker’s dozen of jazz standards and classic film favourites delivered over an hour proved an ideal format – well paced and polished, without a moment of slack. Meanwhile, the retro stylings of the bijoux Tea House Theatre mirrored Cole’s profile as a performer: an old soul in youthful form. She sashayed into view in a midnight-blue satin gown, with cherry-red lips and white stiletto heels... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345715/stella-cole-quartet-delivers-delightful-set-jazz-and-film-classics-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345715/stella-cole-quartet-delivers-delightful-set-jazz-and-film-classics-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 07:15:08 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak In an era when algorithms dictate the type of media we consume online, some young people are “going offline” as part of a new movement encouraging more intentional interactions with the arts. Vinyl bars have been popping up around Hong Kong as a result, catering to analogue enthusiasts looking to enjoy music the way it used to be before CDs and streaming. “I think different generations have different interpretations of the trend of going back to vinyl music,” says Andrew Wong Tsz-san, who opened... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3345258/hong-kong-vinyl-bars-spread-analogue-music-culture-offering-glimpse-past?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3345258/hong-kong-vinyl-bars-spread-analogue-music-culture-offering-glimpse-past?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 03:15:08 +0000 Josiah Ng Josiah Ng It’s a packed International Women’s Day weekend as Bar Mind hosts the experimental unDer Lab from Taipei, Aubrey After Dark brings in DJ Q Narongwate to host its latest edition, and Jin Bo Law Skybar shows off its new Hong Kong-inspired signatures menu. Meanwhile, on Monday, Avoca and DrinkCollectiv spotlight eight women bartenders and influencers in a massive 16-hand guest shift. Friday, March 6 Aubrey After Dark Kick off your weekend with another edition of Aubrey After Dark as the Mandarin... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/100-top-tables/article/3345389/your-hong-kong-weekend-drinks-guide-march-6-9?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/100-top-tables/article/3345389/your-hong-kong-weekend-drinks-guide-march-6-9?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 10:00:16 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung This is the 71st instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Back in the first decade of his entertainment career, which began in the mid-1980s, Michael Tse Tin-wah was a face you recognised but a name you might have struggled to place. He was a backup dancer hitting his marks behind Cantopop icons; a fiercely loyal triad henchman swinging a machete in the Young and Dangerous films; a dependable character actor equipped with a sinister,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3344408/why-michael-tse-hong-kong-actor-behind-laughing-gor-lesson-resilience?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3344408/why-michael-tse-hong-kong-actor-behind-laughing-gor-lesson-resilience?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Lisa Cam Lisa Cam This is the 70th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. For many of her admirers, the defining image of Athena Chu Yan remains a single, fleeting moment from 1995. As the Zixia Fairy in the two-part film A Chinese Odyssey, she gazes at the Monkey King (Stephen Chow Sing-chi) and delivers a wink – playful, radiant and hopeful. That split second transformed Chu into not just an icon of Hong Kong cinema but also one of its most popular “sexy... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343404/how-hong-kong-actress-athena-chu-escaped-sex-symbol-trap-after-chinese-odyssey-fame?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343404/how-hong-kong-actress-athena-chu-escaped-sex-symbol-trap-after-chinese-odyssey-fame?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 09:15:09 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu This is the 69th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Between 2024 and 2025, Hins Cheung King-hin performed a record 31 shows across two concert series at The Londoner Arena in Macau. The feat not only broke his personal best but also set a new benchmark for the most concerts by an artist within a year in the city. That is just another piece of trivia about Cheung, who has emerged as both a cultural custodian and a bridge between the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3341539/how-hins-cheung-went-shenzhen-bar-singer-hong-kong-icon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3341539/how-hins-cheung-went-shenzhen-bar-singer-hong-kong-icon?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Gavin Yeung Gavin Yeung All good things must come to a coda. After 18 years of bringing the sort of chamber music that makes you sit up and pay attention, the Beare’s Premiere Music Festival is taking its final bow this week. It is a bittersweet affair, certainly, but if the programme is anything to go by, the event intends to go out with quite a bang. For the uninitiated, this festival – originally the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival – has long been the city’s answer to those intimate European... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3340947/beares-premiere-music-festival-2026-hosts-hong-kong-finale?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3340947/beares-premiere-music-festival-2026-hosts-hong-kong-finale?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 08:00:08 +0000 Annemarie Evans Annemarie Evans I GREW UP IN A theatrical family. My mother was also on the stage and had just begun to really make a name for herself when she married my father (Leslie Sarony). Then we saw a little bit of his true character because he said, “There’s only one star in this family,” and she was told she couldn’t work any more. We used to go to wherever my father was playing summer seasons. He was half of The Two Leslies, which was the partnership that he began in, I think, 1937. I grew up watching them on stage.... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3339357/meet-neville-sarony-hong-kong-barrister-who-also-writes-acts-and-sings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3339357/meet-neville-sarony-hong-kong-barrister-who-also-writes-acts-and-sings?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 07:00:12 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung This is the 68th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. With her signature forehead mole, infectious laughter and seemingly ageless, indomitable spirit, Nancy Sit Ka-yin has earned her title as the “elder sister” of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry. To the generations who grew up watching her, she is simply Ka-yin Je (Big Sister Ka-yin), or Ka-yin Mama, a symbol of warmth, resilience and unshakeable joy. Yet, to view her journey solely... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339831/how-nancy-sit-went-princess-cantonese-cinema-hong-kongs-beloved-tv-matriarch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339831/how-nancy-sit-went-princess-cantonese-cinema-hong-kongs-beloved-tv-matriarch?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Oscar Liu Oscar Liu Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actor Raymond Lam Fung has cancelled two coming concerts in Japan, adding to a growing list of high-profile entertainment disruptions amid escalating diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Tokyo. Japanese promoter Promax Inc said on Wednesday that Lam’s “Go With The Flow in Japan” tour – originally scheduled for January 31 and February 1 at the Tokyo Garden Theatre – had been postponed indefinitely. “After careful consideration and extensive discussions with all... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3339925/hong-kong-cantopop-singer-raymond-lam-cancels-2-concerts-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3339925/hong-kong-cantopop-singer-raymond-lam-cancels-2-concerts-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 16:23:19 +0000 Hsiuwen Liu Hsiuwen Liu Early last year, I started noticing friends posting Instagram stories from a roaming club night called Cantomania. Under dim, shifting lights, the DJ spun Cantopop classics such as Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing’s 1984 hit “Monica” alongside cartoon theme songs from Digimon Adventure and Hamtaro, even the Donki jingle, while the crowd shouted the choruses in unison. The man behind the deck was DJ Fabsabs, real name Pete Sabine, a Hong Kong-born gweilo whose sets have become a celebration of the city’s... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3339157/cantomania-dj-night-driving-hong-kongs-cantopop-comeback?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3339157/cantomania-dj-night-driving-hong-kongs-cantopop-comeback?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 02:00:14 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial New Year’s Eve was celebrated in Hong Kong in a variety of ways. But for fans of Mandopop superstar Zhou Shen, the best place to see in 2026 was his landmark concert at Kai Tak Stadium. Zhou is the first mainland singer to perform in a solo concert at the flagship venue, which opened last March and hosted more than 40 events last year. The star’s two concerts on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day contributed to the surge in mainland visitors to Hong Kong, with thousands coming to see him perform.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3338867/zhou-shen-concerts-showcase-hong-kong-mainland-cultural-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3338867/zhou-shen-concerts-showcase-hong-kong-mainland-cultural-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jan 2026 22:45:08 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak This is the 67th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. From growing up impoverished in a village in Huizhou, in east-central Guangdong province, to sending his son to an elite international school in Shanghai, the life of actor and singer Jordan Chan Siu-chun has been a roller coaster defined by extreme reinvention. Today, at 58, he has crafted a new image as a stellar husband and father, living in mainland China with a wife 16 years his... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3338135/how-actor-singer-jordan-chan-went-hong-kong-bad-boy-patriotic-family-man-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3338135/how-actor-singer-jordan-chan-went-hong-kong-bad-boy-patriotic-family-man-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Josiah Ng Josiah Ng It’s been a long and eventful 2025 – and whether you’re ready to welcome 2026 with open arms, or just welcome an excuse to let your hair down, we’ve rounded up a selection of some of Hong Kong’s best nightlife venues for ringing in the New Year. The Aubrey: After Dark New Year’s Eve Countdown Party The Mandarin Oriental’s upscale cocktail and izakaya concept brings us a special edition of its Aubrey After Dark parties this December 31. Curated by prominent local nightlife figures Marina... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/100-top-tables/article/3337622/where-ring-2026-hong-kong-mandarin-oriental-and-kimpton-jazz-zuma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/100-top-tables/article/3337622/where-ring-2026-hong-kong-mandarin-oriental-and-kimpton-jazz-zuma?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 07:15:07 +0000 Salomé Grouard Salomé Grouard It began as an embrace of seasonal sadness, a song giving voice to a Christmas heartbreak. But for award-winning producer Terry Chan Ming-do, the enduring popularity of “Lonely Christmas”, the song he produced and arranged for Eason Chan Yick-shun 23 years ago, remains a delightful mystery. “To us, at the time, it was a very tongue-in-cheek song,” says Chan. “We didn’t expect it to come up every single Christmas after that.” “Lonely Christmas” isn’t your traditional festive song; it’s an anthem... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3337468/songs-sleigh-how-cantopop-created-hong-kongs-own-christmas-soundtrack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3337468/songs-sleigh-how-cantopop-created-hong-kongs-own-christmas-soundtrack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Dec 2025 05:15:08 +0000 Lisa Cam Lisa Cam This is the 66th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Few narratives in Hong Kong entertainment are as compelling as that of former erotic film icon Veronica Yip Yuk-hing. Her arc – from beauty pageant contestant to soft-core sensation, mainstream pop singer, respected actress and finally the wife of a tycoon – is more than just a chronicle of survival. It is the story of a trailblazing career strategist who carved out a place for... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3336732/how-1990s-hong-kong-sex-symbol-veronica-yip-turned-soft-core-infamy-mainstream-fame?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3336732/how-1990s-hong-kong-sex-symbol-veronica-yip-turned-soft-core-infamy-mainstream-fame?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 23:15:07 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung Coinciding with the recent release of Wicked: For Good, a Hong Kong creative team has also brought Oz to life – in Cantonese. “Wicked in Canto”, a series of videos featuring songs from the global musical phenomenon performed in the city’s mother tongue, is making waves on YouTube and Instagram, with tracks dropping weekly. The project champions Hong Kong talent while highlighting the potential of international musical theatre productions performed in Cantonese. Officially leading the project’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3335174/wicked-songs-cantonese-new-online-series-champions-hong-kong-talent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3335174/wicked-songs-cantonese-new-online-series-champions-hong-kong-talent?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Dec 2025 07:15:09 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu This is the 65th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. For over half a century, Alan Tam Wing-lun has stood as a colossus in Hong Kong show business. To his legions of fans, he is Principal Tam – a moniker that denotes a kind of institutional authority over the city’s music industry. As lead vocalist of The Wynners, he defined the sound of a generation; as a solo singer, he set records that remain impressive; and as a mentor, he has... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3335141/hong-kong-music-icon-alan-tam-leslie-cheungs-rival-fans-smashing-his-albums?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3335141/hong-kong-music-icon-alan-tam-leslie-cheungs-rival-fans-smashing-his-albums?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 23:15:09 +0000 Karen Cheung Karen Cheung Clockenflap is around the corner, and I’m ready to scream “sweet love illumination” as Franz Ferdinand take the festival stage again. The surprise addition of My Bloody Valentine to the line-up finally gave some on-the-fence indie fans the push they needed. And while Singaporean hyperpop star Yeule dropped out for health reasons, I’m looking forward to finding out if Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst is still capable of making me cry. Below are acts to check out at the annual music gathering, plus a... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3334513/clockenflap-2025-franz-ferdinand-my-bloody-valentine-beth-gibbons-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3334513/clockenflap-2025-franz-ferdinand-my-bloody-valentine-beth-gibbons-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 22:00:30 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak Universal fears are the major recurring theme in Scottish art rock band Franz Ferdinand’s 2025 album The Human Fear. But there is nothing fearful about the group’s musical approach as the members get deeply personal and bravely vulnerable. “‘Hooked’ starts off with the line, ‘I got the fear, got the human fear, that’s all right’,” says Alex Kapranos, the band’s lead vocalist, lead guitarist and primary songwriter, of the track that was inspired by his own experience with parenthood in 2023. “The... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334158/why-franz-ferdinands-alex-kapranos-loves-hong-kong-gigs-plus-insight-latest-album?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334158/why-franz-ferdinands-alex-kapranos-loves-hong-kong-gigs-plus-insight-latest-album?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 09:15:08 +0000 Salomé Grouard Salomé Grouard For Maria Nemy Lou Rocio, a Filipino domestic helper who has been journaling since the age of six, writing has always been her refuge. “From best to worst, writing truly carried me through life,” she says. “It helped me process being abused by my adoptive family, excitedly document my first crushes, face suicidal despair when I wrote my ‘last letter’ …” In 2017, when she moved to Hong Kong, a city that often reduces Rocio and her peers to their jobs as domestic helpers, she decided to channel... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3332817/how-hong-kongs-zine-making-movement-helping-people-heal-and-be-heard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3332817/how-hong-kongs-zine-making-movement-helping-people-heal-and-be-heard?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 02:00:16 +0000 Christopher Halls Christopher Halls It has been a long time between drinks, as they say in America. Veteran jazz songstress Dianne Reeves last sang in Hong Kong 20 years ago, and the five-time Grammy winner made no bones about it when she sang the opening number “What’s New?” at Hong Kong’s Xiqu Centre on November 10, weaving in the line “It’s been a while, Hong Kong!” to the delight of the audience. Reeves’ return to the city was a much-anticipated highlight of the WestK Performing Arts season, and while little has changed in her... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3332778/grammy-winning-jazz-singer-dianne-reeves-returns-triumphant-hong-kong-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3332778/grammy-winning-jazz-singer-dianne-reeves-returns-triumphant-hong-kong-show?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 10:00:21 +0000 Gavin Yeung Gavin Yeung Hong Kong’s sheer density means that the traditional music festival experience, where fans camp overnight near the performance stages, is nigh on impossible to find. The CT Music Fest is betting on an antidote. For its third edition, the event – organised entirely by local Hong Kong musicians – is swapping its previous venues (a 300-person Star Ferry and a giant Central club) for something radically different: a three-day, two-night camp-out. Running from November 21 to 23, the festival is... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3332776/hong-kongs-ct-music-fest-goes-camping-cheung-chau?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3332776/hong-kongs-ct-music-fest-goes-camping-cheung-chau?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 09:00:12 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak Mixing Cantopop into DJ sets comes naturally to Hong Kong drummer Stephane Wong. Going by the moniker Steffunn when spinning disco tunes, the 40-something learned to play the drums at age eight and has been DJing for two decades. But that instinct comes mostly from Wong playing the drums for many 2000s Cantopop hits – on stage and in the studio – and working with industry behemoths like Joey Yung Cho-yee, Grasshopper and Eason Chan Yick-shun. “Cantopop from that era seems to be more... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3332572/how-cantopop-drummer-helping-revive-hong-kong-music-his-nostalgic-dj-sets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3332572/how-cantopop-drummer-helping-revive-hong-kong-music-his-nostalgic-dj-sets?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 04:15:10 +0000 Gavin Yeung Gavin Yeung Tides Concertgoers rejoice: Tides, Hong Kong’s first purpose-built mid-sized music venue, is now open. Operated by Live Nation, the 1,500-person venue inside Whampoa’s famed ship-shaped shopping centre was designed to fill a gap for plug-and-play facilities and is packed to the gills with built-in 360-degree sound, lighting and stage technology. With a handful of shows already under its belt, the next act to take to the stage is multi-platinum streaming sensation bbno$, on November 13. Tickets... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3331930/hong-kong-new-openings-music-venue-tides-west-kowloon-pet-park?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3331930/hong-kong-new-openings-music-venue-tides-west-kowloon-pet-park?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 01:00:10 +0000 Karen Cheung Karen Cheung I WAS BORN in 1974, and grew up in Kwun Tong. I attended Sam Yuk Middle School (now Hong Kong Adventist College), a coed boarding school in Clear Water Bay. My father is an alumnus. It’s a Christian school in a red brick building, and the meals were vegetarian. Sometimes, after lights out at 10pm, my classmates and I would leave our beds and snack on cans of twice-cooked pork. WHEN I WAS 12, I was listening to The Checkers, so I would wear checked shirts I had bought from the Ladies’ Market. I... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3331128/experimental-hong-kong-musician-nerve-his-fearless-approach-sound?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3331128/experimental-hong-kong-musician-nerve-his-fearless-approach-sound?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 02:00:11 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak This is the 63rd instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. For over a decade, Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong Chau-sang has navigated a career defined by conflict: he is blacklisted by some in his home city and in mainland China for his support of the “umbrella movement” protests in 2014. While many of his peers have faded or pandered to new political realities, Wong has persisted. Despite rumours he had moved to Taiwan – which he denied in a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3331616/chaotic-life-anthony-wong-three-time-hong-kong-best-actor-shut-out-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3331616/chaotic-life-anthony-wong-three-time-hong-kong-best-actor-shut-out-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 23:15:08 +0000 Gavin Yeung Gavin Yeung Don’t miss Maggie Choo’s This upscale Central bar is rolling out a fresh cabaret show celebrating multifaceted female identity, with a new international ensemble skilled in acrobatics, jazz and ballet routines themed around “What Maggie Wants”. Expect hi-tech aerial displays, tap numbers and Asian-inspired acts, all set to in-house DJ sets. The updated experience includes interactive audience elements and a new menu of show-inspired cocktails. G/F, Chinachem Hollywood Centre, 1-13 Hollywood... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3331007/best-things-do-hong-kong-november-2-8?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3331007/best-things-do-hong-kong-november-2-8?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 22:15:08 +0000 Kylie Knott Kylie Knott When Lamma Fun Day (LFD) was first held in 2000, it was a small affair: no stages, just a few buskers singing next to a handful of stalls selling food and crafts. One stall offered massages. David Wilkinson, the festival’s music coordinator for the past decade, recalls a couple of guys on guitars using a pay-to-hear tactic to tease money from the audience. “Basically, you had to drop money into a box and request a cover song,” Wilkinson says. “If they knew the song, they would play a few bars... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3330548/story-lamma-fun-day-hong-kongs-longest-running-free-music-festival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3330548/story-lamma-fun-day-hong-kongs-longest-running-free-music-festival?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2025 04:15:08 +0000 Lisa Cam Lisa Cam This is the 62nd instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. On October 8, news broke that the Cantopop star Shirley Kwan Suk-yee had been hospitalised in intensive care in Hong Kong following emergency cardiac surgery, and her adult son reportedly flew back from America to be by her side. The sudden health crisis has stirred immense concern, placing the fiercely private singer at the centre of public attention. It is the latest chapter in a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3329926/how-shirley-kwan-cantopops-complex-queen-cool-star-no-other?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3329926/how-shirley-kwan-cantopops-complex-queen-cool-star-no-other?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 23:15:07 +0000 Lisa Cam Lisa Cam A new documentary film about Wong Ka-kui, the legendary frontman of Hong Kong’s most influential rock band, Beyond, has arrived – but few people in the general public are even aware of its existence. Because of You – Ka Kui is packed with never-before-seen footage and intimate revelations from those who knew Wong. Yet, it is also a flawed and incomplete portrait, conspicuously missing the voices of his own brother and bandmate. The film, one cannot help but feel, is not just a story about a rock... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3329787/why-new-documentary-beyonds-wong-ka-kui-only-tells-part-story?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3329787/why-new-documentary-beyonds-wong-ka-kui-only-tells-part-story?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 09:15:09 +0000 Sumnima Kandangwa Sumnima Kandangwa Siu Siu From the team behind Censu and Golden Gip, this contemporary izakaya fuses fiery teppan grilling with playful twists on Japanese favourites. Expect bold, umami-rich flavours in stand-out dishes such as drunken prawns in Shaoxing wine and the Censu cheeseburger. A thoughtfully curated sake selection provides the perfect pairing for any dish. G/F, The Strand, 49 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan Tempura Nagaoka Well-established in Fukuoka’s culinary scene, this izakaya makes its Hong Kong debut... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/food-drink/article/3329356/new-openings-hong-kong-fukuoka-street-food-bakehouse-peak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/food-drink/article/3329356/new-openings-hong-kong-fukuoka-street-food-bakehouse-peak?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Oct 2025 04:45:08 +0000 Dave Besseling Dave Besseling “Enormous work pressure and his moody nature were blamed for singer Danny Chan Pak-keung being admitted to Queen Mary Hospital’s intensive care unit yesterday […] His aunt said the 33-year-old singer/composer had been very busy lately,” reported the South China Morning Post on May 20, 1992. “Chan fainted on Monday night in his home on MacDonnell Road, Mid-Levels, and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. His agent, Ms Katie Chan, said yesterday he was merely ‘drunk’ and had subsequently... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3329243/when-cantopop-star-danny-chan-collapsed-and-went-coma-1992-then-died-year-later?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3329243/when-cantopop-star-danny-chan-collapsed-and-went-coma-1992-then-died-year-later?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:15:08 +0000 Ambrose Li Ambrose Li Hong Kong’s newest concert venue, which opened on Tuesday, is 70 per cent booked until the end of the year, with the operator saying the 1,500-standing capacity space fills a demand gap for facilities of such a size in the city. Operator Live Nation added that concert venue Tides, located in the ship-shaped shopping centre The Whampoa in Hung Hom, had yet to receive noise complaints following its soft opening. “The venue is at least 70 to 80 per cent booked up now. Very pleased with the booking... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3329021/hong-kongs-new-concert-venue-garners-70-bookings-until-year-end-upon-opening?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3329021/hong-kongs-new-concert-venue-garners-70-bookings-until-year-end-upon-opening?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 14:23:22 +0000 Annemarie Evans Annemarie Evans I WAS BORN IN Hong Kong in 1962. My dad was Filipino, my mum Chinese and, if I’m not mistaken, they were introduced by the wife of (legendary Cantopop composer) Joseph Koo. That would have been about late 1960. My father was Bading Tuason, music director of the Hongkong Hilton. My father’s side was very musical. A couple of my uncles also played instruments. They played in the Philippines but would earn only a small amount of money. So, they had to go abroad, to Japan and the United States... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3327320/andrew-tuason-his-hong-kong-music-career-alongside-cantopops-biggest-stars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3327320/andrew-tuason-his-hong-kong-music-career-alongside-cantopops-biggest-stars?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Sep 2025 05:15:07 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak Baroque Europe and modern-day Hong Kong are contextually and geographically worlds apart. Still, Hongkonger Karen Yeung has been promoting early Western music in the city with her biannual music festival since 2019. As a seasoned bassoonist who plays the Renaissance dulcian – a precursor to the bassoon – and the Baroque version of the woodwind instrument, Yeung is a rarity in Hong Kong, where concert organisers are nervous about the appeal of unusual musical programmes. “You can say it’s niche,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3327192/hong-kong-early-music-festival-celebrates-grand-sounds-baroque?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3327192/hong-kong-early-music-festival-celebrates-grand-sounds-baroque?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2025 23:15:08 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu This is the 60th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. To generations of Hongkongers, she is Fei Ma, or “Fat Mama” – a beloved singer, actress and television chef whose booming voice and hearty recipes feel like a warm embrace. But in the past decade or so, Maria Cordero has adopted a new, more polarising role through her political expressions, which have complicated her legacy. At 71, she is a study in contradictions: a Macau-born... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3326763/how-hong-kongs-fat-mama-maria-cordero-went-cantopop-cooking-controversy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3326763/how-hong-kongs-fat-mama-maria-cordero-went-cantopop-cooking-controversy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Sep 2025 23:15:08 +0000 Aaina Bhargava Aaina Bhargava What does James Acey miss most about the way we used to listen? Liner notes. “I feel it adds more context,” he says of the artist thank yous and notes once found inside CD or vinyl sleeves. “I know not everyone is an album person, but if you can in some way connect the digital listening experience to the analogue listening experience, that could engage audiences in more meaningful ways.” For Acey, listening has never just been about sound. It’s about context, too. Social, historical, cultural:... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3326499/eaton-hks-music-director-james-acey-nurturing-talent-and-community-hong-kongs-music-scene?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3326499/eaton-hks-music-director-james-acey-nurturing-talent-and-community-hong-kongs-music-scene?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 07:15:09 +0000 Lisa Cam Lisa Cam The three members of Beat Friday do not look like your typical DJs when they take to the decks. Dressed in suits and ties, or even braces and gold-rimmed glasses, the group have curated their image to remind party-goers of the golden age of Cantopop. From the 1980s to the 2000s, the music genre was one of the most unifying cultural forces in Asia, and Hong Kong was an entertainment powerhouse that dominated cinema and music in the region. Fast forward to the present day, and Asia and the world... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3326377/hong-kong-cantopop-djs-rekindling-citys-love-genre-one-party-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3326377/hong-kong-cantopop-djs-rekindling-citys-love-genre-one-party-time?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 09:20:11 +0000 Lo Hoi-ying Lo Hoi-ying Walking around the streets of Hong Kong, you might notice a man curiously holding out his phone and pointing it towards the sky in the middle of the crowd. To Laurie Lau Kwok-hong, the incessant ticking of traffic lights, the jingles in MTR stations and even the “tsks” of annoyed commuters all have endless potential to be transformed into notes that form the harmony of the city’s soundscape. Indeed, what others consider noise pollution in a densely populated city such as Hong Kong is often music... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3326232/meet-musician-who-turns-hong-kongs-noise-pollution-urban-symphonies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3326232/meet-musician-who-turns-hong-kongs-noise-pollution-urban-symphonies?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Sep 2025 04:26:17 +0000 Lisa Cam Lisa Cam This is the 59th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. William So Wing-hong occupies a unique space in the pantheon of Cantopop. He is not an idol defined by meteoric fame from the music scene’s golden era, but a respected veteran whose career is a compelling narrative of resilience. While the hitmaker has earned awards, starred in hit television series and continues to sell out concerts, his story is less about untouchable stardom and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3325143/how-ugly-hong-kong-star-william-so-overcame-drug-scandal-and-returned-top?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3325143/how-ugly-hong-kong-star-william-so-overcame-drug-scandal-and-returned-top?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Sep 2025 23:15:08 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The demand-supply imbalance in tickets for concerts and other popular shows often breeds scalping activities. It also sets the stage for scammers taking advantage of desperate fans scrambling for tickets at inflated prices. The Hong Kong authorities must strengthen the law and enforcement as the newly commissioned stadium in Kai Tak and other venues draw more mega-events to the city. In the latest crackdown, the Hong Kong and Shenzhen police smashed a cross-border syndicate and arrested 12... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3321806/hong-kong-hosts-more-mega-events-tougher-crackdown-scalping-needed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3321806/hong-kong-hosts-more-mega-events-tougher-crackdown-scalping-needed?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Aug 2025 22:45:08 +0000 Lisa Cam Lisa Cam This is the 56th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. In the dazzling, neon-drenched heyday of 1980s and ’90s Hong Kong, when Cantopop music reigned supreme across the region and the city’s cinema captivated the world, a voice of unparalleled grace emerged: Sally Yeh Chian-wen. With her silky smooth vibrato, effortless charm and unusual bilingual appeal, Yeh transcended pop stardom to become a cultural icon. From her early days as a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3320269/when-hong-kong-singer-actress-sally-yeh-dominated-citys-music-and-cinema-scenes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3320269/when-hong-kong-singer-actress-sally-yeh-dominated-citys-music-and-cinema-scenes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jul 2025 23:15:08 +0000 Nancy Wang Nancy Wang Renowned Hong Kong lyricist Peter Lai Bei-dak is trending on Chinese social media platform Weibo after he disclosed that he helped his 37-year-old son – with whom he has a strained relationship – pay off credit card debt worth hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars. Many comments shared on Weibo expressed empathy for the 75-year-old single father, with many users lamenting his situation. Lai also shared with local media platform HK01 that he is currently looking for a soulmate, which sparked... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3319493/who-peter-lai-renowned-hong-kong-lyricist-trending-chinese-social-media?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3319493/who-peter-lai-renowned-hong-kong-lyricist-trending-chinese-social-media?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Jul 2025 00:15:08 +0000 Mabel Lui Mabel Lui This is the 55th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. An enduring name in Hong Kong’s entertainment industry, Adam Cheng Siu-chau has been a prominent actor and singer for the past five decades. Beginning his career in the 1960s, he went on to make a name for himself as a suave leading man, particularly in wuxia period dramas. Among his most popular television shows are The Legend of the Book and the Sword (1976), The Heaven Sword and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3318715/how-hong-kong-star-adam-cheng-went-tv-heartthrob-stock-market-jinx?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3318715/how-hong-kong-star-adam-cheng-went-tv-heartthrob-stock-market-jinx?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Jul 2025 09:17:23 +0000 Ambrose Li Ambrose Li Hot-air balloons in the shapes of animals such as a panda, dinosaur and rabbit will fly against the Hong Kong skyline as part of a coming four-day megafestival in September, along with nightly concerts starring Cantopop singers such as Joey Yung Cho-yee and Leo Ku Kui-kei. The organiser said on Monday that it expected the AIA International Hot Air Balloon Fest Hong Kong to draw 80,000 international visitors and residents alike between September 4 and 7, which could boost tourism and local... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3317263/hong-kong-festival-feature-animal-shaped-hot-air-balloons-cantopop-concerts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3317263/hong-kong-festival-feature-animal-shaped-hot-air-balloons-cantopop-concerts?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jul 2025 11:21:04 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak This is the 54th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Karen Mok Man-wai is one of Hong Kong’s more internationally acclaimed stars. However, it is in the nearby Mandarin-speaking places that she has enjoyed greater success. Despite growing up in a city where the majority speak Cantonese, she has released 13 Mandarin albums – the most of any woman singer who debuted in Hong Kong – and has spent the better part of the past decade touring... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3316737/how-hong-kong-singer-actress-karen-mok-went-stephen-chows-co-star-mandopop-queen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3316737/how-hong-kong-singer-actress-karen-mok-went-stephen-chows-co-star-mandopop-queen?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 23:15:10 +0000 Maggie Yeung Maggie Yeung Do this Next Wave Beach Festival Looking to cool off this summer? The Next Wave Beach Festival is returning to Discovery Bay’s Tai Pak Beach on July 5 and 6. K-pop girl group Itzy and rising Korean talent Chung Ha lead the roster, while local singer Joey Hung Ka-ho is expected to deliver a set of crowd-pleasers. Attendees can get up close to the main stage or lounge about on a floating jetty in the sea to soak it all in. Tai Pak Beach, Discovery Bay; klook.com See this Vox Luminis Founded in... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3316089/your-perfect-week-what-do-hong-kong-june-29-july-5?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3316089/your-perfect-week-what-do-hong-kong-june-29-july-5?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jun 2025 22:15:08 +0000