https://www.scmp.com/rss/501918/feed Albert Han was a Graduate Trainee for the Post. He joined in 2019 after receiving his master's degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Previously, he worked as a freelance journalist in Barcelona, Spain, covering the Catalan independence movement in 2017. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com If you’re interested in getting an iPad for HK$1 (13 US cents), look no further than East Point City shopping centre in Hong Kong’s Tseung Kwan O district. The catch? Shoppers must have spent HK$50,000 at any of the mall’s stores to get the offer, which is valid until Wednesday. Many of Hong Kong’s mall operators are offering eye-catching promotions of up to 90 per cent off, in their latest bid to aid tenants by drumming up sales amid a worsening economic outlook. “Retailers are facing a... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3087144/ipad-13-us-cents-hong-kong-mall-operators-pull-all-stops-attract?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3087144/ipad-13-us-cents-hong-kong-mall-operators-pull-all-stops-attract?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2020 23:15:08 +0000 Hong Kong’s residents emigrated in large numbers before the former British colony’s return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. They are hitting the inquiry lines again after the Chinese government announced plans for a national security law that some fear will be used to stifle dissent. Immigration consultants said they have fielded hundreds of new calls after details of the law, which will target a range of activities deemed to threaten national security, including subversion and secession, were... https://www.scmp.com/politics/hong-kong-residents-look-way-out-after-beijing-announces-security-law/article/3086965?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/hong-kong-residents-look-way-out-after-beijing-announces-security-law/article/3086965?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2020 10:54:48 +0000 Hong Kong’s residents, who emigrated en masse before the city’s return to China’s sovereignty in 1997, are hitting the inquiry lines again, amid concerns that the Chinese government’s planned national security law would curtail what’s left of their political freedom. Immigration consultants have fielded hundreds of new calls since China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) unveiled the controversial plan on May 21, bypassing the local legislature. Some are accelerating their decision to buy... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3086842/never-seen-some-hong-kong-residents-hit-panic-button-security-law-revives?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3086842/never-seen-some-hong-kong-residents-hit-panic-button-security-law-revives?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2020 00:15:08 +0000 Neon signs, clothing racks fashioned out of ladders, hand-painted murals: welcome to 1ofaKind, Hong Kong’s new second-hand clothing shop, which is on a mission to help the city’s street sleepers. “The world can be a depressing place these days,” says Jeff Rotmeyer, the Canadian founder and chief executive of ImpactHK, the non-governmental organisation that launched the shop this month. “It’s our goal to create some hope for the future.” Located in Jordan, 1ofaKind not only employs homeless... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3085397/hong-kong-homeless-charity-impacthk-opens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3085397/hong-kong-homeless-charity-impacthk-opens?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2020 07:00:08 +0000 Frontline health workers and regular people alike owe one of their key safety items to Taiwanese-American scientist Peter Tsai and his team. Three decades ago they invented the N95 mask, which uses fabric to block at least 95 per cent of submicron particles such as viruses. As the coronavirus pandemic grips the world, research institutions and companies in the personal protective equipment (PPE) industry have found renewed interest in Tsai’s work, and he has become a go-to expert. “I’m bombarded... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3084545/taiwanese-american-n95-mask-inventor-puts-retirement-hold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3084545/taiwanese-american-n95-mask-inventor-puts-retirement-hold?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 May 2020 11:00:08 +0000 Hongkongers are turning less bearish about the city’s residential market after two major calamities in the past year made prices cheap enough to excite some buyers, according to a survey by Citigroup. On balance, the conclusion was it might be better to wait a little longer. About 10 per cent of respondents considered the market conditions an excellent time to purchase a home, the US bank said on Monday. That is the highest level in nine years, and double the level recorded in a similar survey... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3084912/hongkongers-less-bearish-property-market-decline-home-prices?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3084912/hongkongers-less-bearish-property-market-decline-home-prices?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 May 2020 10:56:10 +0000 Behind a line-up of bottles flanked by glasses, Hong Kong-based sommeliers Alexandria Rae Cubbage and Florian Rossignol taste wines, answer questions and toast the only people in the room: each other. At the Fine Wine Experience, in Sai Ying Pun, social distancing has not dented the public’s appetite for good wine. The shop is offering online tasting events through Facebook, staying true to its mission – what co-founder and managing director Linden Wilkie calls the “experience of wine”. “I think... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3084420/fine-wine-experience-offers-online-tastings-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3084420/fine-wine-experience-offers-online-tastings-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 May 2020 08:30:16 +0000 A dozen eggs or a carton of milk usually are not on the menu, but if you ask restaurateur TM Chan, she’ll gladly slip those items in with your food delivery order. The New Zealand native, who oversees three restaurants and a bar in Hong Kong’s Sai Ying Pun district, says it’s something extra she can do to help her regular customers, with many in quarantine or practising social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. “For us to add anything extra is neither here nor there,” says Chan, 48, who... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3081657/coronavirus-advice-moral-support-and-practical-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3081657/coronavirus-advice-moral-support-and-practical-help?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2020 04:36:00 +0000 The World Health Organisation (WHO) may have only recently acknowledged the effectiveness of face masks in helping to slow the coronavirus spread, but they have been sought-after items in Hong Kong and other Asian cities for some time. Hongkongers have been scrambling for masks since January, facing shortages and high prices, but the supplies have gradually increased, especially as local producers have stepped up to meet the demand. Hong Kong’s Consumer Council received 477 complaints in the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3078910/handy-guide-buying-face-masks-hong-kong-which-type-how?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3078910/handy-guide-buying-face-masks-hong-kong-which-type-how?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2020 08:30:06 +0000 The sound of streams and ocean waves washed over them as participants, mostly middle-aged and older, closed their eyes, some with plants or rocks nearby. For Amanda Yik, this forest therapy session differed significantly from the ones she’s hosted outside in nature over the past three years. She was sitting in front of her computer at home, watching the attendees on her screen. The founder of Shinrin Yoku Hong Kong, a Japanese-inspired practice of meditation through nature walks, said she wanted... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3077902/how-coronavirus-pandemic-brings-out-acts-kindness-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3077902/how-coronavirus-pandemic-brings-out-acts-kindness-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2020 02:45:16 +0000 When it comes to salsa dancing, social distancing is not an option. That’s why Javed Rasool, a Latin dance teacher in Hong Kong, has lately asked his students to wear surgical masks during classes. The virus-fighting measures don’t stop there: plenty of hand sanitiser is available at his Sheung Wan studio, Dance With Style. These days, Rasool says, he is doing everything he can to get people to come out for his weekly salsa and bachata lessons. “Life had been comfortable until the protests and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3076681/coronavirus-pandemic-dance-instructors-take-steps-survive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3076681/coronavirus-pandemic-dance-instructors-take-steps-survive?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2020 10:30:13 +0000 Hong Kong’s customs officials arrested four pharmacy directors on Saturday afternoon for selling masks that exceeded the limit of bacterial count by up to about 12 times. The directors – three men and one woman aged 28 to 40 – were arrested from from Lockhart Road, Tin Lok Lane, and Spring Garden Lane in Wan Chai and Causeway Bay. The Customs Department said the four brands of 50-pack boxes of masks were found to have bacterial count exceeding the maximum permitted limit by 0.4 to 11.5 times... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3075225/hong-kong-customs-officials-arrest-four-persons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3075225/hong-kong-customs-officials-arrest-four-persons?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2020 10:57:43 +0000 Hong Kong police handled nearly 190 explosives cases in 2019 – 60 per cent more than the year before – amid what they called an “almost unprecedented” bombing campaign. The city’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau revealed the latest figures on Friday while showing just how much damage some of the explosives they have seized can cause. “We’ve been dealing over the last few months with an ongoing bombing campaign [that is] almost unprecedented in Hong Kong,” senior bomb disposal officer Alick... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3075172/year-living-dangerously-hong-kong-bombing-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3075172/year-living-dangerously-hong-kong-bombing-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2020 23:00:18 +0000 Errant motorists beware. Hong Kong’s traffic wardens are coming after you with printed parking tickets from next week to improve accuracy, police say. About 60 traffic wardens, equipped with official mobile phones and portable printers, will begin issuing printed fixed penalty notices from Monday in three districts – Wan Chai, Sham Shui Po and Tseung Kwan O – under an “e-ticketing pilot scheme”. Police said the HK$8 million scheme would replace handwritten tickets, which were prone to mistakes... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3074975/hong-kongs-traffic-wardens-given-smartphones-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3074975/hong-kongs-traffic-wardens-given-smartphones-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2020 13:46:29 +0000 Thai health authorities on Friday said arrivals from Hong Kong and five other jurisdictions would have to issue daily reports on their physical condition when in the country, while insisting they were not imposing mandatory quarantine amid widespread confusion over the anti-contagion measures. Dr Thanarak Palipat, deputy director general of Thailand’s Disease Control Department, said those arrivals would be required from the “next one or two days” to keep local officials informed of their health... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3073980/coronavirus-thailand-imposes-reporting-requirement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3073980/coronavirus-thailand-imposes-reporting-requirement?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2020 09:36:34 +0000 Hong Kong is feeling the impact of countries with close business and tourism ties to the city imposing restrictions on arrivals because of concerns over the spread of the coronavirus epidemic. The daily supply of Japanese seafood and fruit, highly popular and typically flown to the city in the cargo hold of passenger jets, is under threat because of fewer flights expected as a result of new immigration controls unveiled by the country on Thursday night. There was also confusion and alarm among... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3073933/coronavirus-hong-kongs-japanese-seafood-fruit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3073933/coronavirus-hong-kongs-japanese-seafood-fruit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2020 07:40:00 +0000 For nearly three weeks, Hongkongers living on Chung Ying Street – a road where the boundaries between the city and mainland China blur – have been able to travel to Shenzhen and back without fear of quarantine, half a dozen local residents have told the Post. The open checkpoint, accessible only to those living in the special section of the city’s Frontier Closed Area, has prompted a debate over a government quarantine exemption granted to Hong Kong residents living on the mainland side of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3064720/coronavirus-historic-hong-kong-border-checkpoint?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3064720/coronavirus-historic-hong-kong-border-checkpoint?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2020 04:37:54 +0000 A Hong Kong university is using new technology to spearhead efforts to send thousands of medical face shields to the city’s hospital workers as they battle to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Polytechnic University’s 3D printing lab designed and helped produce the transparent coverings, which doctors and nurses can wear to protect themselves against bodily fluids, which could carry infection, lab leaders said on Monday. Working with local manufacturers, it will deliver 10,000 face shields to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3052135/polytechnic-university-lab-3d-printing-face?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3052135/polytechnic-university-lab-3d-printing-face?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Feb 2020 23:00:08 +0000 Doctors in Hong Kong have issued an emergency appeal for a lung donation to save the life of a 24-year-old woman with a rare medical condition. Ng Lok-ching’s lungs and heart have stopped working and she has been on life support at Queen Mary Hospital since last Saturday. In an emotional plea for help, her mother said she was fighting for survival and did not want to die. Life-saving double lung transplant gives woman a second chance Ng was diagnosed with pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD),... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3051836/hong-kong-doctors-issue-lung-donation-appeal-save?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3051836/hong-kong-doctors-issue-lung-donation-appeal-save?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Feb 2020 11:19:02 +0000 Hong Kong Airlines employees made redundant this week are demanding transparency and fair severance packages in the wake of the troubled airline’s decision to dismiss more than 160 people in a cost-cutting move. Nearly 80 airline staff members attended closed-door sessions with company representatives on Thursday to get details of the lay-offs and their expected payouts. The company, which earlier this month said it planned to eliminate 400 jobs, notified employees on Wednesday that they would... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3051603/hong-kong-airlines-employees-demand-answers-transparency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3051603/hong-kong-airlines-employees-demand-answers-transparency?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Feb 2020 08:50:37 +0000 Doctors at a private clinic in Hong Kong will voluntarily perform surgeries at lower fees, as public hospital resources are stretched to the limit to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. The Hong Kong Asia Heart Centre announced on Tuesday it would provide heart operations starting from HK$67,000 (US$8,630), half of what it usually charged, to make emergency services affordable to public hospital patients. The service offered is called percutaneous coronary intervention, a procedure that opens up... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3050061/doctors-hong-kong-asia-heart-centre-offer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3050061/doctors-hong-kong-asia-heart-centre-offer?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Feb 2020 11:57:22 +0000 Thousands queued for free surgical masks at multiple locations in Hong Kong on Monday as the government considered bringing in emergency laws against overcharging, with the city gripped by shortages during the coronavirus outbreak. Two private companies in Kowloon each promised to hand out 10,000 masks to members of the public on Monday afternoon, drawing crowds of people desperate to protect themselves from the deadly pathogen that originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. Galaxy... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3049849/coronavirus-mask-giveaways-hong-kong-draw?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3049849/coronavirus-mask-giveaways-hong-kong-draw?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Feb 2020 09:30:39 +0000 As the number of coronavirus cases rise in Hong Kong, so do the rumours, false claims, and faked images on social media. In a first, police arrested a 39-year-old security guard on February 4, who was accused of spreading false claims related to the outbreak, as authorities invoked the Summary Offences Ordinance. That has not stemmed the flow of fake news, however, with conspiracy theories ranging from police only handing out free masks to “pro-Beijing” residents, to mainland Chinese supposedly... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3048952/mythbusters-hong-kong-coronavirus-cases-mount-so?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3048952/mythbusters-hong-kong-coronavirus-cases-mount-so?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Feb 2020 02:00:15 +0000 Thousands of elderly residents in Hong Kong queued at Circle K shops on Friday for a last-minute giveaway of surgical masks, as the city continues to deal with widespread shortages driven by fears of the deadly coronavirus. The convenience store chain announced in a Facebook post at noon that it would make 100,000 free masks available at 20 of its locations for residents 65 years and older after “coordinating non-stop with suppliers”. By 1pm, more than 1,000 senior citizens were standing outside... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3049537/coronavirus-circle-k-stores-draw-massive-crowds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3049537/coronavirus-circle-k-stores-draw-massive-crowds?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Feb 2020 09:32:28 +0000 A group of Hong Kong researchers said on Thursday they had invented a cost-effective device for identifying the novel coronavirus in just 40 minutes. The team, led by Weijia Wen, a physics professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said the device – which inspects body fluid samples – could spot the coronavirus strain faster than ever before. “The best thing is that it is fast and portable,” Wen said on Thursday. The device is already in use in two cities in mainland China,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3049391/hong-kong-researchers-unveil-device-can-detect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3049391/hong-kong-researchers-unveil-device-can-detect?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Feb 2020 12:55:38 +0000 Urged to spend their only day off at their employers’ homes, with some facing termination if they refused, Hong Kong’s foreign domestic workers and rights advocates say the group is being singled out with“unfair and discriminatory” measures from the government and employers alike amid the coronavirus outbreak. An appeal from the city’s Labour Department last week asking foreign domestic workers “to stay home” on Sundays – the weekly rest day for most – triggered strong backlash among leaders of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3049226/alcohol-baths-reused-masks-and-lonely-sundays?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3049226/alcohol-baths-reused-masks-and-lonely-sundays?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Feb 2020 13:34:58 +0000 A surge in fake news surrounding face masks in recent days has left the Hong Kong government and social media platforms trying to stem a tide of misinformation shared among city residents. While worries of contracting the deadly coronavirus have prompted hundreds to wait hours each day to buy health supplies, one of several posts circulated online recently claimed the city’s police force was giving out free face masks. “All district police stations will give out free face masks for pro-China... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3048477/coronavirus-spreads-so-do-spurious-online-claims-about-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3048477/coronavirus-spreads-so-do-spurious-online-claims-about-it?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Jan 2020 13:25:05 +0000 Passengers rushed to catch the last high-speed trains between Hong Kong and mainland China on Wednesday, ahead of the city government’s shutdown of West Kowloon station and other parts of the cross-border travel network to contain the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus. The closure of two railways and halving the number of flights serving mainland China were among the emergency measures imposed by the Hong Kong administration earlier this week that take effect from midnight on Thursday. Many of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3048082/china-coronavirus-hong-kong-and-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3048082/china-coronavirus-hong-kong-and-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jan 2020 09:30:50 +0000 The Hong Kong government’s new border control measures to prevent the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus are too little, too late, doctors and a health care workers’ union have said. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Tuesday announced a basket of measures to cut cross-border contact between Hong Kong and mainland China, including the closure of six checkpoints and a cut in flights and bus services. But Dr Ho Pak-leung, a leading microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong, said more... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3047963/hong-kongs-partial-border-closure-amid-wuhan-coronavirus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3047963/hong-kongs-partial-border-closure-amid-wuhan-coronavirus?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jan 2020 23:30:09 +0000 The demand for masks has continued to surge in Hong Kong as three more cases of the Wuhan coronavirus were confirmed, causing prices of the safety gear to soar and forcing the government to deny accusations it had stockpiled them for internal use. Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung on Sunday said that the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority had enough supplies of the protective coverings to cope with contingencies for three months. But some local media platforms suggested the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3047721/china-coronavirus-demand-face-masks-surges-amid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3047721/china-coronavirus-demand-face-masks-surges-amid?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jan 2020 02:00:23 +0000 A volcanic eruption in the Philippines has caused the cancellation of flights between Hong Kong and Manila and left Filipino residents in the city worried about their relatives’ safety. The eruption at Taal Volcano, 65km south of the capital, has forced thousands to be evacuated from the capital and the closure of Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport since Sunday evening. At least 20 flights, including those run by Cathay Pacific Airways, Cebu Pacific Air and Philippine Airlines, had been... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3045809/taal-volcano-eruption-philippine-nationals-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3045809/taal-volcano-eruption-philippine-nationals-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Jan 2020 05:21:43 +0000 Making art in times of protest is nothing new for Kiddy Citny. Thirty years ago, the German artist was one of several who painted the Berlin Wall, risking the ire of East German guards. The wall came down in 1989 as Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe, and those murals have gone on to be exhibited and collected in cities around the world. Citny, now 62 and seeing Hong Kong’s protests become increasingly violent over the past seven months, wanted to do something similar again. The mural artist... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3045697/cold-war-berlin-civil-unrest-hong-kong-german-artist-making?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3045697/cold-war-berlin-civil-unrest-hong-kong-german-artist-making?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Jan 2020 01:00:15 +0000 When Peter Ferretto and his architecture students first set foot in tiny Gaobu, tucked away in the hills of Hunan province in central China, the villagers were suspicious of the camera-toting outsiders. The group of 30 students and two professors had come from Hong Kong and Guangzhou that summer, eager to study the village's traditional architecture and craftsmanship, which had been kept alive for centuries by the ethnic Dong minority inhabitants. An associate professor of architecture at... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3045521/hong-kong-students-build-book-house-hunan-village-children?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3045521/hong-kong-students-build-book-house-hunan-village-children?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jan 2020 02:00:16 +0000 From South Korea to China, tech-savvy users had their first taste of 5G’s lightning-fast internet speeds just months ago. While the network promises a future of self-driving cars and data-fuelled cities, tech companies and research facilities in China and around the world are already looking into 6G, the next generation of internet networks. Sixth-generation mobile networks will reach speeds of one terabyte per second, by some estimates. That’s 100 times the rate of even the best existing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3044461/6g-new-frontier-if-world-can-work-out-how-use-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3044461/6g-new-frontier-if-world-can-work-out-how-use-it?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Jan 2020 21:00:18 +0000 The top US diplomat in Ukraine says American companies are in “serious evaluation” on buying the country’s aircraft engine maker, as Washington ramps up pressure to block the sale of the strategic asset to China. The comments came as Washington has voiced its opposition to Beijing Skyrizon Aviation’s takeover bid for Motor Sich, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of civilian and military turbine engines. Outgoing acting ambassador William Taylor told local media on Thursday, ahead of his... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3043759/us-firms-doing-serious-evaluation-buy-motor-sich-ukraine-amid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3043759/us-firms-doing-serious-evaluation-buy-motor-sich-ukraine-amid?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Dec 2019 06:00:15 +0000 While parts of the world celebrated Boxing Day, December 26 was also the date of birth of one of China’s most important and controversial figures: Mao Zedong. Several events took place on Thursday in Shaoshan, the county-level city in central China’s Hunan province where the former leader was born in 1893. One video on social media showed wreaths placed around a statue of Mao, while another showed groups of attendees wearing red caps and standing on a flight of steps in the city. “Bow once... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3043588/beijing-silent-mao-zedong-birthday-proves-low-key-affair?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3043588/beijing-silent-mao-zedong-birthday-proves-low-key-affair?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Dec 2019 23:30:12 +0000 Defiant anti-government protesters took to the streets of Hong Kong and gathered in shopping centres again on Christmas Day, confronting police who used tear gas and pepper spray, after a previous night of mob violence and vandalism. Riot police were out in force on Wednesday at various hot spots and pepper sprayed protesters inside Sha Tin’s New Town Plaza, outside Langham Place in Mong Kok, and at Telford Plaza in Kowloon Bay riot police chased after protesters and sprayed them at close range.... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3043493/police-use-pepper-spray-sporadic-clashes-christmas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3043493/police-use-pepper-spray-sporadic-clashes-christmas?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Dec 2019 10:10:34 +0000 As US lawmakers prepare to punish Syria with a bipartisan sanctions package expected to pass the Senate next week, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has pledged to find ways around the restrictions for Chinese businesses helping to rebuild the war-torn country. Observers say Assad is courting Beijing for its economic and diplomatic clout, following the American withdrawal of troops from the region and Syria’s recovery of rebel-held territory. The country was in “serious dialogue” to join China’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3042822/syria-plans-do-sanction-busting-business-china-will-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3042822/syria-plans-do-sanction-busting-business-china-will-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Dec 2019 13:00:13 +0000 It is not difficult to see why US Representative Thomas Massie, feted in mainland China and reviled among many in Hong Kong, has come to be known as the “Mr No” of Capitol Hill. Of the past 100 votes he has cast, the Republican from Kentucky has pressed the red “nay” button in the House of Representatives 71 times. Massie, 48, has said that he doesn’t resent the moniker provided it is spelled correctly – “Mr. K-N-O-W” – and has argued that members of Congress are often given insufficient time to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3042523/party-one-thomas-massie-lone-dissenting-us-lawmaker-uygur-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3042523/party-one-thomas-massie-lone-dissenting-us-lawmaker-uygur-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Dec 2019 19:28:33 +0000 Huawei’s European ambitions received a rebuff on Friday after Norwegian telecoms firm Telenor announced that it would use Sweden’s Ericsson to build the country’s next-generation 5G networks. Telenor said in a statement that the company chose Ericsson after going through companies’ technical specifications, commercial interests and an “extensive security evaluation”. But Sigve Brekke, chief executive of Telenor Group, added that the company would still use Huawei to maintain its 4G network. “We... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3042062/huaweis-european-ambitions-suffer-setback-after-norwegian-firm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3042062/huaweis-european-ambitions-suffer-setback-after-norwegian-firm?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Dec 2019 14:18:36 +0000 With Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro turning a blind eye to environmental concerns, western governments initially cast their hopes on China to engage the Brazilians during the annual UN conference on climate change. But those expectations have been dashed, as China has turned out to share more common ground with Brazil than with the West. China has pledged to uphold the landmark Paris Agreement and create a green nation. But global environmental groups and many diplomats and negotiators at... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3041901/cop25-summit-expected-be-cooling-influence-un-climate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3041901/cop25-summit-expected-be-cooling-influence-un-climate?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Dec 2019 19:18:46 +0000 China’s new man in charge of climate negotiations made his debut at the UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid on Tuesday, just as scientists warn global temperatures are rising faster than forecast. With China the world’s biggest producer of carbon emissions blamed for heating the planet, the new man in the hot seat, 55-year-old Zhao Yingmin, faces an outsize set of challenges. He is joining delegates from nearly 200 countries in an effort to reach an agreement on curbing emissions and he... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3041517/chinas-new-chief-climate-negotiator-takes-helm-un-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3041517/chinas-new-chief-climate-negotiator-takes-helm-un-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Dec 2019 23:00:10 +0000 Many tourists may have Victoria Peak, Ocean Park or Lantau Island on their Hong Kong itineraries, but in a sign of the times, one tour company has added something new: protest tours. Hong Kong Free Tour, which takes visitors to see “the real Hong Kong”, including its poorer districts, has seen an opportunity at a time when anti-government unrest has hit the tourism industry hard. “Both locals and international travellers are welcome to join,” reads the online description for the new tours.... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3041080/not-your-usual-day-out-tourist-hong-kong-curious-visitors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3041080/not-your-usual-day-out-tourist-hong-kong-curious-visitors?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Dec 2019 12:00:15 +0000 Once low-profile diplomatic players, China’s ambassadors are now going on the offensive, threatening sanctions on countries that challenge Beijing’s stand on big issues like Xinjiang and the anti-government protests in Hong Kong. Among the most vocal is Gui Congyou, China’s envoy to Sweden, who said on Wednesday that China would limit economic and trade cooperation, according to Swedish news reports. “The Chinese government absolutely cannot allow any country, organisation or person to harm... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3041031/defensive-human-rights-chinas-ambassadors-go-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3041031/defensive-human-rights-chinas-ambassadors-go-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Dec 2019 13:56:32 +0000 As world leaders converged on Spain this week to discuss the next steps in fighting man-made climate change, China and the European Union have been looking for ways to lead the fight against the “most important” challenge they face. China is the world’s largest producer of emissions blamed for global warming, while the EU is ranked third after the United States – heightening the importance of their cooperation after Washington pulled out of a previous commitment to cut its use of carbon-based... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3040643/china-and-eu-try-forge-common-front-lead-fight-against-climate-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3040643/china-and-eu-try-forge-common-front-lead-fight-against-climate-change?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Dec 2019 14:30:12 +0000 Riot police fired tear gas and beat protesters after hundreds took to the streets in southern China on Thursday and Friday over plans to build a crematorium in the area. Residents of Wenlou in Guangdong province – about 100km (60 miles) from Hong Kong – said several hundred people tried to march to the township government offices on Thursday after they found out that a crematorium would be built on land they thought was set aside for a park. But police stopped the marchers before they reached... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3040009/protesters-and-police-clash-southern-china-over-plans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3040009/protesters-and-police-clash-southern-china-over-plans?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Nov 2019 13:44:32 +0000 A new Batman comic book series has landed the Caped Crusader in the middle of a social media storm after publisher DC Comics was accused of using it to support Hong Kong anti-government protesters. DC removed a social media post on Thursday when users on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media platform, objected to the depiction of a black-clad Batwoman throwing a petrol bomb in front of the words “the future is young” in a promotion for the first issue of Dark Knight: The Golden Child, due for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3039941/batman-poster-lands-dc-comics-hong-kong-protest-controversy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3039941/batman-poster-lands-dc-comics-hong-kong-protest-controversy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Nov 2019 08:11:11 +0000 China’s ambassador to Germany has lashed out at German politicians for expressing support for Hong Kong protesters, calling a September meeting in Berlin between German lawmakers and activist Joshua Wong “a direct provocation” of Beijing’s ire. “It is a shame that Germany allowed a Hong Kong separatist to visit and meet with political leaders, including the foreign minister himself,” Wu Ken said in a speech at La Redoute Club in Bonn, Germany, on Monday. The encounter “has severely disrupted”... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3039666/chinese-envoy-germany-wu-ken-again-denounces-outreach-pro?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3039666/chinese-envoy-germany-wu-ken-again-denounces-outreach-pro?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Nov 2019 01:00:10 +0000 Months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong have made headlines around the world. While images and stories have struck a chord with people overseas, some have been inspired to fly thousands of miles to Hong Kong to take part in demonstrations.  The South China Morning Post met two Americans who said they felt compelled to come to the city to participate in the movement as US lawmakers considered – and later passed – legislation aimed at ensuring the “sufficient autonomy” of Hong Kong from... https://www.scmp.com/china/foreign-protesters-hong-kong-protests/article/3038868?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china/foreign-protesters-hong-kong-protests/article/3038868?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Nov 2019 10:04:09 +0000 Jamaica has announced it will stop borrowing from China as it tries to balance its relationship with Washington and Beijing. This April it signed up to the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing’s ambitious trade and infrastructure project, and China invested more than US$2 billion in Jamaica from 2005 to 2018, according to the China-Latin America Finance Database. But following his visit to China early this month, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said that while cooperation in infrastructure... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3038095/why-jamaica-wants-call-time-chinese-borrowing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3038095/why-jamaica-wants-call-time-chinese-borrowing?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Nov 2019 05:58:36 +0000