https://www.scmp.com/rss/514499/feed Fran has been a reporter since 2014, mainly covering social and cultural stories about China. She writes about lifestyle, social trends and youth culture. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Fran Lu Fran Lu Malicious and hateful online attacks on China’s diving queen Quan Hongchan, including one which likened her to a “pig”, will form part of a major investigation into an organised cyberbullying campaign against the Olympic athlete. Other hurtful attacks said the gold medal winner “looks like a man” and even questioned her right to be a champion, saying she only won because “the judges were biased”. Another online bully said Quan looked “countrified” while others called on her to “retire... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3349529/china-authorities-probe-national-level-bullying-diving-icon-quan-hongchan-amid-toxic-fan-culture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3349529/china-authorities-probe-national-level-bullying-diving-icon-quan-hongchan-amid-toxic-fan-culture?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:00:16 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A brave 89-year-old grandmother climbed from the 27th to the 21st floor on her building’s outer wall after accidentally locking herself in, shocking many people online. The woman in Beijing was spotted stuck outside a residential building’s 26th floor on an afternoon on April 1. A cleaner and a security guard heard her faint sounds from downstairs, looked up and saw her grabbing tightly to the rails that protect air conditioners on the outer wall. They immediately called the police and shouted... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3349272/china-woman-89-climbs-27th-21st-floor-building-escape-locked-bedroom-goes-viral?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3349272/china-woman-89-climbs-27th-21st-floor-building-escape-locked-bedroom-goes-viral?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 01:00:08 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu The founder of the Chinese motorcycle brand ZXMOTO, Zhang Xue, has stoked controversy after saying his company did not take “a single cent” from the government. His comments sparked accusations that Chongqing municipality in southwestern China where ZXMOTO is based, “does not support local business” and “has no eye for good stuff”. ZXMOTO took social media by storm last week, after French rider Valentin Debise won two races in the WorldSSP class of the Superbike World Championship on its... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3349357/china-zxmoto-founder-revokes-not-getting-cent-government-remark-after-controversy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3349357/china-zxmoto-founder-revokes-not-getting-cent-government-remark-after-controversy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:00:13 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu American outdoor apparel brand Patagonia is facing significant backlash online after implementing an “earth usage fee” for online orders, aimed at curbing excessive returns. Announced on March 30, the fee applies exclusively to purchases made through its Tmall store, a premium online shopping platform operated by Alibaba, which also owns the South China Morning Post. During last year’s Double 11 shopping festival, Patagonia’s Tmall store shipped 16,179 packages, leading to a staggering return... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/environment/article/3349342/patagonia-faces-criticism-earth-usage-fee-online-orders-curb-excessive-returns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/environment/article/3349342/patagonia-faces-criticism-earth-usage-fee-online-orders-curb-excessive-returns?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 06:19:33 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A terminally ill Chinese man left 300 million yuan (US$43 million) to his wife who is 28 years younger than him, causing a dispute with his ex-wife’s family. The 61-year-old from the southern Chinese island of Hainan, surnamed Hou, reportedly left all his fortune to his young wife, Liyuan, who is 33. Liyuan said she had been with him since she was 21. They married 10 years ago and have a five-year-old son. In November, the couple announced on their social media account, which has 44,000... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3348767/dying-chinese-man-61-leaves-us43-million-fortune-young-wife-enrages-ex-wifes-family?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3348767/dying-chinese-man-61-leaves-us43-million-fortune-young-wife-enrages-ex-wifes-family?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 01:00:11 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu While most Chinese people’s surnames are only one character long, there are also millions of people who have compound surnames which are considered rare and precious. You might have come across some Chinese celebrities with surnames more than one character, such as Taiwan-born actress and cellist Ouyang Nana, Hong Kong-American stand-up comedian and actor Jimmy O. Yang. In fact, these two celebrities have the same compound surname, Ouyang, which is currently China’s most used compound surname,... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3348657/compound-chinese-surnames-come-historical-figures-ancient-states-now-fewer-100-remain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3348657/compound-chinese-surnames-come-historical-figures-ancient-states-now-fewer-100-remain?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 10:00:09 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A Chinese woman who sacrificed her job and life to get revenge on a neighbour who poisoned her pet dog to death has shown her face publicly for the first time. After her beloved pet dog Papi, a 13-year-old white West Highland Terrier, was poisoned and killed in a children’s playground in her residential compound in Beijing in 2022, Li Yihan has dedicated her life to defending the animal’s rights. Police found a 65-year-old man surnamed Zhang, who lived in the neighbourhood, to be the... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3348683/chinese-woman-whose-pet-dog-was-poisoned-killed-neighbour-sacrifices-job-cause?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3348683/chinese-woman-whose-pet-dog-was-poisoned-killed-neighbour-sacrifices-job-cause?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 06:00:08 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A new solo dining trend among Chinese people is boosting the success of Japanese diner brands such as Sushiro. The conveyor belt sushi chain opened its first mainland shop in Guangzhou in southern China’s Guangdong province in 2021. Its popularity boomed when the brand opened its first shop in Beijing in 2024. It was reported that there was a queue of up to 1,500 tables. When Sushiro entered Shanghai in December 2025, there were already 700 groups of people waiting before its first opening.... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3348481/japan-solo-dining-chain-surges-popularity-china-hours-long-wait-times-lead-scalpers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3348481/japan-solo-dining-chain-surges-popularity-china-hours-long-wait-times-lead-scalpers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:00:09 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A Chinese mother has handcrafted more than 1,000 pairs of shoe pads for new army recruits in memory of her soldier son who died rescuing his comrade two decades ago. Zhang Xinghui, from southwestern China’s Chongqing municipality, is affectionately nicknamed “shoe pad mum”. In 2005, her son, 19-year-old Gu Nu, died while patrolling a mountain in Tibet and rescuing his teammate from a landslide. Gu became a frontier guard in 2003 and was promoted as his squad’s deputy leader. When Zhang learned... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347835/china-mum-inspired-sons-heroic-death-has-handcrafted-shoe-pads-soldiers-20-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347835/china-mum-inspired-sons-heroic-death-has-handcrafted-shoe-pads-soldiers-20-years?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 10:00:09 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu While walking along China’s roads, it is not uncommon to see leftover herbs scattered on the surface. This is not some random dumping problem, it is in fact Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) leftovers deliberately poured out by the people who cooked them. Superstition has it that by pouring the TCM leftovers on public roads, other people can walk and drive over them, thereby helping keep illness at bay. There is a folk legend that the habit originated in the Tang dynasty (618–907). Sun Simiao,... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347875/why-chinese-pour-leftover-tcm-medicine-roads-hoping-others-will-walk-drive-over-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347875/why-chinese-pour-leftover-tcm-medicine-roads-hoping-others-will-walk-drive-over-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 10:00:09 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A Chinese man who became trapped while taking part in a viral “zip tie escape challenge” at home called for help and was rescued by a passing delivery man. The case involving the man from Guangzhou in southern China’s Guangdong province was recently reported by the local fire department to raise public awareness. A delivery man passing by the man’s rented home heard him calling for help and notified the police. Firefighters arrived, prised open the gate and discovered the man tied up tightly on... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347955/chinese-man-rescued-zip-tie-escape-challenge-after-delivery-man-alerts-police?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347955/chinese-man-rescued-zip-tie-escape-challenge-after-delivery-man-alerts-police?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 01:00:08 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu An 84-year-old woman fell in love with an artificial-intelligence (AI) generated human, wrote ‘him’ love letters and spent 10 hours a day watching virtual human videos. Her story reflects the needs elderly people have for love and care. Zhang Yulan, from central China’s Hubei province, was discovered by her family to have been obsessed with a ‘bossy president’ generated by AI. The ‘bossy president’, or ba zong in Chinese, is a term used to describe a popular kind of male character in romantic... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3347699/china-grandma-falls-love-bossy-president-writes-him-love-letters-buys-his-shop?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3347699/china-grandma-falls-love-bossy-president-writes-him-love-letters-buys-his-shop?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 06:00:07 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A Chinese woman has amassed over one million followers after she posted her amazing sculptures crafted with nothing but her teeth. Chen Qin, 25, from central China’s Hubei province, attracted attention online after posting videos of her carrot sculptures. The sculptures, from simple small animals and cartoon figures, to complicated, large replicas of the Great Wall, the Yellow Crane Tower and wearables like phoenix crowns and the silver hats worn by the Miao people, are all made with Chen’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3347991/chinese-woman-uses-teeth-carve-intricate-sculptures-including-great-wall-china-model?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3347991/chinese-woman-uses-teeth-carve-intricate-sculptures-including-great-wall-china-model?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 01:00:09 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A young Chinese woman lives in a nursing home and pays just 200 yuan (US$30) in rent a month in exchange for offering companionship to the elderly. The life choice of 25-year-old Zhang Jin reveals a new pattern for young people to live under less pressure while helping out with the country’s problem of an increasingly ageing population. Over two years ago, Zhang, a new graduate from eastern China’s Jiangxi province, moved to Suzhou in eastern Jiangsu province when she found a job there. Around... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347157/china-woman-lives-nursing-home-pays-us30-rent-providing-companionship-residents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347157/china-woman-lives-nursing-home-pays-us30-rent-providing-companionship-residents?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 06:00:08 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A seven-year-old boy has become China’s youngest professional rally car driver after being certified at the age of five. Shao Ziyan, from Wenzhou in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, has amazed mainland social media with his professionalism and passion for the sport despite his young age. According to his father, the boy became obsessed with car racing when he was a toddler. He began using a racing simulator at home when he was one. Noticing that his son had a “particularly great sense” for... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3347811/boy-7-youngest-professional-rally-car-driver-china-starting-race-journey-age-1?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3347811/boy-7-youngest-professional-rally-car-driver-china-starting-race-journey-age-1?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 01:00:08 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A man in China has dug up a yam that looks exactly like a human hand, shocking many people online. The man, who lives in Jieyang, in southern China’s Guangdong province, unearthed the oddly shaped vegetable on his farm. It looks so much like a hand that it seems to even have nails and skin. Chinese yams often grow into various shapes, as their appearance is greatly affected by external factors such as the soil and random rocks. However, it is rare for such a vegetable to grow so vividly like a... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347681/china-yam-human-fingernails-260-free-meals-lottery-win-after-lifetime-playing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347681/china-yam-human-fingernails-260-free-meals-lottery-win-after-lifetime-playing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 06:00:09 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A Chinese man who was spotted riding a modified electric bicycle powered by his pet dog has faced online allegations of animal abuse. A video clip that went viral online shows the man from eastern China’s Jiangsu province riding on the modified bike on a road on March 16. The bike’s battery had been removed and a reined golden retriever was running under the seat. The dog’s mouth was also muzzled. The man also has a stick in his right hand, with which he seemed to whip the dog. The video was... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347125/chinese-man-modifies-electric-bike-uses-dog-power-source-draws-animal-abuse-criticism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347125/chinese-man-modifies-electric-bike-uses-dog-power-source-draws-animal-abuse-criticism?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 01:00:12 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu Pancakes are a common breakfast in many parts of China today, but few people are aware that the popular meal has been around for 5,000 years. An ancient griddle unearthed from the Yangshao site in central China’s Henan province reveals that the history of Chinese pancakes could date back to at least 50 centuries ago. As for their invention, legend has it that pancakes came into being when Nuwa mended the heavens. In primordial times, when the world fell apart, mother goddess Nuwa gathered... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347031/chinese-pancakes-trace-back-5000-years-references-appear-ancient-paintings-poems?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347031/chinese-pancakes-trace-back-5000-years-references-appear-ancient-paintings-poems?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 06:00:12 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu Chinese youth are enthusiastically adopting Japan’s “ita bag” fashion accessory style to showcase their admiration for beloved anime and real-life idols, elevating the culture with their imaginative designs. On China’s popular lifestyle-sharing platform, RedNote, the hashtag #tongbao, which means “painful bag” (the Chinese translation of ita bag), boasts 2.3 billion views. Originating in Japan around the 2010s, the “ita bag” refers to bags adorned with plushies, badges, or small cards... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347384/how-painful-bag-becomes-popular-subculture-fashion-trend-especially-among-china-youth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347384/how-painful-bag-becomes-popular-subculture-fashion-trend-especially-among-china-youth?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 01:00:14 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu An unwell Chinese woman working away from home has received a care package from her concerned parents which contained a whole cow. On March 7, a woman posted a video of herself receiving the heavy package at her home in Beijing. She says in the video that the package, sent from her hometown in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia, contains a whole cow. The 33-year-old woman, surnamed Chang, said her father bought the cow near the grasslands in her hometown, which is known for quality beef and... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3346884/china-woman-working-away-home-receives-care-package-containing-entire-cow-parents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3346884/china-woman-working-away-home-receives-care-package-containing-entire-cow-parents?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 10:00:10 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A coffee shop in China is offering a new type of Americano which includes eggs brewed in child urine, a drink believed to be of nutritional value. The shop in Dongyang city in eastern China’s Zhejiang province recently began to offer the special brew, claiming it was popular. Costing 28 yuan (US$4) per cup, the outlet sold more than 100 cups a day at weekends. Eggs brewed in child urine are a speciality in Dongyang. Locals believe that child urine, or urine from boys under the age of 10, can... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3346995/china-cafe-offers-coffee-made-eggs-brewed-child-urine-considered-nutritious-delicacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3346995/china-cafe-offers-coffee-made-eggs-brewed-child-urine-considered-nutritious-delicacy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 06:00:10 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu Young people in China are contributing to a fake account generated by artificial intelligence (AI) to lecture their parents about healthy and scientific life values. A social media account called “Lao Zhao jiang dao li”, or “Mr Zhao talks sense”, went viral recently, amassing over 200,000 followers in just two months. The man surnamed Zhao, based in southwestern China’s Chongqing municipality, claimed in his profile that he is a retired professor who has specialised in parent-child relationships... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3346320/china-woman-uses-ai-generated-man-lecture-respecting-science-rejecting-superstition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3346320/china-woman-uses-ai-generated-man-lecture-respecting-science-rejecting-superstition?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 06:00:08 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A game centre in China has come under fire after it used real hamsters as prizes in its claw machines to attract customers. The venue, in a shopping centre in Shenzhen in southern China’s Guangdong province, was reported to have filled a machine with hamsters, instead of the normal plush toys. Its actions triggered an online backlash, with many people accusing the outlet of animal abuse. According to online footage, the hamsters cowered in the corner of the machine. Clips also reportedly showed... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3346084/china-game-shop-slammed-using-live-hamsters-claw-machine-now-utilising-fish-turtles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3346084/china-game-shop-slammed-using-live-hamsters-claw-machine-now-utilising-fish-turtles?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 01:00:08 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu More than a million people online have been touched by a Chinese man who posted a huge note on his illiterate mother-in-law’s suitcase to help in case she needed help during her first solo flight. On February 28, the man from Xian city, northwestern China’s Shaanxi province, posted that his mother-in-law would be flying on the same evening to Dalian, in northeastern China’s Liaoning province. He said that the woman, who is in her 60s, is illiterate and does not speak Mandarin. The flight also... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3346109/chinese-man-posts-big-note-mother-laws-suitcase-seek-help-her-solo-travel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3346109/chinese-man-posts-big-note-mother-laws-suitcase-seek-help-her-solo-travel?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 10:00:09 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A Chinese woman has revealed online that her mother was married to her younger brother posthumously, who then embezzled her properties as her widower. The 27-year-old woman from central China’s Henan province, surnamed Sun, lost her mother Zhao Fang to illness at the age of nine, in 2008. Since her parents were divorced and she had been living with her mother, Sun was adopted by her mother’s younger sister. She said her relatives notarised her mother’s assets around the time of her death. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3345541/china-woman-discovers-uncle-faked-marriage-her-late-mother-inherit-properties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3345541/china-woman-discovers-uncle-faked-marriage-her-late-mother-inherit-properties?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 06:00:09 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu The northern Chinese city of Tianjin is the only place in the country that has road signs warning drivers not to make jokes while driving for their safety. The sign features a cartoon of a driver and a passenger cracking jokes, with a slogan that says “Making jokes while driving is a safety hazard”. It went viral after several tourists spotted it and posted it online, and came as a shock to both travellers and locals. “It is true that only Tianjin needs a sign like this,” said one tourist. A... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3345421/china-city-humour-only-place-nation-safety-road-signs-warning-drivers-against-joking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3345421/china-city-humour-only-place-nation-safety-road-signs-warning-drivers-against-joking?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 06:00:11 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A honeymooning Chinese couple have been separated by the US-Israel strikes on Iran, which caused airspace closures across the Middle East and reportedly affected more than a million passengers. The newlywed couple, from eastern China’s Zhejiang province, travelled to the Middle East on February 19 to enjoy its beautiful sunset scenery. Doha was the last stop of their trip. They exchanged their airline credits for business class tickets from Doha to Sydney as the husband, surnamed Yu, works in... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3345374/war-can-be-so-close-china-newlyweds-separated-us-strikes-iran-during-doha-honeymoon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3345374/war-can-be-so-close-china-newlyweds-separated-us-strikes-iran-during-doha-honeymoon?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 06:00:09 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A Chinese woman who suffered a heart attack almost missed out on life-saving treatment because of her gel nails. The case has shocked mainland social media and become a wake-up call about the risk of manicures. The 28-year-old woman in central China’s Hunan province, who uses the pseudonym Lili, had a sudden heart attack on February 5. Emergency medical staff at the People’s Hospital of Hunan Province immediately came to her rescue. However, when they tried to fit a fingertip pulse oximeter, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3345249/china-hospital-calls-manicurist-remove-womans-fake-nails-emergency-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3345249/china-hospital-calls-manicurist-remove-womans-fake-nails-emergency-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 01:00:09 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu Married couples in China are referring to each other as “teammate” and “roommate” to avoid being too schmaltzy, but single people are shunning the trend, branding it confusing and “pretentious”. The special titles married people invent for their partners recently triggered a heated debate on mainland social media. Some people, especially women, preferred to call their spouses “teammate” or “roommate”. They said they found traditional titles such as ai ren, or “lover” in English, and lao... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3344751/china-growing-trend-among-couples-has-them-calling-each-other-teammate-or-roommate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3344751/china-growing-trend-among-couples-has-them-calling-each-other-teammate-or-roommate?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 06:00:08 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A Chinese employee became the envy of social media after she won a surprise prize of 10 days’ paid leave on the first day she returned to work from the Spring Festival holiday. On February 24, the first workday following the nine-day holiday during the Chinese New Year, a video showing the employees’ lucky draw went viral, attracting 120,000 likes and 9,000 comments. The video was taken in the renowned spicy gluten latiao company Mala Prince in central China’s Hunan province and was posted by... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3344700/china-worker-wins-surprise-10-day-paid-leave-first-day-back-spring-festival-holiday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3344700/china-worker-wins-surprise-10-day-paid-leave-first-day-back-spring-festival-holiday?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 06:00:13 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A panda in China which would not let go of a mobile phone a tourist accidentally dropped into his enclosure has been dubbed a ‘smartphone addict’ by online observers. On February 22, a visitor accidentally dropped their mobile phone while filming the giant panda, Qingling, at the Dujiangyan Panda Base in southwestern China’s Sichuan province. The three-year-old panda grabbed the phone as if it were his new toy. He played around with it and even held it in a way that looked like he was taking a... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3344599/quirky-china-panda-wont-return-phone-talented-piglet-spared-dinner-affordable-gold-rush?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3344599/quirky-china-panda-wont-return-phone-talented-piglet-spared-dinner-affordable-gold-rush?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 06:00:11 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu K-pop superstar G-Dragon ignited the ire of Chinese netizens with his choice of “Lunar New Year” greetings during a recent performance in Dubai. His reported act of liking a post that supported his terminology afterwards was interpreted as a provocative stance. The controversy emerged on February 17, coinciding with the first day of Chinese New Year. The KRAZY Super Concert, headlined by G-Dragon, featured an array of K-pop artists and pop singers from across Asia, including Indonesian singer... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3344922/cultural-clash-k-pop-superstar-g-dragon-divides-china-fans-lunar-new-year-greetings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3344922/cultural-clash-k-pop-superstar-g-dragon-divides-china-fans-lunar-new-year-greetings?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 01:00:20 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu Young people in China are embracing a new trend of ‘parenting parents’ to heal wounds they inherited from childhood and redefine the traditional value of filial piety. Many have posted that they are ‘reparenting their parents’ on social media. The hashtag ‘reparenting parents’ has nearly 60 million views and 300,000 discussions on just one mainland social media platform. In much the same way their parents taught them how to walk, such people are teaching their elders modern ways of living, such... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3344567/china-parenting-parents-trend-sees-youth-teach-mums-and-dads-modern-skills-taking-selfies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3344567/china-parenting-parents-trend-sees-youth-teach-mums-and-dads-modern-skills-taking-selfies?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 10:00:11 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A Chinese zoo has been accused of using old videos of a tiger cub to attract donations after she died, triggering public controversy. The Puyang Central Zoo, a privately run zoo in Puyang city in central China’s Henan province, was reported to have been using old videos of a dead tiger cub to keep tricking “sponsorship fees” from live-stream viewers. On February 10, local authorities confirmed the case and announced its decision to suspend the zoo’s operations and place its director under a... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3344423/china-zoo-uses-old-videos-dead-tiger-cub-seek-donations-prompting-demands-apologies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3344423/china-zoo-uses-old-videos-dead-tiger-cub-seek-donations-prompting-demands-apologies?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 01:00:08 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu The Chinese New Year is traditionally a time for family reunions, but this year a growing number of young Chinese people chose to avoid going home. This year’s Spring Festival holiday took place between February 15 and 23, which is the longest break in recent years. The tradition of family reunion during the holiday also leads to the annual chunyun, or Spring Festival travel rush, which is known as the world’s largest human migration. This year’s chunyun lasts 40 days from February 2 to March... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3344479/china-youth-spend-spring-festival-away-nosy-relatives-take-part-time-jobs-extra-cash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3344479/china-youth-spend-spring-festival-away-nosy-relatives-take-part-time-jobs-extra-cash?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 06:00:08 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu The authorities in Shanghai have arrested a group of self-styled doctors who carried out “bloodletting therapy” claiming it would remove “evil energy” from people. Footage of three people performing the therapy on a man, which was released by Shanghai TV recently, shocked social media. The video shows that three self-styled doctors insert a long needle into a man’s arm before letting the blood flow out along the needle, forming a small pool of blood on the floor. They reassured the man that the... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3343296/self-styled-china-doctors-nabbed-performing-bloodletting-therapy-remove-evil-energy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3343296/self-styled-china-doctors-nabbed-performing-bloodletting-therapy-remove-evil-energy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 01:00:08 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu The world’s largest human migration, China’s Spring Festival travel rush, could date back more than 2,000 years and reflects the history and development of China’s transport networks. This year’s Spring Festival rush, or chunyun, takes place from February 2 to March 13, and is expected to produce a total of 9.5 billion passenger trips. The chunyun is believed to first appear along with the invention of the term guo nian, or spending the New Year, in the Zhou dynasty (1046–256). The New Year,... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3343175/spring-festival-travel-rush-dates-back-ancient-china-only-rich-and-powerful?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3343175/spring-festival-travel-rush-dates-back-ancient-china-only-rich-and-powerful?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 01:00:09 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu As retired people in China pursue the dream of studying overseas, the country’s education system is facing the challenge of catering for the demands of an ageing population. Qiu Lianru, 66, became a student of a short-term programme at the Arts University Bournemouth in England last year. Rejecting a traditional restful retirement, Qiu studies fashion design, printmaking, jewellery making and photography and stays in a student dormitory. She says it provides her with inner fulfilment. “I want... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3343073/china-seniors-pursue-overseas-education-after-retirement-realise-unfulfilled-dreams?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3343073/china-seniors-pursue-overseas-education-after-retirement-realise-unfulfilled-dreams?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 08:00:16 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A Chinese man experienced an emotional roller coaster as he discovered the latest iPhone model he won at his company’s year-end party turned out to be just tiles. The man, known as Jiang Jiang, said his firm played the prank by announcing him as the winner of its year-end party’s grand prize, an iPhone 17 Pro Max. Jiang, from southern China’s Guangdong province, was ecstatic to receive the prize and decided to wait until he got home to open the box and surprise his wife. According to a video he... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3343040/chinese-man-wins-iphone-companys-party-finds-tiles-inside-box-instead-demands-apology?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3343040/chinese-man-wins-iphone-companys-party-finds-tiles-inside-box-instead-demands-apology?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 01:00:13 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A new type of partner is heading towards becoming the next big thing in China’s dating market – so-called hunter-style lovers. This does not mean they work as hunters or see their dates as prey, but instead bring their lovers “prey” in the form, for instance, of tasty snacks they receive at work or beautiful items they discover on the street. According to Chinese social media users, the value of the “prey” does not matter. Even a milk tea costing less than 20 yuan (US$3), or even a cost-free... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3343124/china-dating-scene-sees-rise-hunter-style-lovers-known-attentiveness-and-caring-nature?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3343124/china-dating-scene-sees-rise-hunter-style-lovers-known-attentiveness-and-caring-nature?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 01:00:10 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A 10-year-old girl from northern China began buying gold with her Lunar New Year lucky money three years ago, fearing her parents would spend it. She has since been hailed as a “genius” due to the skyrocketing prices of gold. The girl, hailing from Langfang in Hebei province, has been using the red packets – known as lai see in Cantonese or hong bao in Mandarin – that she receives during Lunar New Year to buy gold for three consecutive years. It is traditional in China for adults to gift... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3343388/china-genius-girl-10-began-buying-gold-3-years-ago-avoid-parents-spending-her-lucky-money?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3343388/china-genius-girl-10-began-buying-gold-3-years-ago-avoid-parents-spending-her-lucky-money?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 01:01:10 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu The death in a horse riding accident of a Chinese government official while filming to promote the beauty of a local area has sparked heated online discussions about the phenomenon of “official influencers”. On January 11, He Jiaolong fell from a horse while filming for an agricultural e-commerce programme in the Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang, northwestern China, and suffered a severe head injury. She was rushed to hospital but died from her injuries on January 14. She was... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3342538/china-official-dies-after-horse-riding-accident-while-filming-publicity-clip-local-agriculture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3342538/china-official-dies-after-horse-riding-accident-while-filming-publicity-clip-local-agriculture?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 10:00:08 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu German lingerie brand Triumph, which left the mainland Chinese market recently, has ignited a social media discussion about the rising trend of women opting for comfort instead of beauty when it comes to underwear. December 31, 2025, marked the last day of the 139-year-old lingerie brand’s time in mainland China. It announced its withdrawal in November and closed all its bricks-and-mortar and online shops within a month. Many people believe the exit resulted from the brand’s failure to keep up... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3342484/china-exit-top-german-lingerie-brand-shows-women-prefer-comfort-rejecting-male-gaze?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3342484/china-exit-top-german-lingerie-brand-shows-women-prefer-comfort-rejecting-male-gaze?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 06:00:08 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A new Chinese dating reality show that features a group of single people aged about 50 has become a nationwide hit, sparking discussions about love and desire in the lives of the middle-aged and elderly. The show by tech giant Tencent’s WeTV, Forever by Your Side, was first aired in December 2025, and was branded as “mature singles braving the world of love”. It invites five men and five women around the age of 50 to travel together from Dali in southwestern China’s Yunnan province, a city known... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3342370/why-young-china-viewers-are-increasingly-drawn-dating-shows-featuring-older-contestants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3342370/why-young-china-viewers-are-increasingly-drawn-dating-shows-featuring-older-contestants?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 10:00:26 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A fashion influencer with three million followers says her personal assistant is a con artist who stole her online profiles and pretended to be a student at Harvard University. The influencer Chen Xin, who uses the handle @Daxin-kissis, accused her assistant of six years of faking an identity of a rich young Chinese woman studying at Harvard Medical School on January 24. The woman, surnamed Jiang, allegedly used her employer’s password to enter her home, wore her luxury clothes, including... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3342218/assistant-successful-china-influencer-steals-identities-earning-us158000-tips?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3342218/assistant-successful-china-influencer-steals-identities-earning-us158000-tips?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 10:00:09 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu China is experiencing an extraordinary rise in “granfluencers,” or senior influencers, since 2019, as its growing ageing population embraces the online community. Major social media platforms in mainland China have seen a rapid increase in senior users in recent years. RedNote reported over 30 million active users aged 60 and older by 2024, a remarkable threefold increase in just two years. Collectively, these seniors contributed over 100 million posts to the platform. Similarly, Douyin, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3342207/silver-surfers-how-china-granfluencers-steal-spotlight-taking-over-social-media?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3342207/silver-surfers-how-china-granfluencers-steal-spotlight-taking-over-social-media?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 08:00:10 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu The senior executive of China’s leading hotpot brand Haidilao, Yang Lijuan, has been hailed as “China’s most capable waitress” thanks to her legendary waitress-turned-CEO story. Yang, 47, started her career as an ordinary waitress at Haidilao, which used to be a small hotpot restaurant in southwestern China’s Sichuan province. In 2022 she became the restaurant chain’s CEO after its founder Zhang Yong stepped down. Now, Yang is the CEO of Haidilao’s overseas unit, Super Hi. Yang was born in... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3342196/china-most-capable-waitress-begins-career-top-hotpot-chain-becomes-overseas-unit-ceo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3342196/china-most-capable-waitress-begins-career-top-hotpot-chain-becomes-overseas-unit-ceo?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 10:00:10 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu For hundreds of years, paper horses have been a popular item used in Chinese folk life to communicate with the gods. The creations are a form of woodblock prints of folk gods on coloured paper which have been used for home worship or burned at ceremonies since the Tang dynasty (618-907). Although they are known as “paper horses”, they do not only feature equine images, but all kinds of deities that reflect China’s polytheistic folk religion. One theory behind the name is that in the times... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3341652/why-traditional-chinese-paper-horses-are-burned-during-festivals-and-significant-life-events?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3341652/why-traditional-chinese-paper-horses-are-burned-during-festivals-and-significant-life-events?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 06:00:09 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A 10-year-old Chinese boy has died after a lengthy and brave battle with leukaemia, breaking millions of hearts online. The boy, known by his nickname Haohao, from southwestern China’s Guizhou province, died in Beijing on January 27, his parents announced on his social media account with 600,000 followers. The video received 780,000 likes and 410,000 comments. Many mourned the death of the strong-minded boy. Haohao was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia at the age of four after his parents... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3341696/chinese-boy-10-bravely-fights-leukaemia-half-his-life-calls-medicines-dessert-dies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3341696/chinese-boy-10-bravely-fights-leukaemia-half-his-life-calls-medicines-dessert-dies?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 10:00:08 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A feng shui-obsessed Chinese woman who kept repositioning a traffic mirror caused multiple accidents in her residential compound. Residents of a Shanghai community were troubled by frequent road accidents at a sharp turn for the past two months. People believed that a traffic mirror positioned since the compound opened for use in 2012 was being constantly moved, compromising public safety. The property management company adjusted it many times, but the problem persisted. An investigation... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3341528/china-woman-adjusts-community-traffic-mirror-better-feng-shui-causing-series-accidents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3341528/china-woman-adjusts-community-traffic-mirror-better-feng-shui-causing-series-accidents?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 10:00:37 +0000