https://www.scmp.com/rss/517489/feed Sophie is a video journalist passionate about human and cultural stories. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Hong Kong. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Sophie Li Sophie Li Eighty-year-old Wang Wanlin has no children of his own. However, over the past four decades, he has been called “Dad” by the hundreds of people he has helped and sheltered during their darkest times. Wang took in a wandering child for the first time in 1979, following a life-changing event. Since then, he has devoted his life to helping troubled youth, saying he did not want to see them go down the wrong path. https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3330267/chinese-man-devotes-life-helping-young-drifters-find-their-way-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3330267/chinese-man-devotes-life-helping-young-drifters-find-their-way-home?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Oct 2025 01:00:18 +0000 Crystal Wu,Sophie Li Crystal Wu,Sophie Li Hangzhou is quickly emerging as China’s new Silicon Valley, home to tech start-ups like AI front runner DeepSeek and humanoid robotics leader Unitree. This video explores how the city has established itself as an innovation hub. SCMP Plus subscribers enjoy early access to selected SCMP videos. https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3313801/how-hangzhous-six-little-dragons-built-new-chinese-tech-hub?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3313801/how-hangzhous-six-little-dragons-built-new-chinese-tech-hub?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Jun 2025 06:10:52 +0000 Domestically made mobile romance games such as Light and Night, Love and Deepspace have become popular among young women in China, where some have even tried to bring their online obsessions to life. They hire cosplayers, usually other young women, to play characters from their favourite games and accompany them on dates. Many clients say the increasingly popular “cos commissioning” service provides emotional fulfilment and companionship. Some cosplayers, meanwhile, say experiencing what it is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3307033/why-are-young-chinese-women-hiring-cosplayers-and-going-dates-their-virtual-lovers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3307033/why-are-young-chinese-women-hiring-cosplayers-and-going-dates-their-virtual-lovers?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Apr 2025 01:00:19 +0000 Mainland Chinese student Vixie Zhao arrived from Beijing six months ago to start her master's degree programme and the first thing she bought was an annual pass to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. A long-time Disney fan, the 23-year-old has been heading to the theme park at least once a week to study, rather than take in the attractions or ride the roller coasters. “The ambience here is so uplifting, it’s like being in a sanctuary and it helps you forget life’s worries,” she said. The trend of young... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3302469/blissful-hong-kong-disneyland-lures-visitors-looking-place-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3302469/blissful-hong-kong-disneyland-lures-visitors-looking-place-study?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Mar 2025 00:00:21 +0000 Ambrose Li,Sophie Li Ambrose Li,Sophie Li Donning a wedding suit and gown, To Sheung-hin and Chan Kit-fong are cheered on by family members at a banquet hall in Hong Kong as they renew the vows they first made 54 years ago. The pair, who are both in their 70s, have the longest marriage among the 20 couples front and centre at a symbolic wedding ceremony helping lovebirds aged 60 and above to celebrate their enduring love. “We didn’t manage to take any wedding pictures back then, and now [the organisers] can help us make up for this... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3288771/hong-kong-celebrates-enduring-love-wedding-ceremony-elderly-couples?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3288771/hong-kong-celebrates-enduring-love-wedding-ceremony-elderly-couples?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Nov 2024 00:30:11 +0000 Connor Mycroft,Sophie Li Connor Mycroft,Sophie Li It was nothing less than a dream come true for Hong Kong gamer Ip Chi-ho when he found himself on stage alongside South Korean esports superstars T1 in a pair of exhibition matches last month. The response of about 5,000 fans packing the AsiaWorld-Expo venue added to the thrill of appearing with the five-member Korean team led by Lee Sang-hyeok, better known as “Faker” and widely considered the greatest player in the battle-arena game League of Legends. “The cheers and enthusiasm of the audience... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3282079/hong-kong-and-esports-havent-quite-clicked-fans-urge-government-support-reboot-sector?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3282079/hong-kong-and-esports-havent-quite-clicked-fans-urge-government-support-reboot-sector?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Oct 2024 01:00:21 +0000 Seventy-year-old Hongkonger Cheng Hon-fai can perform fitness feats most people cannot even fathom doing. With nothing more than the modest playground equipment at a park in Hong Kong’s Tin Shui Wai, the retiree can swing his body around a horizontal bar over a dozen times in a row and carry himself up a pole while upside down. His lifestyle routine is simple. He mostly eats fruits and vegetables, and he prioritises getting enough sleep each night. Each day he comes to the park at around 5.30pm... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3279393/how-70-year-old-fitness-fanatic-created-street-workout-movement-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3279393/how-70-year-old-fitness-fanatic-created-street-workout-movement-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Sep 2024 01:00:12 +0000 As the September sun beat down on dozens of customers outside a bakery in Hong Kong’s Sham Shui Po district, Charles Ng Chun-kong stepped outside his store to break some bad news. The second-generation operator of Kwan Hong Bakery told the group that he was running low on the pair of new flavours – “pistachio and cream cheese” and “double pistachio” – and that those waiting towards the end of the queue might not be able to buy any. Rushing back inside to continue pressing more pistachio... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3278479/lunch-meat-mooncakes-hong-kong-bakeries-hit-and-sometimes-miss-redefining-seasonal-treat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3278479/lunch-meat-mooncakes-hong-kong-bakeries-hit-and-sometimes-miss-redefining-seasonal-treat?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Sep 2024 01:00:24 +0000 India’s Rajasthan state produces 70 percent of the country’s sandstone, with much of it exported overseas to countries like Germany and the United Kingdom for use in construction and landscaping. But many of the labourers who work in Rajasthan’s sandstone mines have paid a deadly price. In the village of Budhpura, the majority of men have died from a lung disease called silicosis, with the place becoming known as the “village of widows”. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3277456/deadly-dust-indian-village-where-silicosis-made-90-women-widows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3277456/deadly-dust-indian-village-where-silicosis-made-90-women-widows?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Sep 2024 01:00:18 +0000 Ao Meiqiong is a 73-year-old janitor who lives alone in Hong Kong’s Sham Shui Po district. She pays HK$5,200 (US$670) per month to stay in a tiny subdivided flat she calls home. As Hong Kong logged a record heat high on August 5, 2024, she was struggling to cope with two fans and a malfunctioning air conditioner. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3274714/hong-kongs-sweltering-summer-poor-elderly-struggle-stay-cool-subdivided-flats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3274714/hong-kongs-sweltering-summer-poor-elderly-struggle-stay-cool-subdivided-flats?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Aug 2024 04:30:14 +0000 Liu Ma Kee, a century-old fermented tofu manufacturer in Hong Kong, closed suddenly on Thursday, after being mired in controversy for weeks. Earlier in the month, local health authorities disclosed that recent tests on a batch of the company’s fermented bean curd showed unsatisfactory levels of the bacteria Bacillus cereus. The revelation led to a wave of condemnation from social media users. The brand, which featured in a 2021 Hong Kong Tourism Board campaign, has since admitted that key... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3271633/hong-kong-fermented-tofu-brand-liu-ma-kee-shuts-shop-amid-hygiene-and-origin-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3271633/hong-kong-fermented-tofu-brand-liu-ma-kee-shuts-shop-amid-hygiene-and-origin-row?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jul 2024 03:47:58 +0000 Chaebols are family-owned conglomerates in South Korea that have long been at the centre of public interest. Their outsized influence skyrocketed as the country rapidly emerged from post-war poverty to become a major developed economy. But chaebols have also been a source of public anger, as they earned a reputation for corruption and engaged in unfair business practices often blamed for growing inequality. Amid one of the country’s biggest scandals, huge protests in 2016 demanded the break-up... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3270096/how-powerful-are-chaebols-south-koreas-family-run-business-groups?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3270096/how-powerful-are-chaebols-south-koreas-family-run-business-groups?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Jul 2024 01:00:20 +0000 The Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong was once considered the densest settlement in the world. The sprawling neighbourhood was often characterised as a lawless enclave with poor living conditions, criminal activity and a thriving black market, trading anything from pirated goods to drugs and sex. It was demolished in 1994, but its legacy lives on through the memories of those who once lived there. Thirty years after it was torn down, former residents and others who worked there share some of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3262414/kowloon-walled-city-tales-hong-kongs-city-darkness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3262414/kowloon-walled-city-tales-hong-kongs-city-darkness?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 May 2024 02:49:48 +0000 For diehard fans who failed to get tickets to American pop star Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour in Singapore, Taylor Sheesh was the answer. The 29-year-old drag queen from the Philippines performed a nearly sold-out, two-night show in Singapore just a week after Swift left the city state, the only Southeast Asia stop on her world tour. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3256591/taylor-swift-fans-singapore-who-failed-get-tickets-eras-tour-flock-filipino-impersonators-drag-act?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3256591/taylor-swift-fans-singapore-who-failed-get-tickets-eras-tour-flock-filipino-impersonators-drag-act?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Mar 2024 06:30:22 +0000 Faced with empty nest syndrome and changing social structures as China’s population ages, many of Shanghai’s senior citizens have turned an Ikea canteen into an unlikely dating site. A group of senior singles has been gathering weekly at the Swedish furniture giant’s Xuhui outlet in the city’s southwest. While some might be lucky enough to find a companion, for most, it’s simply a chance to ease their loneliness by being part of the crowd. https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3255734/how-shanghai-ikea-canteen-became-elderly-dating-hotspot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3255734/how-shanghai-ikea-canteen-became-elderly-dating-hotspot?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Mar 2024 06:00:32 +0000 Few political observers predicted Kim Jong-un’s daughter Ju-ae would be his likely successor when she made her first public appearance in November 2022. At the time, Kim’s sister Yo-jong appeared to be a more likely heir apparent. But more than a year later, Ju-ae has become a constant presence at large-scale events, appearing at everything from missile launches to military parades. Her growing profile has forced the question: is Kim Ju-ae next in line to rule North Korea and become the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3253808/will-kim-jong-uns-daughter-ju-ae-be-next-leader-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3253808/will-kim-jong-uns-daughter-ju-ae-be-next-leader-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Mar 2024 01:00:18 +0000