https://www.scmp.com/rss/518989/feed Crystal holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Hong Kong. She is a video journalist with a passion for telling human and political stories. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Crystal Wu Crystal Wu While dating apps have become a popular way for many single people to meet potential partners, some senior citizens in China are using a different approach. They converge in an area of Lotus Mountain in the southern province of Guangdong and put up posters of themselves. The place known as “matchmaking corner” is where elderly people try to arrange dates with others in hopes of finding someone to share their golden years with. https://www.scmp.com/culture/article/3343449/only-01-chance-elderly-chinese-look-love-shenzhens-matchmaking-corner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/article/3343449/only-01-chance-elderly-chinese-look-love-shenzhens-matchmaking-corner?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 01:01:08 +0000 Crystal Wu,Yuki Tsang Crystal Wu,Yuki Tsang Hong Kong’s classic white-and-green Star Ferry has been sailing across Victoria Harbour for over 120 years, transporting passengers between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. However, it has not been smooth sailing. The ferry has managed to stay afloat amid turbulent waters, including the 1966 riots, World War II, and the Covid-19 pandemic. How did a HK$4 (US$0.50) ferry ride transform from a mere transport tool into a Hong Kong icon? This episode of Hong Kong Authentic takes you through the history... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3319682/war-covid-19-how-hong-kongs-star-ferry-stayed-afloat-last-127-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3319682/war-covid-19-how-hong-kongs-star-ferry-stayed-afloat-last-127-years?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Jul 2025 02:00:36 +0000 Crystal Wu Crystal Wu In 2015, China launched an ambitious 10-year plan – dubbed “Made in China 2025” – to achieve self-reliance, innovation and strength in manufacturing. At the time, the nation was known as the “world’s factory” and stood at the lower end of the global industrial value chain. A tech war between the US and China affected the plan significantly. Yet more than 86 per cent of Beijing’s goals have been met, with several remaining targets likely to be achieved by the end of 2025. SCMP Plus subscribers... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3316828/worlds-factory-made-china-2025-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3316828/worlds-factory-made-china-2025-success?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jul 2025 02:31:59 +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 Crystal Wu Crystal Wu South Korea will hold its presidential election on June 3 and the political divide among young first-time voters appears to be widening along gender lines. Young women are expected to lead a broad political backlash against the main conservative party after months of upheaval, but their male counterparts seem likely to side with the conservative camp. A recent Gallup Korea poll showed more than half of men aged 18-29 are backing right-wing parties such as the Reform Party and People Power Party... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3312304/south-korea-political-divide-widens-along-gender-lines-young-first-time-voters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3312304/south-korea-political-divide-widens-along-gender-lines-young-first-time-voters?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 May 2025 09:25:21 +0000 Crystal Wu Crystal Wu Thai farmer Daeng Donsingha was already worried for her family of nine when rice prices crashed this year as the world’s second-largest exporter of the staple faced a resumption of Indian exports. Now, she is also worried about tariffs unleashed by US President Donald Trump that could slash demand for Thai rice in the nation’s most valuable foreign market and create turmoil in an export industry worth billions of dollars. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3308248/thai-rice-farmers-brace-impact-us-tariffs-we-wont-survive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3308248/thai-rice-farmers-brace-impact-us-tariffs-we-wont-survive?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Apr 2025 12:54:11 +0000 Indonesia has long suffered from air pollution, partly driven by its addiction to old and inefficient cars and scooters. As the country’s leaders push to get more electric vehicles (EVs) on the roads, an Indonesian company is doing its part by converting vintage Vespas into electric scooters. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3307110/vespa-love-affair-indonesians-turning-vintage-scooters-electric?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3307110/vespa-love-affair-indonesians-turning-vintage-scooters-electric?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Apr 2025 11:45:27 +0000 Teacher Lolita Akim keeps five standing fans running as she tries to hold the attention of her pint-sized pupils at a kindergarten in the Philippine capital. Akim is among many educators on the front lines of a fight to keep students safe and engaged in Manila’s soaring heat. Authorities agreed to adjust the school calendar in the 2024-25 academic year so the term ends before peak heat arrives in May. Class times have also been shifted to avoid having children exposed to midday heat, and most... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3306455/early-holiday-more-fans-philippine-schools-implement-measures-cope-extreme-heat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3306455/early-holiday-more-fans-philippine-schools-implement-measures-cope-extreme-heat?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Apr 2025 09:18:02 +0000 Thousands of people were evacuated from parts of Jakarta on Tuesday after heavy rain caused flooding around the Indonesian capital. Torrential rain triggered floods as deep as 3 metres (9.8 feet) in and around the city, blocking some roads and submerging more than 1,000 houses and many cars, according to the country’s disaster agency. Officials predicted the severe weather would continue for several more days. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3301100/floods-indonesian-capital-jakarta-displace-thousands-all-my-belongings-are-gone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3301100/floods-indonesian-capital-jakarta-displace-thousands-all-my-belongings-are-gone?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Mar 2025 03:47:31 +0000 At a university laboratory in Tokyo, a life-size robot leans over a man lying on his back. The machine gently puts one hand on the man’s knee and the other on his shoulder and rolls him slowly onto his side. The AI-driven Robot for Embrace and Care (AIREC) was designed by a team of researchers at Waseda University to carry out tasks such as changing diapers or performing movements to prevent sores among bedridden elderly people or patients in critical care. Japan’s shrinking working-age... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3300818/ageing-japan-turns-ai-robots-care-elderly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3300818/ageing-japan-turns-ai-robots-care-elderly?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Mar 2025 07:00:06 +0000 The Tokyo government is set to introduce a four-day work week for its employees starting in April 2025, following a similar move made by Singapore in December. Governments and companies in Asia have generally been slower than their Western counterparts in taking steps to adopt a healthy work-life balance. For decades, Japan’s work culture has been synonymous with gruelling hours and self-sacrifice. Is Tokyo’s introduction of a four-day work week the start of a shift away from a culture of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3300614/it-possible-people-asia-adopt-4-day-working-week?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3300614/it-possible-people-asia-adopt-4-day-working-week?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Feb 2025 12:30:45 +0000 Argentina and Japan may be separated by thousands of kilometres of land and ocean, but Hiyori Kon is helping bring the two countries closer through the traditional Japanese sport of sumo. As a decorated female sumo wrestler, Hiyori moved to Argentina in 2023 after finding opportunities for female sumo wrestlers in Japan were scarce. Since then, she has trained dozens of sumo students and battled for gender equality in the male-centric sport. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3299985/female-sumo-wrestler-brings-sport-argentina-breaking-gender-barriers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3299985/female-sumo-wrestler-brings-sport-argentina-breaking-gender-barriers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Feb 2025 03:05:16 +0000 Growing up in the rugged northern reaches of Pakistan, Anita Karim honed her combat skills fighting with three older brothers who pulled no punches. The bruising experience prepared her for a career in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) – blending Thai kickboxing, Japanese judo and wrestling – and has led her to becoming the nation’s pre-eminent woman fighter. Eight years ago, she won the right to enter the ring, swiftly becoming Pakistan’s first internationally competing woman MMA fighter. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3298724/arm-collector-pioneering-pakistan-woman-mma-fighter-breaks-barriers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3298724/arm-collector-pioneering-pakistan-woman-mma-fighter-breaks-barriers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Feb 2025 09:10:31 +0000 The Vietnamese capital Hanoi has taken the top spot for air pollution among global cities, according to the Air Quality Index (AQI) operated by leading air-quality technology company IQAir on February 12, 2025. Persistent smog has residents and tourists alike worried about whether the hazardous air may be causing long-term damage to human health. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3298487/it-extremely-uncomfortable-hanoi-becomes-worlds-most-polluted-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3298487/it-extremely-uncomfortable-hanoi-becomes-worlds-most-polluted-city?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Feb 2025 05:39:12 +0000 A police initiative in the Pakistani city of Lahore is helping to empower local women. The “Women on Wheels” programme teaches women how to ride motorcycles, a female taboo in the conservative Muslim country. Started in 2017, the free programme has so far trained around 6,600 women. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3295143/how-local-police-programme-helping-empower-women-pakistan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3295143/how-local-police-programme-helping-empower-women-pakistan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Jan 2025 09:30:08 +0000 The South Korean capital Seoul was blanketed by the heaviest November snowfall on record on Wednesday. Local media reported that at least two people had been killed. Bad weather snarled traffic and knocked out power, with more than 200 mostly domestic flights cancelled or delayed. Airports across the country experienced severe weather and at least 70 ferries serving islands were suspended. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3288449/hundreds-flights-grounded-record-breaking-november-snow-hits-south-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3288449/hundreds-flights-grounded-record-breaking-november-snow-hits-south-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Nov 2024 06:00:30 +0000 Thai police said they foiled a smuggling operation in the northern province of Chiang Mai bordering Myanmar on November 16. It followed a tip-off from an undercover officer that a pickup truck loaded with hard drugs was arriving through Chiang Mai. Bodycam footage shows officers exchanging gunfire with the suspects, who later managed to escape after abandoning the vehicle. Police said a search of the truck uncovered nine sacks stuffed with 110 bags of crystal meth, each weighing 1kg (2.2lbs). https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3288135/dramatic-bodycam-footage-shows-police-chasing-drug-mules-thailand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3288135/dramatic-bodycam-footage-shows-police-chasing-drug-mules-thailand?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Nov 2024 04:49:56 +0000 Crystal Wu Crystal Wu A large fire engulfed hundreds of shanty houses in a downtown slum area of the Philippine capital Manila on Sunday. Drone footage shared by the city government’s disaster management office showed the extent of the fire, which razed houses along the port area. Authorities have not announced any cause of the fire, but past blazes have been related to faulty electrical wiring. The Philippines has a patchy record in enforcing fire safety in buildings, homes and offices. In August, 11 people died... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3287966/fire-manila-engulfs-hundreds-shanty-houses-everything-gone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3287966/fire-manila-engulfs-hundreds-shanty-houses-everything-gone?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Nov 2024 03:51:19 +0000 Super Typhoon Usagi made landfall in the Philippines on Thursday as authorities ordered evacuations in many of the country’s northeastern towns. Usagi is the fifth typhoon in a month to hit the archipelago nation. More than 24,000 people in Cagayan have been forced to flee amid the series of storms, according to government data. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3286653/philippines-braces-super-typhoon-usagi-fifth-major-storm-month?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3286653/philippines-braces-super-typhoon-usagi-fifth-major-storm-month?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Nov 2024 02:36:48 +0000 Police rounded up Halloween party-goers in Shanghai on October 26, 2024. Video posted on social media showed officers targeting people wearing Halloween costumes. Some of the revellers posted on social media that they were taken to a police station where they were forced to remove their make-up. Those rounded up were required to register their names, ID numbers and phone numbers with police before being released. In 2023, Halloween revellers thronged streets in the central part of the Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3284172/chinese-police-detain-halloween-party-goers-crackdown-shanghai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3284172/chinese-police-detain-halloween-party-goers-crackdown-shanghai?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Oct 2024 09:17:26 +0000 Renowned American trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis was recently in China for a series of performances before an appreciative crowd. He says the universal language of jazz can help bridge the divide in today’s complex world. “I’m a part of a legacy. You know, my father [pianist Ellis Marsalis], he’s passed away, but I try to live up to what he did and continue things, but there’s so many people on Earth and the only thing constant is change”, says the nine-time Grammy-winning artist. https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3283855/jazz-great-wynton-marsalis-how-music-can-help-bridge-divided-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3283855/jazz-great-wynton-marsalis-how-music-can-help-bridge-divided-world?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Oct 2024 09:15:12 +0000 The Bajau Laut is an indigenous seaborne community in Malaysia. They have lived off eastern Sabah for centuries in wooden homes built over water in the Tun Sakaran Marine Park. However, a security crackdown on cross-border crime since June 2024 has left hundreds of Bajau Laut homeless, after authorities burned down and demolished what they described as illegal structures in the park in Semporna district. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3283537/malaysias-eviction-sea-nomads-casts-light-precarious-lives?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3283537/malaysias-eviction-sea-nomads-casts-light-precarious-lives?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Oct 2024 10:15:13 +0000 While the global wine industry has been predominantly led by men, in China a different story is emerging. Take Emma Gao. She is Chief Winemaker of Silver Heights in China’s Ningxia province. She is among the first Chinese women to get an oenology degree, having honed her craft after a stint in the French Bordeaux region. These days, Gao’s wines are served at Chinese state dinners. https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3282879/how-some-best-wines-china-are-being-made-women?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3282879/how-some-best-wines-china-are-being-made-women?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Oct 2024 09:15:09 +0000 China has the world’s largest high-speed railway. Known as an “infrastructure monster”, it only took about 20 years for the country to develop the 45,000km (28,000-mile) network. The country also exports railway technology as a key part of the Belt and Road Initiative, the central government’s plan to link economies into a China-centred trading network. The scope of the infrastructure project was hailed as an example of the sort of development that was only possible thanks to China’s central... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3282099/infrastructure-monster-how-china-built-worlds-longest-high-speed-railway?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3282099/infrastructure-monster-how-china-built-worlds-longest-high-speed-railway?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Oct 2024 02:23:54 +0000 The summer of 2024 was the hottest on record in Japan since 1898, according to the country’s weather agency. The warming trend has led to increasingly frequent violent storms, described as “guerilla downpours”. The trend has forced Tokyo authorities to expand underground tunnels to protect the Japanese capital from catastrophic flooding. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3281116/tokyo-expands-underground-tunnels-protect-japanese-capital-guerilla-downpours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3281116/tokyo-expands-underground-tunnels-protect-japanese-capital-guerilla-downpours?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Oct 2024 10:15:07 +0000 An architecturally striking school stands out in the middle of a desert in the Indian state of Rajasthan. But Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls’ School has won praise not just for how it looks. It also offers respite from searing heat, because of a combination of age-old techniques and innovative modern design. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3280207/innovative-design-turns-indian-school-desert-oasis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3280207/innovative-design-turns-indian-school-desert-oasis?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Sep 2024 09:30:16 +0000 Cooking, cleaning and caring for children during the day, Chen Hualiang takes on household tasks that many Chinese fathers tend to leave to their wives. Chen’s experiences not only buck a deep-rooted patriarchal tradition – they have also inspired a hit television show. The former project manager gave up the workplace rat race to join the growing ranks of what are known as “full-time dads” in China. The trend has coincided with a broader recognition of women’s rights and access to higher... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3279905/chinas-full-time-dads-challenge-patriarchal-norms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3279905/chinas-full-time-dads-challenge-patriarchal-norms?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Sep 2024 09:08:41 +0000 Green campaigners at a diving resort in the Philippines have come up with a novel way to clear beaches of plastic pollution, by exchanging rubbish for rice. https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3275656/philippines-diving-resort-exchanges-beach-plastic-waste-food?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3275656/philippines-diving-resort-exchanges-beach-plastic-waste-food?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Aug 2024 08:15:12 +0000 Visiting haunted houses is a long-standing summer tradition in Japan, but not just for the scary thrills. Many patrons are drawn to the refreshing chills that offer a respite from the scorching heat and humidity, thanks to modern air conditioning. Japanese summers have become harder to bear, partly because of climate change. In central Tokyo, 123 people died of heatstroke in July 2024. Over the first seven months of the year, the number of ambulance dispatches in the capital also broke records. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3274495/japan-haunted-houses-are-refreshing-respite-scorching-summer-heat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3274495/japan-haunted-houses-are-refreshing-respite-scorching-summer-heat?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Aug 2024 02:15:17 +0000 Indian devotees believe the Chilkur Balaji temple in the southern city of Hyderabad has been particularly effective in blessing people with a successful US visa application, so much so that it is locally known as the “visa temple”. More than 1,000 Hindu worshippers visit the temple every day for a chance to live the American dream, chanting the visa god’s name “Govinda” while circling the temple. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3274367/hindu-worshippers-india-throng-visa-temple-pray-successful-path-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3274367/hindu-worshippers-india-throng-visa-temple-pray-successful-path-us?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Aug 2024 02:46:12 +0000