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Chinese culture

Chinese culture
Latest news and updates on Chinese culture including the country’s traditions, food, values, history and festivals.
What’s your luck like in the Water Snake month from May 6 to June 4? Illustration: SCMP Graphics
Horoscopes

Horoscopes: what’s your luck like in May and early June 2026, Water Snake month?

Snakes will have to work harder, Dragons can play to their strengths, and Rabbits should pay attention to health this month.

2026 Xi-Trump summit

The message China wants to send by hosting Trump at Temple of Heaven

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | A Man and a Woman: Hong Kong-set quarantine drama is a tough watch

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Food and Drinks

‘Liquid yin and yang’? How Hong Kong bartenders work with Chinese chefs

Leading mixologists from Duddell’s, Vea and Mott 32 share their tips on curating ideal flavour pairings between cocktails and courses.

In Hong Kong, Duddell’s cocktails draw inspiration from the Ba Gua and are specifically designed to pair with the restaurant’s Cantonese cuisine. Photo: Handout
Wellness

Why tai chi and qigong are great for health, and English classes in Hong Kong

The Chinese ‘internal’ arts of tai chi and qigong offer a host of health benefits and are slowly becoming more accessible to English speakers.

Asia travel

Best things to do in China’s Nanjing, from food and architecture to history

Planning a weekend in Nanjing? Here’s an itinerary to consider for visiting the bustling metropolis in eastern China.

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Food and Drinks

Mandarin peel ice cream? Chun pei, a TCM ingredient, is gaining favour

Dried mandarin peel was first used in dishes to impress Chinese emperors. Today, it can be found in everything from drinks to desserts.

In April 2026, Venchi debuted its 30-year dried mandarin peel and red bean dessert gelato. It is one of the many ways that chun pei (dried mandarin peel) is being reinvented. Photo: Joyce Yip
What to do in Hong Kong

5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this Mother’s Day weekend, May 8-10

From an artisan Mother’s Day market to food, fashion and music, check out our recommendations for things to do around the city this weekend.

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Style Edit

Style Edit: Chow Tai Fook’s Dawn collection, where elegance meets artistry

Tang dynasty Baoxiang florals, classy enamel hues and fluid gold craftsmanship make for a timeless collection of rings, bangles and necklaces.

Trending in China

In China, number of clothing buttons holds meaning; specific counts assigned for the dead

According to Chinese tradition, the manner in which a person does their garment up can have consequences, from bad luck to taking a beating.

In traditional Chinese culture, the number of buttons on clothing holds significant meaning. Photo: SCMP composite/RedNote
Art

Gardens of China and Europe juxtaposed in spectacular Hong Kong exhibition

A new exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of Art features works including Monet’s water lilies and Qing dynasty masterpieces.

The Water Theatre (c. 1700) by anonymous is one of the artworks on loan from the Palace of Versailles in “Blooming: The Art of Gardens in East and West” at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Photo: Collection of the Palace of Versailles
Chinese history

Beautiful, power-hungry: how Wu Zetian became China’s only female emperor

A legitimate ruler for 15 years – but de facto leader for years more than that – Wu Zetian is remembered as a complex character.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Why Angela Mao, aka ‘the new Bruce Lee’, was a better fighter than Michelle Yeoh

Angela Mao, star of hits like Hapkido and Lady Whirlwind, was billed as the ‘new Bruce Lee’ by Golden Harvest after his death.

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China’s soft power

Why are modern Chinese audiences shying away from dubbed films?

Greater subtitle literacy among streaming viewers is among factors chipping away at enthusiasm for dubbed movies in China.

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The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956) is among much-loved cinematic classics that have for decades been enjoyed in China dubbed into Chinese. But audiences are shifting away from dubbed productions. Photo: Paris Film Productions
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Ancient Chinese sleep advice, from bedtimes and body positions to state of mind

For premodern Chinese people, sleep was much more than daily rest – it was a cultivated discipline and a medical necessity.

The ancient Chinese believed that the ideal sleep schedule followed nature’s rhythms, and rising early was prized. Photo: Shutterstock
Donald Trump

Why King Charles’ ‘Trump bell’ gift amuses Chinese internet users

The king’s present – which came just days after the third assassination attempt on Trump – is a Chinese homophone for ‘attending the dying’.

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Food and Drinks

Asian-American mother challenges tough Chinese traditions for new mums

Clarissa Wei’s cookbook ‘Sitting the Month’ puts a modern spin on the traditional Chinese foods typically given to post-partum mothers.

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Food and Drinks

On the Menu | It is sweet how Chinese desserts are having their moment again

Dubai chocolate, croffles and matcha tarts are temporary, while Chinese sweet soups – known as tong sui in Cantonese – are forever.

Stewed papaya with snow fungus (left) and black sesame soup served at Kai Kai Dessert, Mong Kok, Hong Kong. Photo: Alexander Mak
Mahjong

It started with Crazy Rich Asians. How mahjong is booming across the US

Thriving mahjong clubs in places like Denver are fostering community and connection across generations and cultures.

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Food and Drinks

At London restaurant Ikoyi, Jeremy Chan gives a taste of his Hong Kong childhood

Jeremy Chan spent his first eight years in Hong Kong. His menu on April 23 for two-Michelin-star restaurant Ikoyi, in London, reflected that.

Style Edit

Style Edit: Poly MGM Museum’s new ‘Silk Roads Beyond Borders’ treasures

New Italian and Persian treasures make their Asia debut, expanding the museum’s Silk Road narrative with rare works that illuminate centuries of East-West exchange.

Michele Marieschi’s Ca’ Foscari and Palazzo Balbi on the Grand Canal (c.1738-1740). Photo: Fotostudio Rapuzzi
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

The bloody legacy of The One-Armed Swordsman film sequels

The two follow-ups to The One-Armed Swordsman are somewhat different to the original hit film but plenty of blood runs through all three.

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David Chiang Da-wei in a still from The New One-Armed Swordsman, a 1971 Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Chang Cheh.
Food and Drinks

Not just home to Lao Gan Ma, Guizhou is where China’s chilli culture was born

Guizhou people were the first in Chinese history recorded as eating chillies. Now the spice-loving province is China’s top chilli producer.

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Lessons from China's history

Reflections | The history of China’s hospitality industry and how its inns evolved over time

Private inns served travelling merchants in ancient China and grew in number and sophistication as the economy and infrastructure expanded.

Wellness

Are ice baths good for you? What you need to know before taking the plunge

Ice baths and cold plunges are springing up across Hong Kong, but will traditional Chinese medicine ideas freeze them out of the market?

Cold-water immersion such as ice baths and cold plunges are said to come with a host of health benefits, but one possible cultural counter-current in Hong Kong could be traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theories. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong economy

Hongkongers find value, space and style in Shenzhen’s new cultural hotspots

Short cross‑border getaways emerging as the ‘quick escape’ of choice, with the newly opened Shenzhen Bay Culture Square adding to appeal.

Illustration: Henry Wong
China’s Communist Party

China must ‘strengthen education’ of Tibetan Buddhists, Beijing official says

On inspection tour, Li Ganjie urges local authorities to promote new ‘unity’ law to ethnic minority groups.

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Food and Drinks

The soy sauce artisans making the Chinese condiment with a dash of attitude

Two craft soy sauce makers in Sweden and Australia are turning away from ‘boring’ mass production methods to make the condiment in new ways.

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