History

Little Women, the American classic frequently adapted for the small screen (above), would have been “Little Wimmen” if lexicologist Noah Webster’s respelling of “women” had been adopted. Photo: AP

Remembering the American who gave the world ‘honor’ and ‘color’

October 16 marks the 260th birth anniversary of lexicographer Noah Webster, whose dictionary remains the American standard.

13 Oct 2018 - 4:14pm

A journey back through time to look at significant news and events reported by the South China Morning Post from this week in history

A Filipino actress’ virginity and Britain’s flea epidemic: past headlines

11 Oct 2018 - 10:32pm

A sultan lured a Dutchman to Sumatra 150 years ago to launch tobacco growing. Initially successful, the industry withered after Sukarno’s nationalisation and was eclipsed by palm oil. A museum recalls the glory days

How Havana of the East gave up on tobacco growing

12 Oct 2018 - 12:07am

The sock belonged to a child in Roman-era ancient Egypt and showed clever use of dyes. Photo: courtesy British Museum

Secrets of ancient Egyptian stripy sock unlocked by imaging technology

9 Oct 2018 - 11:55am

Illustration: Craig Stephens

How Hong Kong’s cultural flourishing can help solve its identity crisis

5 Oct 2018 - 7:08am 2

Zenia Harverson said her neighbours were trying to poison her. Photo: SCMP Pictures

A dead Australian heiress and a nuclear submarine plot: past headlines

4 Oct 2018 - 12:31pm

Social media erupts over screenshots of derogatory messages described as anti-Chinese hate speech

Foreigners accused of racial slurs and insults in China WeChat group

3 Oct 2018 - 8:14pm 39

After years of discussion, work is due to begin soon to recreate key parts of Stratford-upon-Avon in a development which will also pay homage to ‘China’s Shakespeare’ Tang Xianzu and Spain’s Miguel de Cervantes

China’s replica of Shakespeare’s birthplace coming in 2022

3 Oct 2018 - 2:50pm 1

Modern renderings of the four men historically recognised as the most beautiful in ancient China. (From left) Wei Jie, Pan An, Ji Kang and Prince Lanling. Images: mafengwo.cn

‘Sissy man’ look has been flaunted for centuries by celebrated figures

30 Sep 2018 - 3:01pm 1

Tjong A Fie helped build the city of Medan, and gave it hospitals, schools and places of worship. He also built himself a mansion. Now badly in need of repair, it has been made a museum by his heirs to funds its restoration

Opium baron, social reformer, philanthropist: a Chinese Indonesian legacy

29 Sep 2018 - 7:20pm

Unlike many countries and cities worldwide, Hong Kong has no postcode.

You’ve got mail ... but no postcode: why so for Hong Kong?

1 Oct 2018 - 10:25am 11

A protester calling for a defence of the Hong Kong Basic Law and “one country, two systems” holds a British flag during a rally on January 1. Photo: AP

Frustrated Hongkongers must stop using colonial nostalgia as a political weapon

28 Sep 2018 - 5:49pm 130

Suspected drug lord Ma Sik-chun being escorted by police officers at the Central Court in 1977. Photo: SCMP

Road tests for prams and the porn habits of Hongkongers: past headlines

27 Sep 2018 - 8:32pm

After decades of conflicting evidence and numerous publications, scientists at international conservation charity ZSL’s (Zoological Society of London) Institute of Zoology, have finally put the ‘world’s largest bird’ debate to rest. Photo: AFP

Mystery of the world’s biggest bird has been solved

26 Sep 2018 - 10:35pm

Ship believed to have sunk near Lisbon after returning from India laden with spices

Sunken remains of 400-year-old ship called ‘discovery of decade’

25 Sep 2018 - 9:46pm

Commuters wait to board a Kowloon-Canton Railway train at the new Tai Wai station in 1986. The KCR was criticised at its inception for being a ‘white elephant’ but proved to be very popular. Photo: SCMP

How KCR history explains the need for Hong Kong’s high-speed rail

24 Sep 2018 - 5:16pm

The world’s tallest Confucius statue will be formally launched on Monday in Qufu, east China’s Shandong province. Photo: Xinhua

World’s largest Confucius statue to open in sage’s east China home

21 Sep 2018 - 5:21pm 5

A journey back through time to look at significant news and events reported by the South China Morning Post from this week in history

Mahjong-playing imperial guards, twins by different dads: past headlines

21 Sep 2018 - 1:07pm

Oversteegen and her sister were part of a band of female resistance fighters, who sabotaged bridges, smuggled Jewish children out of the Netherlands, and ‘liquidated’ amorous Nazis they picked up in bars

Death of Dutch hero, who seduced Nazis and killed them when she was 14

17 Sep 2018 - 8:18pm 5

Taxis wait for passengers in Tsim Sha Tsui ahead of a fare increase in the late 1970s. Photo: Chan Kiu

‘King of Liars’, parking meters and the last Warner brother: past headlines

14 Sep 2018 - 4:33pm 2

Opponents of archaeological digs by the Kremlin-backed Russian Military History Society say they are trying to cover up Stalinist purges in a forest where thousands were executed

Kremlin archaeologists are accused of burying Stalin’s atrocities

13 Sep 2018 - 12:25pm

The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s proposal to rebuild the collapsed block at Tai Kwun has been welcomed by government advisers. Photo: Sam Tsang

Mixed reaction to Jockey Club’s plan for Tai Kwun rebuild

7 Sep 2018 - 2:32pm 2

Residents got their first look at Hong Kong’s MTR in 1978. Photo: Chan Kiu

Australia’s not-so-secret spy appeal, smallpox warning, and an MTR preview

6 Sep 2018 - 6:41pm 1

Firetrucks parked outside the National Museum after it was gutted by a fire in Rio de Janeiro. Photo: AP

Probe begins into Rio museum blaze that destroyed most exhibits

4 Sep 2018 - 10:37pm 2

People watch as a fire burns at the National Museum of Brazil. Photo: Reuters

Firefighters try to save relics as blaze engulfs Brazil’s National Museum

3 Sep 2018 - 5:00pm 1

Ryan Gosling playing Neil Armstrong in the film ‘First Man’. Photo: AP

Neil Armstrong biopic ‘unpatriotic’ for not showing US flag-planting

1 Sep 2018 - 5:03pm 2

The old Hongkong Club Building on Statue Square in Central in 1978. Photo: Sunny Lee

Yves Saint Laurent perfume ban, motorcycle worries: past headlines

30 Aug 2018 - 9:45pm

Infantrymen of the British army storm the forts of Amoy (Xiamen) in the Battle of Amoy (1841) during the First Opium War. Photo: World History Archive/Alamy Stock Photo

Why Hong Kong should have reformed history curriculum long ago

28 Aug 2018 - 5:31pm 2

A vintage painting of The Endeavour, the ship Captain James Cook sailed to Australia and New Zealand from 1768 to 1771 and which still had a part to play in history years after its famous voyage.

Not just a ship, Captain Cook’s Endeavour captured spirit of the age

28 Aug 2018 - 6:35pm

You may also like

It will take a strategic, decades-long US effort to manage a power rivalry with China, but none appears to be in the cards, Ankit Panda writes

China

How Trump’s partisan policies rubbed salt in wounded China-US ties

6 Oct 2018 - 10:39pm 16

In conversation with Tan Dun: the Oscar-winning Chinese composer and cultural preserver

In conversation with Tan Dun: the Oscar-winning Chinese composer and cultural preserver

From arms to energy, Russian influence in the region is growing ever greater – and key to Moscow’s route to dominance is its unique relationship with Beijing

Long Reads

Balance Trump, cosy up to China, Koreas: Russia’s play for Asia

24 Sep 2018 - 4:14pm 22

Portrait of Chen Sze Long, CEO of ATLAS

ATLAS to expand ventures after securing HK$6.8 billion investment

While fans focused on the race last week, others were revelling in a world where there’s a fine line between romance and remittance … and tourism officials weren’t happy about it

Society

How Singapore’s F1 fling with sugar daddies turned sour

26 Sep 2018 - 5:50pm 17

Yoga ball murder victim Wong Siew Fing (left) and her younger sister Wong Siew Fong, aged eight and six respectively. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong

Yoga ball murderer was a manipulative, bullying husband: sister-in-law

24 Sep 2018 - 3:01pm

Jeongja Han, director of Tail Project, a company that specialises in cleaning out and disposing of property accumulated by the deceased, after completing a clean-out job. Pictures: Noriko Hayashi for Bloomberg Businessweek

Post Magazine

Dying alone in Japan: the industry devoted to what’s left behind

24 Sep 2018 - 10:11am

Hung, 66, plies her trade in Sham Shui Po, a popular ground for ‘street stall grannies’. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Hong Kong

‘Street stall grannies’ a sign Hong Kong elderly falling through cracks

22 Sep 2018 - 12:17pm 8

Xiaolongbao : Shanghai dumplings made the old fashioned way

China

Xiaolongbao : Shanghai dumplings made the old fashioned way

Sep 20th 2018, 12:05pm

Tencent has frequently added innovations to WeChat, designed to drive growth and loyalty, the latest being mini programs

Business

The WeChat story: how Tencent's super-app changed China

16 Aug 2018 - 3:39pm 4

Redcore, which recently raised 250 million yuan (US$36 million) in funding, said on its website that its browser had ‘broken the American monopoly’

Business

‘100pc China-developed browser’ is built on Google’s Chrome, CEO admits

17 Aug 2018 - 9:17pm 205

A model displays a Chinese passport and mainland ID card, similar to the one that will be issued to residents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Photo: Weibo

Hong Kong

New ID card will give Hongkongers access to public services on mainland

20 Aug 2018 - 11:37am 35