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Professor Pan Jianwei of the University of Science and Technology of China delivers a lecture at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in September 2016. Professor Pan’s team recently settled a disagreement between Albert Einstein and Nils Bohr. Photo: Dickson Lee
Science

Editorial | China is no longer a follower in the race for quantum supremacy

A Chinese team recreated one of Einstein’s famous thought experiments, the results of which could help improve technologies like quantum computing.

Britain

600 artefacts stolen from Bristol’s British Empire collection in daring heist

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Chinese culture

How Boston Chinatown overcame constant threats to win its place in history

South Korea

Shaman rumours resurface as South Korea returns to Blue House

After Yoon Suk-yeol wasted millions on a move critics linked to fortune-tellers, the presidential office is returning to its historic home.

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People visit the Blue House in Seoul in 2022. Photo: AP
France

Paris Louvre faces strike after major leak and robbery

Louvre staff warn of ‘collapse’ as they protest work conditions at the world’s most visited museum.

Old Hong Kong

In pictures: a taste for winter warming fare, Hong Kong style

How Hongkongers keep warm in the winter, from steaming hotpot and snake soup to roasted chestnuts and bowls of crispy claypot rice.

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China-Russia relations

Opinion | Despite their strong ties, Russia and China are emotional opposites

Moscow is haunted by a longing for Western approval in contrast to Beijing, which focuses on borrowing what works and changing what doesn’t.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
France

Water leak at Paris Louvre damages books at Egyptian antiquities department

The leak underscores the deteriorating state of the world’s most visited museum just weeks after a jewel heist exposed security flaws.

Egypt

This man has gone viral for his resemblance to an ancient Egyptian king

Egyptian influencer Youssef Mohamed hopes his resemblance to Pharaoh Akhenaten fuels further interest in ancient Egyptian history.

Singapore

Singapore launches book on Malaysia separation with declassified files

‘The Albatross File: Inside Separation’ sheds light on the negotiations leading up to Singapore’s break from Malaysia.

Lee Kuan Yew meeting the press on the morning of Singapore’s separation from Malaysia on August 9, 1965. Photo: Straits Times
Chinese culture

Language Matters | The enduring legacy of bamboo, a symbol of resilience and strength in Asia

Bamboo is used in everything from construction to food throughout Asia, and even lends itself to global concepts like the ‘bamboo curtain’.

Bamboo poles are seen used in the construction of a pavilion in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong. Bamboo is used in everything from construction to food throughout Asia. Photo: Eugene Lee
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | In wake of Tai Po blaze, China’s long and difficult struggle fighting fire

The qualities that made buildings beautiful in premodern Chinese cities also made them dangerously flammable, and fire was a constant threat.

Art

Eileen Chang exhibition in Hong Kong reveals the woman behind the icon

Photos, letters, manuscripts and even furniture at the Museum of Modern Chinese Literature preserve Chang’s legacy 30 years after her death.

Africa

African nations push for recognition of colonial crimes and reparations

The economic cost of colonialism in Africa is believed to be staggering, with some estimates putting the cost of plunder in the trillions.

French troops in Algiers in 1956. The North African nation of Algeria suffered some of the most brutal forms of colonial rule. Photo: AP
Japan

Why report on ship sunk in WWII may test South Korea-Japan ties

Among the issues, both sides could not agree on the number of deaths from the sinking of the ship carrying Korean labourers.

South Korean survivors gathered in Seoul in 2001 to pay tribute to victims of the sunken Imperial Japanese Navy transport vessel Ukishima Maru. Photo: AP
Pets

When did domestic cats arrive in Europe? Much later than previously thought

Domestic cats may have arrived in Europe 2,000 years ago via Roman trade routes, not with farmers in prehistoric times, a new study says.

Science

How Cleopatra’s bath loofah may help PLA jets to vanish from space radars

From ancient royal baths to future stealth warfare – a humble kitchen vegetable may hold the key to defeating space-based radar hunters.

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Japan

Petition filed in Japan over K-pop act Aespa’s singer posting atomic bomb image

A petition has been filed calling for Aespa, a popular K-pop group, to be banned from taking part in a New Year’s Eve music event in Japan.

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Ningning, a singer from popular K-pop group Aespa. The group has been invited to perform at the annual “Kohaku Uta Gassen” singing contest in Japan. Photo: Instagram/ @aespa_official
Science

As I see it | Not all genetic questions about race are racist

Without denying the offensive remarks of James Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA structure, some of his speculation on race does have merit.

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Switzerland

Swiss police hunt 2 men after gold heist at museum, in echoes of Louvre robbery

Police said the men had bought tickets and waited until near closing time to overpower the guard and flee with dozens of gold coins.

Chinese culture

How one factory is keeping Hong Kong’s porcelain craft alive

Set up in 1928, Yuet Tung China Works produces guangcai porcelain used by luxury hotels in Hong Kong and royal families in Europe.

Yuet Tung China Works, a porcelain factory in Hong Kong’s Kowloon Bay neighbourhood, has four showrooms, the shelves stacked from floor to ceiling with plates, bowls tea sets and vases, many bursting with traditional motifs such as flowers, dragons, phoenixes and carp. NOV 12, 2025. Photo: Kylie Knott
Art

The enigmatic collectors’ society opening its vault of Chinese masterpieces

Hundreds of exceptional works go on show at HKMoA as a famously discreet circle of collectors marks its 65th year.

The Engaging Past Wisdom: Min Chiu Society at Sixty-five exhibition at HKMoA includes a pendant of a dancing woman, dating back to the 3rd century BC. Photo: Jocelyn Tam
Hong Kong environmental issues

Hong Kong’s whale of a tale: famous skeleton at Shek O gets new lease of life

Damaged skeleton of infant mammal that wandered into Victoria Harbour in 1955 meticulously recreated and displayed at original resting spot in Cape D’Aguilar.

Japan

Japan’s renewed sovereignty push over disputed islets irks South Korea, China

China has responded to the row at a media briefing, urging Japan to ‘seriously reflect on its history of aggression’.

Science

When was the first kiss? Probably around 20 million years ago, scientists say

A new study suggests our primate ancestors were kissing - but how it emerged remains a subject of debate, as does why it persisted.

Humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans and gorillas all kiss, which strongly suggests the habit was inherited from a shared ancestor. Photo: Shutterstock
Chinese culture

Shameful period? How China’s Qing dynasty brought both wealth and humiliation

China’s final dynasty saw the arts and economy thrive under Manchu rule. But internal and external struggles corroded centuries of stability.

The Qianlong Emperor was the fifth emperor of China’s Qing dynasty, reigning from 1735-1796. Under the Manchus, China’s final dynasty was marked by flourishing arts and economic growth. But in 1912, the imperial system that had survived for centuries collapsed as the country entered the modern era.
Louvre

France’s Louvre Museum closes gallery due to structural weakness

The Campana Gallery was shuttered as a precaution after an audit revealed beam issues in the floor above.

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From our archives

In pictures: when textiles drove the golden age of ‘Made in Hong Kong’

The textile and garment industry was the engine that drove Hong Kong’s economic rise from backwater to boomtown.

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