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History

History
The latest news, analysis and opinion on History. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
The lavish stonework and proximity to other landmarks have long drawn tourists to the 17th century Ruins of Saint Paul, in Macau. Photo: Ronan O’Connell
Trip Inspiration

From devil-mouth caves to deer-filled parks, these sites deserve more love

From ancient temples in Bali to royal tombs in Korea, Asia’s World Heritage sites reveal rich histories beyond the spotlight.

Lessons from China's history

Reflections | How Chinese new year cards went from elites’ greetings to bribery instruments

Singapore

In his Singapore book launch, Wang Gungwu recounts own journey through history

TV shows and streaming video

Mostly unseen footage shows the crazy year building world’s first Disneyland

The new documentary Disneyland Handcrafted on Disney+ reveals just how fragile the creation of California’s Disneyland was.

Workers construct the front gates of California’s Disneyland in a still from Disneyland Handcrafted, a new documentary on Disney+. Photo: TNS
Science

Composite tool find puts China in tech revolution up to 160,000 years ago: paper

Team says discovery of 2,600 stone tools, including hafted tools, reshapes understanding of human evolution in eastern Asia.

Food and Drinks

What is makhan malai, Lucknow’s favourite winter street food?

Known by many different names across northern India, makhan malai is made from hand-churning milk and cream into an airy froth.

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Art

‘Love letter to my sons’: artist explores motherhood in Hong Kong exhibition

‘No Man’s Land’ reflects how Marian Ang feels about motherhood, as viewed through paintings about her grandmother, family items and more.

Artist Marian Ang stands in front of “All About My Grandmother” (2025) at her “No Man’s Land” exhibition at Hart Haus, in Kennedy Town, Hong Kong. The title of her solo exhibition reflects how she feels about motherhood. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Macau

His mother stuffed zebras. He broke the biggest story in Macau’s history

Having moved from colonial conflicts in Africa to the mean streets of the Pearl River Delta, Gonçalo César de Sá has witnessed Macau’s modern history.

Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Gezhi Town: Chinese war drama with Xiao Zhan dares to entertain

Civilians try to fend off Japanese soldiers in this thrilling drama that focuses on character dynamics rather than patriotic grandstanding.

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My Life

He planned to only stay in Macau for a year. Now he runs the literary festival

The Mozambique-born journalist once chose Stanley Ho for his magazine’s cover instead of Gong Li, and later bought the Portuguese Bookshop.

Ricardo Pinto. Photo: Carlos Pimentel
Tourism

Exhibition of love letters from history, from spies to poets and royalty

The London exhibition includes a letter from Oscar Wilde’s lover asking Queen Victoria for a pardon and King Edward VIII’s abdication letter.

A letter written by Robert Dudley to Queen Elizabeth I is part of an exhibition titled Love Letters at the National Archives in London. Photo: AP
Editor's Letter

This week in PostMag: the many layers of Macau

This issue explores the profiles, places and passions that capture Macau’s past and present – from off-duty chefs to indefatigable storytellers.

Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Was Chinese princess sent to marry a Malaysian sultan a real person?

Hang Li Po’s 15th-century marriage allegedly sealed Malacca and China’s friendly relations. Proof of her existence is scant. Does it matter?

From our archives

In pictures: Hong Kong’s coldest days from the 1970s to 2010s

It doesn’t happen often, but Hong Kong occasionally experiences frost and ice during cold snaps, as these images from our archives capture.

Visitors bundled up against the cold to see the frost on Tai Mo Shan, where the temperature fell to minus three degrees Celsius in December 1975. Photo: SCMP Archives
Chinese culture

World’s first Chinese rosewood cello stars in Hong Kong exhibition

Made over six months from a 200-year-old piece of Chinese rosewood, or huanghuali, the cello is now on show at Sheung Wan’s Liang Yi Museum.

The Chinese rosewood cello that stars in “The World’s First Huanghuali Cello” is seen at the exhibition at the Liang Yi Museum in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. The exhibition, which runs until January 28, showcases the masterpiece alongside other items made from Chinese rosewood. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Japan

Japan weighs disturbing grave of over 700 children to recover WWII relics

A US submarine attack in 1944 claimed 1,484 lives, and officials are now consulting families on whether to raise artefacts or let them lie.

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Archaeology and palaeontology

Italy uncovers ancient basilica designed by the ‘father of architecture’ Vitruvius

Mayor calls archeological find in the central Italian city of Fano the ‘discovery of the century’.

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Chinese culture

This remote Chinese minority uses horsetail hair to create beautiful embroidery

A craft passed down for thousands of years, the horsetail embroidery of China’s Shui people is deemed a local intangible cultural heritage.

A Shui minority woman embroiders with horsetail in Sandu Shui Autonomous County in China’s Guizhou province. Shui minority women can spend months or even years making a piece of horsetail embroidery, which is used as decoration on clothes, shoes, wallets and more. Photo: Visual China Group via Getty Images
Science

Chinese team restores legendary Tang dynasty ‘golden’ armour from Tibetan tomb

Tomb’s occupant confirmed to be a Tuyuhun king and the golden armour is likely to have been among his prized possessions, conservators say.

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Style Edit

Style Edit: The story behind the Louis Vuitton Monogram

Designed to defeat counterfeiters 130 years ago, the motif has become one of the most recognisable in all of fashion, seen on everyone from Audrey Hepburn to Zendaya.

Timepieces

Horology’s most storied addresses: watch museums, workshops and archives

These locales, from museums to brands’ own premises, are hallowed grounds for watch fans, giving them insights and a peek into timekeeping history.

A fresco at the Musée International d’Horlogerie in Switzerland. Photo: Handout
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | What a Chinese hero’s fatal love of raw fish warns us about uncooked food

The recent sale of the most expensive tuna in Tokyo reflects sushi’s popularity, but an episode in Chinese history shows raw food’s dangers.

A Kiyomura staff member holds meat from the 243kg bluefin tuna the company recently bought at a Tokyo fish auction for a record US$3.2 million. Photo: Reuters
Chinese culture

7 horse-themed Chinese idioms to use during the Year of the Horse

Horses symbolise strength, speed and health in Chinese culture. Here are seven sayings based on the animal, with Cantonese pronunciations.

Ukraine war

Opinion | Why Russia is gambling on a protracted war in Ukraine

Despite a stagnating economy and mounting casualties on the battlefield, Moscow believes it can wait out Ukrainian and Western resolve.

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Chinese culture

What the Chinese surname Ma, meaning ‘horse’, symbolises and how it spread

Ma is one of mainland China’s most common surnames and is interestingly even prevalent among Chinese Muslims. We look at its history.

As the Year of the Horse 2026 approaches, we explore the origins and prevalence of the Chinese surname Ma, which literally translates as “horse”. Photo: Shutterstock
From our archives

In Pictures: majestic sailing ships that made Hong Kong a port of call

Hong Kong waters have long attracted some of the world’s most impressive sailing boats, harking back to the days when wind power ruled the waves.

Ship ahoy ... the Sail Training Association of Japan’s full-masted brigantine, the Kaisei, visits Hong Kong to drum up support for an Asian society of novice sailors, in 1994. Photo: SCMP Archives
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | How ancient Chinese dental practices were often similar to those used today

From gargling with medicinal concoctions to chewing sticks, people in China addressed dental health with considerable ingenuity.

Legacy of war in Asia

Opinion | Amid historical tensions with Japan, Hong Kong must engage for the future

Remembering the pain of the Nanking massacre does not preclude engagement, but ensures lessons of the past strengthen our shared commitment to peace.

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