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Self-professed Chinese cowboy Bruce Wang Shibo stands with a horse. The Chinese national is one of those rewriting narratives of the American West. Photo: Bruce Wang Shibo
Chinese culture

The Chinese cowboys challenging narratives of the American Old West

Whether through art or immersion in the rancher lifestyle, these Asian men are redefining what it means to be a cowboy in the American West.

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Asia travel

Travel stories from 2025 that will fuel your wanderlust for the year ahead

Special Report - Jewellery

Mughal jewellery shines bright at Hong Kong Palace Museum exhibition

Hong Kong Voices

A fifth-gen shop owner on closing the business despite his umbrella obsession

The 73-year-old owner of Sun Nga Shing Umbrella Store in Sham Shui Po recently announced that he would be closing the family business, which dates back to the Qing dynasty.

Yau Yiu-wai, owner of Sun Nga Shing Umbrella Store in Hong Kong, which he plans to close after five generations. Photo: Jocelyn Tam
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Chinese historical myths that are accepted as fact, and why they’ve endured

Like Singapore’s ‘ejection’ from Malaysia, Chinese history contains fallacies, including ones about Sun Yat-sen and Empress Dowager Cixi.

From our archives

In pictures: Hong Kong’s parties of Christmas (and New Year’s) past

The festive season is a good excuse to let your hair down – and Hongkongers do love to party.

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Chinese culture

How the horse paintings of Xu Beihong have galloped through history

Known as the father of modern Chinese art and famed for his horse paintings, Xu Beihong blended Western techniques with Chinese tradition.

The Three Stallions, by Xu Beihong. The piece is just one example of the many horse paintings that Xu was known for.
Science

Bronze Age cemetery offers clues on how ancient Chinese brewed red rice wine

Vessels found in tombs at Mogou in modern-day Gansu contain traces of a fermentation starter of the type still used to make sake today.

Africa

Algeria brands French colonisation a crime, demands reparations, apology

France’s rule over Algeria from 1830 until 1962 remains a sore spot in relations between the two countries.

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Hong Kong

How Cantopop created Hong Kong’s own Christmas soundtrack

Joyful and jubilant, melancholic and mournful … the marriage of Cantopop and Christmas has resulted in a unique musical genre with a very Hong Kong vibe.

A still from the video of Mirror’s “12”, which was released in 2021. Photo: handout
Science

China urged to sue over Japanese royal’s role in Unit 731 crimes

Emperor Hirohito should be held accountable, according to scholars who say the wartime ruler was shielded from prosecution by US policy.

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A Chinese scholar says that before Japan’s surrender in the second world war, evidence of crimes by its Unit 731 was systematically destroyed on the instruction of Emperor Hirohito. Photo: Xinhua
Asia travel

Best things to do in Nara, Japanese city that’s more than an Osaka side trip

Widely regarded as the birthplace of Japanese culture, Nara offers everything from Unesco World Heritage sites to ryokans and bars.

China’s Communist Party

Fall of Ming dynasty has ignited controversy online – and China has weighed in

Oversimplified discourse on Ming, Qing dynasties risks slide into ‘narrow, Han-centric nationalism’, Zhejiang authorities warn.

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Science

Well-preserved section of China’s 2,200-year-old four-lane highway discovered

Stretch of Qin Straight Road reveals sophisticated construction techniques including rammed-earth slope reinforcements and filled valleys.

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A previously identified section of the road. Archaelogists are slowly piecing togther the whole route. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Frenzy around Hong Kong Palace Museum’s Egyptian show offers food for thought

The episode is a reminder to all of us to give our policies and plans time to bear fruit, allowing room for creative thinking and recovery from mistakes.

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Visitors at the souvenir shop in the Hong Kong Palace Museum on November 24. The museum expects the Egyptian exhibition to be its most profitable so far. Photo: Jelly Tse
From our archives

In pictures: Hong Kong’s Christmas festivities, from the 1970s to 90s

In the late 20th century, Hong Kong transformed into a hub of festive cheer with bright lights, seasonal decor and plenty of Christmas treats.

Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Malaysia’s unusual creation still affects it today. China mulled doing similar

Malaysia was born as a federation in 1963, with some states considered ‘special’. China also once toyed with federal ideals.

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Chinese culture

Explainer | What is the winter solstice? History, food and how Hong Kong celebrates

Known as dung zi in Cantonese and dongzhi in Mandarin, the winter solstice is one of the most important celebrations for Chinese families.

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A luxury poon choi from Hong Kong restaurant Duddell’s. Poon choi is a popular meal for family gatherings during the winter solstice in China. Photo: Nicholas Wong / Sixteen Photography
China-Japan relations

Tower of peace or sin? Why China says a Japanese wartime monument must be razed

Chinese state media decries tourist attraction as ‘symbol of militarism’ as Beijing’s diplomatic row with Tokyo continues.

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Japan

Japan and South Korea clash over islets as old grievances resurface

Analysts warn the squabble is a ‘step backwards’ that offers Beijing a chance to drive a wedge between the two US allies.

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Year of the Horse 2026

Mongolia’s child jockeys are key to its heritage. But are they in danger?

Light and agile, children have long held the reins in Mongolian horse racing. But the hazards of the sport make it anything but child’s play.

Horse rider Dolgorsuren Batoyun (centre) is pictured as a child. Now grown up, the first woman member of Mongolia’s national polo team looks back fondly on the “cultures and customs” her father (right) taught her. Photo: Dominique Backhouse
European travel

The quiet English landscapes that shaped Jane Austen’s world

An exploration of southern England in the footsteps of Jane Austen, born 250 years ago this month.

People dressed in period costume attend the Jane Austen Regency Country Fair, on July 6, in Steventon, Hampshire. Photo: Getty Images
Books and literature

Hidden histories of China revealed at rare book fair in Hong Kong

At Firsts Hong Kong, several rare book exhibits gave visitors the chance to peruse first-hand accounts of China’s complex past.

Egypt

Egypt reveals restored colossal statues of prominent pharaoh in Luxor

The giant statues, toppled by an earthquake in about 1200 BC, were meticulously pieced back together in a project that lasted about two decades.

Chinese history

After The War | Virtual reality and the Nanking massacre: where does immersion become trauma?

Amid push in China for museum digitalisation, one educator seeks to help students ‘feel history without being flooded by it’.

Simon Li, executive director of the Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Centre, with students (from second left) Kavira S. Kazimoto, Gem Peduche and Josue Camarena, at Andrews University’s Hong Kong campus. Photo: Handout
Chinese culture

5 of the best-known horses in Chinese legend, from the Red Hare to qilin

Horses play a fascinating role in Chinese folklore, ranging from the downright disturbing – one kidnaps a girl – to the gently auspicious.

Warlord Lu Bu and his famous horse Red Hare are depicted in the 2013 video game Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends.
US-China relations

After The War | How an American family’s wartime bond with China brings the countries together

Daughter-in-law of Flying Tiger who taught in Fujian province sees lessons in ordinary people always finding ways to understand one another.

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Japan

Opinion | From Singapore to Taiwan, Japan must face its past for Asia’s future

Lasting peace in Asia demands that Tokyo abandons its historical revisionism and refusal to acknowledge past crimes.

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