Understanding political narratives is not always easy. Events often develop with many twists and turns but situations can be further exacerbated when politicians are seen to change their minds as often as the wind changes direction. The following is a visual thread of comments made by US President Donald Trump about the trade war with China.

the South China Morning Post Graphics Team is pleased to present this 8 chapter collection about the future, present and past of one of the biggest museum collection in the world. Meet the life in the Palace, the collection odyssey running away from wars and the exquisite architecture of the once Forbidden City in our preferred way to tell stories... visually

Food is more than fuel. Often a sensual pleasure, food can be central to friendships, romance and celebrations. It can also help bind a community through shared cultural roots

Bloody war and revolution: one of the world’s greatest museums rose from the ashes when imperial China toppled

We explore the magnitude of the measures on urban families forty years after the opening up of the Chinese economy.

The streets of Hong Kong have been racked by violence and destruction since the anti-government movement sprung into life in June.

The hiking season is finally upon us. The SCMP graphics team takes a look at some of the highlights of Hong Kong’s natural world. Keep an eye out during your walks for these creatures, some of which are rare or under threat.

China’s rise has been impressive by many standards. There is no clearer indication of the country's progress than its share of the world economy. Measured in purchasing power parity, China’s share of global GDP fell from an estimated 32 per cent in 1820 - when Qing dynasty emperor Daoguang began his reign - to a mere 5 per cent at the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976. And yet, by last year, China’s share had climbed to nearly 19 per cent.

Five years ago, at 5.57pm on September 28, police fired tear gas for the first time at hundreds of thousands of Hongkongers, triggering the 79-day Occupy movement. Fast forward to the present and Hong Kong is again in the throes of an anti-government protest, sparked by a now-shelved extradition bill, this time bigger and more defiant. Here is a look at the key differences between the two movements.

The anti-extradition bill protests have lasted longer than 2014’s Occupy movement. Here we compare today’s protesters, who continue to shock the world, to their predecessors.

How far apart are the two systems in how they apply the rule of law?

Unprecedented scenes of violence broke out at the Hong Kong International Airport after thousands of anti-government protesters occupying the airport terminal building brought flights to a halt for two days straight. This is how the events unfolded

Climbing is an eye-catching addition to next year’s Olympics, with athletes putting on gravity-defying exhibitions of dexterity, strength, endurance and problem-solving using only their physical bodies. However, not everyone in the climbing community is happy…

Hong Kong has never experienced a fully democratic government but that has not stopped people trying to make themselves heard.

There are 17 rare earth elements listed in the periodic table which, contrary to their name, are as abundant in the Earth’s crust as tin or lead. However, rare earths are always fused with other minerals which makes many countries reluctant to invest in rare earth mines because they are too expensive and polluting to extract and refine in commercially viable quantities

Tens of thousands of masked protesters equipped with umbrellas and goggles brought the roads leading to Hong Kong's legislature to a standstill on June 12. How did they do it?

The Hong Kong government argues the current Fugitive Offenders Ordinance needs updating in light of the ongoing Chan Tong-kai case. Due to a loophole in the law, Hong Kong is unable to extradite Chan, who is accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend in Taipei last year, to Taiwan

Every year, on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, crews of paddlers re-enact the legend of Qu Yuan. They power long, narrow boats, their prows mounted with ferocious dragon heads, through the water, to the frenzied, rhythmic beating of drums

A week after armed forces cleared Tiananmen Square the Beijing Public Security Bureau distributed a circular of the pro-democracy movement’s 21 most wanted student leaders. Here’s what happened to them.

Sixty-five years after Godzilla first stomped onto our screens in the 1954 Japanese film, the radioactive monster is back again.

For more than a century, coal was the centre of life for the residents of Fushun, 50km from the Liaoning provincial capital of Shenyang, earning the city the nickname “capital of coal”.

Eighty-two years ago on May 6, 1937, the German airship LZ129 Hindenburg claimed 36 lives when it caught fire at New Jersey in the United States.

Every year, on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, crews of paddlers re-enact the legend of Qu Yuan. They power boats mounted with ferocious dragon heads through the water to the frenzied beating of drums.

The “Belt and Road Initiative” was announced by the Chinese government in 2013 as a global trade strategy based on the ancient Silk Road trading route.

It took less than a week for Boeing’s 737 MAX to be grounded following its second accident in five months. 

Venezuelans are suffering chronic shortages in a country that is home to the world’s largest oil reserves and blessed with an enviable abundance of natural resources. Here’s how it affects people on a daily basis

As North America freezes through a polar vortex, and Australia sweats out an extreme heatwave, there is growing consensus it could be game over for Planet Earth if we do not pay attention to the world’s permafrost