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From our archives
How the South China Morning Post covered occasions, news, happenings and events big and small since its founding in 1903
A girl spins a “wheel of fortune” outside the Che Kung Temple, in Sha Tin, on the third day of the Lunar New Year in 1986. Photo: SCMP Archives
Lunar New Year

In pictures: Hong Kong’s Lunar New Year obsession with good fortune

To celebrate the Year of the Horse, we take a look back at how Hong Kong invited good luck through traditional customs from the 1970s to the 2000s.

Hong Kong society

On This Day | 1 runner resuscitated, 22 hospitalised in 2006 marathon – from the SCMP archive

Year of the Horse 2026

In pictures: Hong Kong readies for Lunar New Year

Old Hong Kong

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
Hong Kong Marathon

On This Day | Drama in Hong Kong’s first international marathon in 1969 – SCMP archive

Ahead of Sunday’s Hong Kong Standard Chartered Marathon, we look back at Hong Kong’s first international marathon, more than 55 years ago.

Hong Kong Marathon

On This Day | Hong Kong marathons throughout the years – SCMP archive

Ahead of Sunday’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, the Post looks back at the city’s marathon history.

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History

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
Netflix

On This Day | Netflix launches in Hong Kong in 2016 – from the SCMP archive

Ten years ago, Netflix officially entered Hong Kong with a ‘limited’ catalogue amid talk of being a threat to local pay TV service providers.

Mainland China

On This Day | ‘No mission impossible’: first Hongkonger to reach North, South Poles – SCMP archive

Twenty years ago on January 5, 2006, 52-year-old Chung Kin-man returned to Hong Kong after becoming the first person from the city to trek to both poles.

Swimming

Hong Kong swimmers braving the cold on New Year’s Day, from the 1970s to 2000s

A perennial test of courage, the city’s New Year Winter Swimming Lifesaving Championships race celebrates its 50th year in 2026.

Young participants in the 1978 New Year Winter Swimming Lifesaving Championships organised by the Hong Kong Life Guard Club, now called the Hong Kong Life Saving Society. Photo: SCMP Archives
Christmas

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.

Staff members of trading firm FocalPoint International enjoying themselves in a special Christmas party held at the skating rink in Cityplaza in Hong Kong. Photo: SCMP Archives
Christmas

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.

Hong Kong society

On This Day | Hong Kong’s Mandatory Provident Fund launches in 2000 – from the SCMP archive

On this day 25 years ago, Hong Kong implemented its Mandatory Provident Fund scheme, requiring employees and employers to make monthly contributions.

Princess Diana

On This Day | ‘I knew about Charles’ lover’: Princess Diana’s 1995 admission – SCMP archive

Thirty years ago, Princess Diana made the revelation on national TV: ‘There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded’.

Princess Diana and Prince Charles look in different directions during a service held to commemorate the 59 British soldiers killed in action during the Korean War. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong

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.

A workshop at the Clothing Industry Training Centre in Kwai Chung in 1977. Photo: SCMP Archives
Hong Kong transport

On This Day | Hong Kong discontinues trial all-night tram service in 1990 – SCMP archive

On November 10, 1990, Hong Kong Tramways put a stop to the trial service after receiving noise complaints from district boards.

Photography

In pictures: sports icons in Hong Kong, from Pelé to Serena Williams

From Kobe Bryant to Diego Maradona, these global sports stars found inspiration, fans and unforgettable moments in Hong Kong.

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Halloween

In pictures: how Hong Kong made Halloween its own

From street parties to theme park parades, Hong Kong has transformed Halloween into a night of playful spectacle.

People dressed in playful costumes celebrate Halloween in Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong in 1995. Photo: SCMP Archives
China’s one-child policy

On This Day | In 2015, China announces end to one-child policy – from the SCMP archive

Ten years ago, Chinese officials revealed they were ending the controversial one-child policy in a bid to reverse slowing population growth.

History

In pictures: When 40,000 people queued for stamps in Hong Kong

From Queen Elizabeth’s 60th birthday to the 1997 handover, limited-edition stamps captured the city’s history in miniature.

Hong Kong

In pictures: Sheung Wan’s Tai Tat Tei, or ‘Poor Man’s Nightclub’

Before Sheung Wan’s Tai Tat Tei was cleared for reclamation, it was where fortune-tellers, opera singers and hawkers gathered nightly.

Hungry tourists at one of Tai Tat Tei’s lively open-air restaurants in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, in 1986. Photo: SCMP Archives
Hong Kong

On This Day | Awe and wonder as Hong Kong Space Museum opens in 1980 – SCMP archive

On October 7, 1980, the landmark Tsim Sha Tsui building with its distinctive egg-shaped dome was officially opened.

The Hong Kong Space Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui under construction in 1978. Photo: Sunny Lee
Mid-Autumn Festival

In pictures: Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations from the 1970s to 90s

Mooncakes, lanterns and fire dragon dances have long been hallmarks of this festival marking the full moon at the end of harvest season.

Hong Kong

In pictures: when Ocean Terminal welcomed the world, from the 1960s to the 90s

Ocean Terminal was visited by Queen Elizabeth, with the most luxurious cruise liners and navy ships alike docking at the pier.

Hong Kong entertainment

On This Day | Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love opens in Hong Kong in 2000 – SCMP archive

On September 29, 2000, the Hong Kong director’s celebrated cinematic love story was screened in theatres across the city for the first time.

Maggie Cheung Man-yuk and Tony Leung Chiu-wai in the film “In The Mood For Love”. Photo: Jet Tone Production
First Mention

When the London Philharmonic Orchestra came to Hong Kong and Asia

The LPO performed in Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila, Seoul and Tokyo, with John Pritchard and Jerzy Semkow taking turns conducting.

Malcolm Sargent in a final rehearsal with members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in Hammersmith Town Hall, in preparation for the orchestra’s Asia tour. Photo: PA Images via Getty Images
Hong Kong weather

On This Day | When Typhoon Wanda wreaked havoc on Hong Kong in 1962 – SCMP archive

On September 1, 1962, Hong Kong experienced one of its deadliest typhoons, which killed 130 people and left 52 missing.

Hong Kong weather

On This Day | Super Typhoon Rose claims 110 lives in Hong Kong in 1971 – SCMP archive

Super Typhoon Rose hit Hong Kong in August 1971, killing 110 people and causing the collapse of a housing estate.

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