Over the course of 2019, we have run a smorgasbord of stories from across the continent. Some are intimate looks at culture and society, and people who have made lives for themselves in places that on first glance might seem unusual. Others are broad in scope, taking in the way nations circle each other in the dance of geopolitical influence. Here are some of our favourites from the year, picked by our own journalists. We hope you enjoy them as much as we have. TOM STURROCK, PRODUCTION EDITOR There are Filipinos in Alaska – they’re Alaskeros, and they’ve been there 200 years There are a few reasons I nominated this one. Perhaps more than any story this year, it reveals something I had literally no idea about. There are a bunch of Filipinos in Alaska and they’re called Alaskeros!? Who knew? I wouldn’t have believed you if you told me. It’s also an excellent feature opening. Those first lines of a piece often overload the reader with information as we try to lay the table as efficiently and informatively as possible. Crystal’s opening, though, is simple, intriguing and evocative all at once, like the final line of a haiku. It made me happy upon reading it. I also like the fact this story is so people-focused, which is something journalists sometimes lose sight of amid the politics. These are engaging human stories that shed light on something genuinely surprising while telling the parallel tales of the early Alaskeros and how they made their way. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve brought up this story as a talking point in a bar/restaurant and pretended it’s something I alone know about. And that, of course, is the mark of a good story: you want to pass it off as your own. HARI RAJ, DEPUTY CHIEF PRODUCTION EDITOR Abandoned in Assam: India creates its own Rohingya, and calls them ‘Bangladeshi’ This is an in-depth examination of a messy, painful situation by way of a story that widens its aperture to include a look at the cultural and political reasons behind it, while narrowing it to focus on the people whose lives and entire ways of living are at risk of vanishing. The National Register of Citizens isn’t a disease, it is the symptom of the politicised intolerance that has infected Assam, just as it has too many parts of the world. It’s worth your attention, culminating as it does in a coda consisting of equal parts heartbreak and hope. ALEX NICOLL, SENIOR PRODUCTION EDITOR Return to Iwo Jima: 75 years after US-Japan battle, what is the island like today? I really enjoyed Julian’s package in June on Iwo Jima – especially this piece exploring the reminders strewn around the island today of the World War II battles. It has some really nice colour on what the men must have gone through and how remnants left on the battlefields tell the story of the bloodshed. It combines this nicely with an interesting historical narrative of the war and the strategic planning by the generals. Julian’s pictures also help bring his descriptions to life. Always sobering to read another reminder of the horrors of war. FRANCINE CHEN, PRODUCTION EDITOR How a deadly US epidemic is fuelled by Korean mental health taboo This story about Korean suicides in the US is a remarkable piece of work, told with much compassion and sensitivity. GREG FOUNTAIN, PRODUCTION EDITOR Afghanistan’s ‘Internet Generation’ fear peace with Taliban My pick of the year is Ezzatullah Mehrdad’s piece on Afghanistan ’s “internet generation”. Though the story was not among our most read pieces when it was first published, I felt it offered a fascinating window on the lives and thoughts of young people in a country which is all too often reported on only in terms of the latest military strike or terrorist attack. To have such a report come from a writer who actually lives within the country made it all the more noteworthy, I thought. BHAVAN JAIPRAGAS, SENIOR ASIA CORRESPONDENT Poor, disabled, old: the forgotten voices of the Hong Kong protests Crystal Tai’s piece on the forgotten voices of the Hong Kong protests touches on an acutely under-reported story since the demonstrations began in June. The story approaches the issue with an even hand, and the comprehensive reporting does justice to the central thesis – and a few of the South China Morning Post ’s long-time online critics posted very nice things about the story, too. JOHN POWER, ASIA REPORTER My way or the Huawei: how US ultimatum over China’s 5G giant fell flat in Southeast Asia This story was one of the first – if not the first – to illuminate Huawei’s expansion into Southeast Asia, even as it faced growing opposition in the West. In doing so, the piece also shone a light on a region that is walking a delicate line between Washington and Beijing. CRYSTAL TAI, SENIOR REPORTER In Philippine slums, scavenged meat feeds those short of meals and hope “In Payatas, life may be cheap but nothing is free.” At the time of writing, I admired the reporter’s strong resolve to avoid creating a piece of “poverty porn”. The resulting story depicts Myrna Salazar and her four grandchildren as fellow humans in all their own hopes and aspirations for a brighter future. ANDREW RAINE, CHIEF PRODUCTION EDITOR Peace, noble, large male organ? Jury’s out on Duterte’s plan to rename Philippines as Maharlika Any story with “large male organ” in the headline is a winner. Simples. RAQUEL CARVALHO, ASIA CORRESPONDENT Sex assaults, hostile in-laws: life for widows of India’s farmer suicide epidemic This story touches on the despair of Indian farmers who have taken their own lives as well as on the struggle of the thousands of women who are left behind – and given a voice in this piece. Many of these women are sexually assaulted and struggle to inherit their husband’s land due to patriarchal rules, even while they are saddled with their partners’ debts. ROY McKENZIE, PRODUCTION EDITOR How Asian immigrants are transforming San Francisco Bay Area’s food culture Who doesn’t like a tasty story? And especially an empowering one, about Asian immigrants embracing San Francisco’s booming restaurant scene and spreading the word about laksa and onigiri and miso. What started as a yearning for familiar food in an unfamiliar country became an opportunity to meet new people and start a business. These entrepreneurs also tapped into Silicon Valley’s tech offerings by using crowdfunding and a special incubator to assist start-ups such as theirs. The interviews were interspersed with interesting facts and context, and of course appetising pictures of the food, leaving the reader hungry for more. LYNN LEE, ASIA NEWS EDITOR How social media inspired Indonesia’s born-again ‘hijrah’ Muslim millennials Million Views Preacher to Islamic Carpool Karaoke: the clerics behind Indonesia’s born-again hijrah movement In Indonesia , the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, the trend of millennials abandoning Starbucks and sin for spiritual rebirth has been fuelled by social media influencers using Instagram and “Carpool Karaoke”-style videos. This story and its sidebar offer deep insight into how global trends converged in Southeast Asia’s largest economy, only to be fed by the growth of internet-savvy urbanites, and ultimately produced a movement with uniquely local characteristics. DEWEY SIM, SINGAPORE REPORTER Malaysia’s cunning plan for start-up dominance: if you can’t beat them, own them This article about Malaysia’s bid to capture Asia’s start-up crown moves the conversation forward from the usual start-up stories we hear about Singaporean and Vietnamese businesses. Also well sourced. TASHNY SUKUMARAN, MALAYSIA CORRESPONDENT Singapore back in play as more Hongkongers consider migrating due to deepening political crisis This is a well-written piece that looks like it involved a lot of legwork. Not only does it include voices from various sectors, it is a nice new angle on the protests in Hong Kong. SREEJITH SREEDHARAN, PRODUCTION EDITOR A glimpse of Hong Kong’s lonely future in South Korea’s ageing society This story painfully highlights the plight of seniors leading lonely lives in South Korea and shows how Asia’s close-knit family system is rapidly falling apart. It made an emotional impact on me as I brace for a similar situation. ZURAIDAH IBRAHIM, THIS WEEK IN ASIA EDITOR Has Carrie Lam lost Hong Kong in her bid to push through extradition bill? We had an abundance of good stories in 2019, but if I had to pick only one, it would have to be the piece by Jeffie Lam and Gary Cheung on the undoing of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, whose ill-conceived extradition bill pushed the city headlong into a devastating crisis it has yet to extricate itself from. The team did painstaking work to reveal the thinking behind the legislation and why Lam, a former mandarin so used to having her way, insisted on pressing on despite the forceful opposition. What made it extra special was how our designer Huy Truong told the story with just one image: a picture of Lam against a backdrop of the city’s horizon flipped upside down. Three months later, Lam summed up the city’s status just the way Huy depicted it when she said: “Hong Kong has been turned upside down, and my life has been turned upside down.” MEAGHAN TOBIN, REPORTER China in Latin America: partner or predator? Raquel’s immersive deep dive into Chinese investment in Latin America sets the standard for investigative multimedia reporting. From the gorgeous maps – shout out to the magic from Adolfo on the graphics team – to the videos shot by Raquel on the road while she was reporting the piece, this story brings a geopolitical narrative to life by introducing us to the real people who are living through its impacts.