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SCMP

We have selected seven Lifestyle stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. How Sharla Cheung excelled next to Stephen Chow in 1990s Hong Kong cinema
Sharla Cheung Man was one of Hong Kong cinema’s most popular actresses in the early 1990s. A Shanghainese beauty with classic film-star looks, she focused on commercial dramas rather than art films and awards, leaving behind solid, unpretentious performances that have weathered well.
2. This Edinburgh Chinese takeaway is ‘dying’. Meet the daughter out to save it
“My mum’s Chinese restaurant is dying,” Scottish-born Chinese actor Lisa He says, recording herself speaking as she walks down a street in Edinburgh. “And I have three months to save it.”
3. The rise and fall of Hong Kong comics, once a 50-million-copy-a-year industry

There was a time when young people in Hong Kong were gripped not by their smartphones, but by weekly comic books. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, local comic books – known as maanwaa (“free-form drawings”) in Cantonese and manhua in Mandarin – had a huge following, shifting hundreds of thousands of copies each week. Successful comic artists became millionaires and their works were turned into blockbuster films, like The Storm Riders (1998), which was based on Ma Wing-shing’s bestselling Fung Wan series.
4. She quit smoking, then ran an ultra-marathon. How she finally kicked the habit

There is no convincing a smoker to quit. So what was the secret for Betania Victor, who used to burn through a pack a day just six years ago? “Find something that makes quitting feel like a fair trade.”
5. Like a car, your brain’s mileage matters. Unlike a car, you can wind it back
Not long ago, Dr Kevin Tran, founder of The Phoenix Community for carriers of the APOE4 gene – the “Alzheimer’s gene” – like himself, noted that we need to look after our brain as if it were the only car we would ever own. We must tend to its bodywork, provide regular maintenance and keep up with services so that it runs for as long as we need it to.
6. ‘Burning desire’: Hong Kong-born actress Kaja Chan on her rise and motivation

Theatre emphasises the principle of directorial intention, a specific creative vision and message that a performance aims to communicate. Hong Kong-born actress Kaja Chan applies this theory to her life. She has known she wanted to act for as long as she can remember, and has steered her career with unwavering focus.
7. Want glowing skin on a budget? Experts share their top products and routines
Between paid influencers and marketing buzzwords, navigating the pseudoscience in the skincare industry – with claims such as “dermatologist-approved” and “medical-grade” – can be confusing and expensive.


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Japan’s Russia concern, businesses choose Malaysia over Singapore: 7 Asia highlights

SCMP Highlights

Lisa He with her mother Sophie at their family restaurant, China Star. The Edinburgh takeaway is months away from closure, but He’s viral social media post has brought lots of attention, and hope. Photo: courtesy of Lisa He

Sharla Cheung Man in a still from the Ming dynasty wuxia drama Swordsman (1990). Photo: Fortune Star Media

Various comics from the The King of Fighters 96 series, a popular Hong Kong comic from the 1990s. Photo: Elvis Yeung

Betania Victor runs the Long Beach Marathon in California in 2023. Before going cold turkey on cigarettes, Victor smoked a pack a day. Photo: Instagram/betaniayvr

Kaja Chan, born and raised in Hong Kong, is a London-based actress across theatre, television and video games. She talks about how her passion led her to pursue a career in acting and shares advice to young performers who want to follow in her footsteps. Photo: Phil Sharp

Consort Wan’s dark story, the good and bad with GLP-1s: 7 Lifestyle highlights

The Snow Garden restaurant in North Point was considered one of the best Shanghainese restaurants in Hong Kong. Photo: SCMP

Tavia Yeung (left) as Consort Wan Zhen’er in a scene from The Emperor’s Harem (2011). Wan Zhen’er rose from child servant to Emperor Chenghua’s beloved consort. Photo: Lafeng Entertainment


GLP-1 drugs offer broader health benefits beyond weight loss, but they carry serious risks requiring medical oversight, experts say. Illustration: Mario Cameira

Virginie Efira in a still from All of a Sudden – one of the highlights of the Cannes Film Festival – directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi.

Dim sum chef Foo Shing (left) shares a laugh with Cheung Yat-sing, global product innovation director at Tim Ho Wan. The Hong Kong dim sum restaurant chain has launched a nostalgic dim sum series based on Foo’s recipes. Photo: Tim Ho Wan

Shenzhen’s 24-hour spa, a glimpse of 1970s Hong Kong: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Wild mushroom tofu with guokui, or crispy flatbread, at Mi Xun Teahouse. Photo: Mi Xun Teahouse

The Himalayan salt room is just one of the relaxing features at Tangqi Tangquan Life Tenz spa in Shenzhen, where a Hong Kong couple spent the night to see what else is on offer besides massages and pools. Photo: Ginny Wong

Fei yi mao xue wang – silken duck blood curd and snappy tripe in a broth dense with chillies and peppercorns – at Chengdu’s Taolin Restaurant is a bold take on a Chongqing classic. Photo: Pin Yen Tan

Cha Eun-woo as socially awkward civil servant Lee Un-jeong in a still from the Netflix K-drama The Wonderfools. The K-pop heartthrob and actor has worked hard to become a household name in South Korea over the past decade. Photo: Netflix

How’s your luck in the Year of the Horse’s fourth month? Feng shui master Andrew Kwan gives his predictions for all 12 Chinese zodiac animal signs. Photo: Shutterstock

China’s Silk Road Express, best things to do in Nanjing: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Fitness coach Ash Ayonote leads a group session at the Wai Man Road Playground in Sai Kung, in Hong Kong’s New Territories. Photo: Edmond So

A meal is served aboard the Silk Road Express, a luxury tourist train in China that recently started operating a new route straddling Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. Photo: Courtesy of Train of Glamour

Jiming Temple rises above surrounding buildings in Nanjing. The ancient city, which has served as China’s capital at various points in history, is a feast for the senses. Here’s how to spend a weekend there. Photo: Shutterstock

An array of dishes served in Cofu Chinatown’s omakase. Photo: Cofu

A photo taken by Herbert Smith during his 1979 trip to Hong Kong titled “Painting in Neon (1979)”.  Photo: Herbert Smith

Park Ji-hoon in a still from The King’s Warden.

Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

Health & Wellness

Entertainment

From a ‘dying’ Edinburgh Chinese restaurant to an ex-smoker joining an ultra-marathon, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting


From a ‘dying’ Edinburgh Chinese restaurant to an ex-smoker joining an ultra-marathon, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting.


Hong Kong

China

Britain

Sharla Cheung’s film career, rise and fall of Hong Kong comics: 7 Lifestyle highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From a ‘dying’ Edinburgh Chinese restaurant to an ex-smoker joining an ultra-marathon, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting

1. How Sharla Cheung excelled next to Stephen Chow in 1990s Hong Kong cinema

From a ‘dying’ Edinburgh Chinese restaurant to an ex-smoker joining an ultra-marathon, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting