https://www.scmp.com/rss/519633/feed All things contemporary culture: art, music, performance and Hong Kong subcultures en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Alexander Mak Alexander Mak From the 1960s to the 90s, Hong Kong’s watch industry thrived on the skill and hard work of watchmakers, factory workers and traders. Using imported movements and efficient assembly lines, the city’s watch exports increased eightfold during the 70s. By the early 90s, Hong Kong was the world’s leading exporter by quantity, the city having pivoted quickly to producing inexpensive quartz movements and supplying nearly 70 per cent of the world’s watches. As production migrated to mainland China due... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3349668/pictures-hong-kongs-watchmaking-industry-through-decades?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3349668/pictures-hong-kongs-watchmaking-industry-through-decades?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:10 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak Since the whistle was first blown on March 28, 1976, the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens tournament has grown from a regional invitational into a global spectacle, expanding from 12 teams in its inaugural edition to 30, competing in three distinct competitions, in 2026. In those 50 years – from the early days at the Hong Kong Football Club, in Happy Valley, through the Hong Kong Stadium era to games at its current home, the Kai Tak Sports Park – the contest has transformed dramatically, a pair of... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3349385/pictures-50-years-mud-sweat-and-beers-hong-kong-rugby-sevens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3349385/pictures-50-years-mud-sweat-and-beers-hong-kong-rugby-sevens?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:00:10 +0000 David Frazier David Frazier Doi Chiang Dao is one of Thailand’s most stunning mountains, a 2,175-metre limestone peak that rises like a behemoth from flat farmland. Every February, it becomes the backdrop to a 10-day festival called Shambhala in Your Heart. Organised by a group of silver-haired, 1960s purist Japanese hippies, the event is set in an Edenic campsite in northern Thailand, where shade trees flank a cool running stream and open-air hot springs are just a 10-minute walk away. In recent years, Shambhala has... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3349356/chinese-youths-find-freedom-thailands-shambhala-festival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3349356/chinese-youths-find-freedom-thailands-shambhala-festival?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 07:15:40 +0000 David Ho David Ho Step into the Landmark Atrium before April 17 and you’ll be greeted by a gigantic patchwork island, on top of which stands a series of cute figures. This spectacle is The Island – Onigashima, an interactive installation by Japanese multimedia artist Ayako Rokkaku. Wander under the island and you’ll find a plush passageway with windows, dangling objects and walls covered in a variety of textures. Here, unlike with most artworks, visitors are encouraged to touch and feel all that intrigues... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/article/3348821/multimedia-artist-ayako-rokkaku-finger-painting-and-creating-interactive-art?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/article/3348821/multimedia-artist-ayako-rokkaku-finger-painting-and-creating-interactive-art?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 06:00:10 +0000 Jen Paolini Jen Paolini Springtime heralds new beginnings, renewal and a world emerging from slumber. In that vein, PostMag enters into the next chapter of its long life as we bid a heartfelt farewell and express our thanks to Cat Nelson. Since autumn 2024, she has adroitly steered PostMag with her keen vision and relentless pursuit of inspiring stories, enriching our Sundays with razor-sharp wit, delightful reads and impactful reporting. I’m grateful for the path she has set PostMag on, and excited to continue the... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3348852/week-postmag-hsbc-main-building-turns-40-hong-kong-sevens-and-new-beginnings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3348852/week-postmag-hsbc-main-building-turns-40-hong-kong-sevens-and-new-beginnings?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 04:45:07 +0000 Gavin Yeung Gavin Yeung EAT THIS Zozzona Tsim Sha Tsui’s Zozzona welcomes Okinawa’s Pastaione for a cross-cultural kitchen takeover on April 15 and 16. Chef Teppei Zama applies his Japanese lens to Italian classics, using seasonal ingredients in highlights such as mezzi paccheri with Japanese seafood and a pappardelle featuring rich Agu pork ragù. To finish, a tiramisu infused with Okinawa’s famed chinsuko cookies offers a playful twist on tradition. G/F, 29-31 Hillwood Road, Tsim Sha Tsui DRINK THIS Bourke’s Peel... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3348815/best-things-do-hong-kong-april-5-18?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3348815/best-things-do-hong-kong-april-5-18?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 05:00:09 +0000 Gavin Yeung Gavin Yeung Today, the image is iconic. Enveloped by the blackness of night, a young Chow Yun-Fat holds a burning banknote, eyes aglow and arms clutched towards his chest in a state of ecstasy as he gazes into the growing flame. Behind him, co-star Cherie Chung Chor-hung gives a wide, revelatory grin as neon billboards in the distance are reflected in the harbour. More than a showcase of Chow and Chung’s thespian prowess, the photograph, snapped by Canadian photographer Greg Girard in 1987 on the set of... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3348803/greg-girards-photo-exhibition-shows-five-decades-hong-kong-and-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3348803/greg-girards-photo-exhibition-shows-five-decades-hong-kong-and-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 00:00:11 +0000 Cat Nelson Cat Nelson One warm February evening in Shenzhen, Bryn Terfel stands centre stage and launches into “Son lo Spirito Che Nega” from Arrigo Boito’s 1868 opera Mefistofele, his voice filling the hall with theatrical force. Then, just as quickly, he undercuts the drama. “My three border collies go crazy when I sing this in Wales,” he tells the audience at Shenzhen Longgang International Art Centre, laughing. With a career spanning more than three decades at the world’s leading houses – from the Royal Opera... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3348515/bryn-terfel-bringing-drama-opera-stage-and-importance-listening?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3348515/bryn-terfel-bringing-drama-opera-stage-and-importance-listening?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 10:00:21 +0000 Sumnima Kandangwa Sumnima Kandangwa On the first night of the Rolex China Sea Race – Asia’s premier offshore yacht race in March – Tiger Mok’s autopilot gave out 60 nautical miles off Hong Kong’s coast. The 565-nautical-mile journey from Victoria Harbour to the Philippines’ Subic Bay is the kind of challenge usually shared by a team of eight experienced sailors. For Mok, who had chosen to take it on solo, the autopilot was indispensable for rest, navigation and sanity. Without it, he’d have to steer by hand, meaning little to no... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3348350/hong-kong-sailor-tiger-mok-made-history-sea-after-his-autopilot-failed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3348350/hong-kong-sailor-tiger-mok-made-history-sea-after-his-autopilot-failed?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 07:15:10 +0000 Vanessa Lee Vanessa Lee “Have you ever had fried bananas in Chinese food before?” Lap-see Lam asks with a twinkle in her eye over our video call between Stockholm and Hong Kong. I admit I haven’t, at least not of the Chinese persuasion. The artist explains that fried bananas with syrup and ice cream is a typical Swedish-Chinese dish. Another is Swedish meatballs in tomato sauce served with rice. But the most remarkable is a dish called “four small dishes”. “It’s basically different dishes on the same plate, and... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3347328/multimedia-artist-lap-see-lams-hong-kong-show-explores-cultural-identity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3347328/multimedia-artist-lap-see-lams-hong-kong-show-explores-cultural-identity?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 04:15:07 +0000 Lavender Au Lavender Au To make his galvanised-iron installations, which have been exhibited in Milan and London, Hong Kong-born artist Gamzar heads to his metal master’s studio on the fourth floor of an industrial building in To Kwa Wan. The studio, managed by Melty Chan Ching-yee and Michael Yu Kwok-keung, aka Master Yu, is filled with tools: hammers, drills, pliers, clamps, a machine for folding metal made in Germany in the 1980s and even a chainsaw. From the window, the building looks out onto another industrial... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3347294/hong-kong-artist-gamzar-galvanised-working-iron-and-bamboo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3347294/hong-kong-artist-gamzar-galvanised-working-iron-and-bamboo?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:10 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak Hong Kong’s public art scene took off in the 1970s, with large installations on display that reflected the city’s changing culture. Works such as Henry Moore’s Double Oval (1977), André Heller’s The Bamboo Man (1992) and Cao Chong-en’s Bruce Lee Statue (2005) highlight Hong Kong’s unique blend of East and West, tradition and modernity. These works made art more accessible to everyone, allowing people to engage with and experience art in their everyday surroundings. Some of these artworks are... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3347146/pictures-hong-kongs-public-art-sculptures-1970s-today?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3347146/pictures-hong-kongs-public-art-sculptures-1970s-today?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 07:00:09 +0000 Sumnima Kandangwa Sumnima Kandangwa As art month lands in Hong Kong, look beyond Art Basel Hong Kong and Art Central. Citywide installations, from blue-chip galleries such as Gagosian to newly minted art salons like Gold, spotlight multidisciplinary artists from across the globe, many debuting new bodies of work in Asia. Here are the exhibitions to have on your radar this Art March. Lily Stockman: A Grass Roof Known for her abstract approach to landscapes, Los Angeles painter Lily Stockman’s latest show “A Grass Roof” lands at... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3347154/showtime-4-unmissable-art-exhibitions-keep-you-cultured-week?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3347154/showtime-4-unmissable-art-exhibitions-keep-you-cultured-week?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 08:00:09 +0000 Cat Nelson Cat Nelson This issue means a lot to me (you’ll understand by the end). Choosing what goes in our annual Art Issue is no small feat. While we’re never short of story opportunities in Hong Kong, we’re practically drowning in them come March every year as the global art world descends on the city. But when we heard Spanish photographer and artist Coco Capitán was coming to town for “Imagination Investments”, a three-part exhibition that marks her first major presentation in the city, we knew we had to speak... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3347292/week-postmag-artists-spain-hong-kong-stockholm-and-farewell?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3347292/week-postmag-artists-spain-hong-kong-stockholm-and-farewell?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 04:45:19 +0000 Gavin Yeung Gavin Yeung Eat this Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Hong Kong takes centre stage as it hosts the awards ceremony for Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants for the first time on March 25. To mark the occasion, a series of official Signature Sessions will see global culinary heavyweights take over local kitchens for one-night-only collaborations. Highlights include a powerhouse dinner at Ando featuring chefs from Taipei’s Logy and Florilège in Tokyo, a multi-hand feast at Caprice with the teams from Masque (Mumbai) and... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3347135/best-things-do-hong-kong-march-22-28?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3347135/best-things-do-hong-kong-march-22-28?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 05:00:08 +0000 Sarah Keenlyside Sarah Keenlyside “I think all artists are incredibly selfish,” says Coco Capitán from her home in Stoke Newington on a typically dreary Friday morning in London. “Art is a very self-involved activity. You’re constantly thinking about what you’re going to create next and what you have to say for yourself. It’s tiring. Sometimes my biggest dream is not to be an artist any more. But I don’t think I chose to be one, I just think I couldn’t be anything else.” She may sound like she’s on a bit of a downer – Capitán... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3347124/artist-coco-capitan-selfish-art-bad-bunny-and-her-hong-kong-debut-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3347124/artist-coco-capitan-selfish-art-bad-bunny-and-her-hong-kong-debut-show?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 08:00:11 +0000 Gavin Yeung Gavin Yeung After the dust settles following the March madness of Art Basel, Art Central and the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) is due to celebrate its semi-centennial this April – a milestone that serves as a retrospective of the city’s storied cinematic output. Despite arriving at a difficult time for the local film industry, amid a slew of cinema closures, the 50th edition, which runs from April 1 to 12, strikes a hopeful note with a strong showing of the... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3347107/see-chen-kaige-and-juliette-binoche-hong-kong-international-film-festival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3347107/see-chen-kaige-and-juliette-binoche-hong-kong-international-film-festival?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Cat Nelson Cat Nelson Strong women run throughout this issue. It is International Women’s Day today, after all. In our cover story, Salomé Grouard meets filmmaker Elizabeth Lo, whose documentary Mistress Dispeller was shortlisted in December for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar – a first in the category for a Hong Kong director. The film explores China’s strange and little-known industry of “mistress dispellers”, professionals hired to end extramarital affairs. What I found extraordinary was the sensitivity with... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3345750/week-postmag-celebration-women-film-sport-science-and-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3345750/week-postmag-celebration-women-film-sport-science-and-life?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 04:45:11 +0000 Gavin Yeung Gavin Yeung Eat this Chef’s Room at Salisterra Trading starched linens for kitchen-side stools, Chef’s Room is a newly minted, 10-seat studio tucked inside Salisterra led by culinary adviser Ricardo Chaneton that prioritises conversation over ceremony. The spring line-up kicks off with Max Levy’s “slow food” pizza residency (available every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from March 11 to May 1), followed by a weekend featuring Josh Boutwood of two-Michelin-starred Manila restaurant Helm in April. Level 49,... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3345642/best-things-do-hong-kong-and-macau-march-8-14?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3345642/best-things-do-hong-kong-and-macau-march-8-14?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 05:00:10 +0000 Salomé Grouard Salomé Grouard When filmmaker Elizabeth Lo is asked which questions she wishes she got more often, she laughs before answering. “I wish people asked more about my other projects, especially Stray,” she tells me, sipping a coffee in Hong Kong, hours before flying back to Los Angeles for a final round of awards season events. Point taken. The acclaimed documentary director doesn’t want to be defined solely by her latest work, Mistress Dispeller, which follows a Chinese couple through a turbulent time in their... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3345504/elizabeth-lo-her-oscar-shortlisted-film-about-chinas-mistress-dispellers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3345504/elizabeth-lo-her-oscar-shortlisted-film-about-chinas-mistress-dispellers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 04:00:09 +0000 Mark Footer Mark Footer The Hong Kong International Literary Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year (March 1 to 8), marking a quarter of a century of bringing some of the most famous – and in some cases, most quirky – authors to the city. Among those with more than one story to tell have been: Bonnie Tsui: most recent book: On Muscle: The Stuff That Moves Us and Why It Matters (2025) It was perhaps inevitable that Tsui would publish her 2020 book Why We Swim, which explores the global history and... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3344849/hkilfs-literary-legend-visits-through-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3344849/hkilfs-literary-legend-visits-through-years?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 07:16:56 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak Lunar New Year begins with an almost instinctive search for auspicious signs. Here is a look back at traditional festive customs meant to secure a lucky start for the year ahead – many of which continue to shape the city’s celebrations. Temple visits Worshippers head to Wong Tai Sin Temple in Kowloon, Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin and other temples to seek guidance, protection and prosperity for the year ahead. Wish-making at Lam Tsuen At Lam Tsuen in Tai Po, wishes are written on paper... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3343674/pictures-hong-kongs-chinese-new-year-obsession-good-fortune?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3343674/pictures-hong-kongs-chinese-new-year-obsession-good-fortune?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 03:00:10 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak Visiting the flower markets This is a long-standing Lunar New Year custom in Hong Kong, with the largest crowds gathering at Victoria Park. Flowers carry symbolic meaning – orchids for abundance, oranges for wealth and luck – and each year, residents shop with hopes of an auspicious start. Shopping for the Lunar New Year Before the Lunar New Year, shoppers flock to department stores and grocers to stock up on gifts and festive foods for friends and family. Not everything would fly off the... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3342595/pictures-hong-kong-readies-lunar-new-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3342595/pictures-hong-kong-readies-lunar-new-year?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 04:00:11 +0000 Cat Nelson Cat Nelson It’s comforting – in an admittedly dystopian way – how well my algorithm gets me. Over the past few weeks, I’ve gone down a rabbit hole of horoscope content (both Eastern and Western) on Instagram. Wondering what the Year of the Fire Horse might hold for an Aquarius rabbit? My second-hand knowledge, absorbed from online pseudo gurus with questionable levels of expertise, can tell you (it’s looking bright, if you can believe them). I learned that the Fire Horse has something of a reputation. In... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3342591/week-postmag-lunar-new-year-and-meaning-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3342591/week-postmag-lunar-new-year-and-meaning-home?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 04:45:13 +0000 Gavin Yeung Gavin Yeung Eat this Hansik Goo Marking its sixth year, one-Michelin-starred Hansik Goo has unveiled two dinner menus by head chef Park Seung-hun to take diners on a deeper dive into the culinary heritage of the Korean peninsula. The expanded repertoire includes a restorative sea cucumber samgyetang with chicken-skin dumplings, abalone porridge and a duo of Hanwoo beef. 1/F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central Drink this Alibi – Wine Dine Be Social In a new collaboration with local collective... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3342583/best-things-do-hong-kong-february-8-14?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3342583/best-things-do-hong-kong-february-8-14?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 05:00:07 +0000 Victoria Chan Victoria Chan You can hear it before you see it: the chaos and clatter of shuffling tiles, the rhythmic tap-tap as miniature walls rise, followed by calls of victory erupting across the table. For Connor Wan Cing-tsuen, this isn’t just a game but the heartbeat of his culture and an echo of a childhood spent watching relatives play. Now, he’s determined to pass it on to future generations. Once seen as a pastime for aunties and uncles, millennials and Gen Z in Asia and across the Chinese diaspora are... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3342450/how-mahjong-keeps-finding-new-tables-one-tile-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3342450/how-mahjong-keeps-finding-new-tables-one-tile-time?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 04:00:14 +0000 Paul French Paul French On July 22, 1928, the great and good of Macau gathered to celebrate the official opening of the seven-storey President Hotel, led by the brilliantly mustachioed, poetry-loving Portuguese governor Artur Tamagnini de Sousa Barbosa. The location of the colony’s newest hotel couldn’t have been better: it was the most prominent building on the colonnaded thoroughfare of Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro (San Ma Lo in Cantonese), a stone’s throw from the two historic hubs of colonial Macau: Senado Square and... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3341024/hotel-central-reopens-and-brings-old-macau-back-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3341024/hotel-central-reopens-and-brings-old-macau-back-life?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 04:00:08 +0000 Sumnima Kandangwa Sumnima Kandangwa I feel like mourning is something people shy away from,” says Heidi Lau. “It’s always like, ‘just get over it’.” Lau’s work resists that impulse. Born in Macau in 1987, the New York-based artist uses clay to think through grief not as a state to move past, but as a condition that alters time, memory and the body. Her sculptures, informed by her mother’s passing, treat mourning as something tactile. Lau trained in printmaking and drawing at New York University, then spent her early postgraduate... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3341212/heidi-lau-molds-clay-mourning-and-just-won-sigg-prize-2025?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3341212/heidi-lau-molds-clay-mourning-and-just-won-sigg-prize-2025?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 02:00:09 +0000 Cat Nelson Cat Nelson The first time I went to Macau was in 2017, and I spent an embarrassing amount of time lost inside The Venetian. Let me tell you, there’s something profoundly disorienting about a fake sky and canals indoors. I kept passing the same gondola, panic mounting. I suspect I’m not alone in this experience – or in the broader reality that many people never see much beyond Macau’s glitz and glam. It’s easy to visit for a weekend, stick to the resorts and come away thinking you’ve seen the city. But for... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3340967/week-postmag-many-layers-macau?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3340967/week-postmag-many-layers-macau?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 04:45:08 +0000 Gavin Yeung Gavin Yeung Eat this Belon For a peek behind the curtain at Belon, chef Mina Güçlüer is hosting masterclasses that trade the dining room for the kitchen. The afternoon involves a rare behind-the-scenes tour, technical instruction and ingredient sampling, all aided by flowing champagne. Come 6pm, attendees segue into a multi-course dinner to feast on the fruits of their labour, complete with a four-glass wine pairing. 1/F, 1-5 Elgin Street, Central. HK$3,500; belonsoho.com Drink this Quinary Mixology... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3340957/best-things-do-hong-kong-january-25-31?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3340957/best-things-do-hong-kong-january-25-31?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 05:00:12 +0000 Gavin Yeung Gavin Yeung All good things must come to a coda. After 18 years of bringing the sort of chamber music that makes you sit up and pay attention, the Beare’s Premiere Music Festival is taking its final bow this week. It is a bittersweet affair, certainly, but if the programme is anything to go by, the event intends to go out with quite a bang. For the uninitiated, this festival – originally the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival – has long been the city’s answer to those intimate European... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3340947/beares-premiere-music-festival-2026-hosts-hong-kong-finale?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3340947/beares-premiere-music-festival-2026-hosts-hong-kong-finale?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 08:00:08 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak Freezing temperatures are rare in Hong Kong, and frost is rarer still. But in decades past, a handful of particularly cold days transformed Tai Mo Shan into an ice-crusted winterscape. Here’s a look back at how South China Morning Post photographers captured Hong Kong’s frostiest moments from the 1970s to the 2010s. https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3340631/pictures-hong-kongs-coldest-days-1970s-2010s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3340631/pictures-hong-kongs-coldest-days-1970s-2010s?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 07:15:07 +0000 Andrea Lo Andrea Lo It’s late afternoon and at the Gillman Barracks, an art enclave in downtown Singapore, the light is beginning to shift. People lingering outside one of the converted military buildings chat quietly before heading inside. One gallery’s bold murals consist of letters twisted into abstract forms, graffiti turned into a language of energy and rhythm. In another, a luminous canvas hums with colour and texture, a quiet riot of abstraction. The energy in the air isn’t the buzz of an opening night but... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3339168/what-see-singapores-galleries-and-studios-art-week-2026-approaches?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3339168/what-see-singapores-galleries-and-studios-art-week-2026-approaches?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 02:00:11 +0000 Gavin Yeung Gavin Yeung Hana no Kumo Ascend The Henderson to discover Hana no Kumo, where chef Ogawa Masaru – formerly of Wagyu Kaiseki Den – is putting his spin on the kappou experience. It’s an intimate affair on the 38th floor; just 24 seats surround the action as Ogawa executes his interactive “cut and cook” philosophy. The HBA-designed space is inspired by Kyoto, with sakura motifs providing a serene backdrop for HK$2,380 dinner tasting menus featuring abalone and seasonal sashimi. Summit 38, 38/F, The Henderson,... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3339331/buzziest-openings-hong-kong-japanese-delights-new-literary-museum?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3339331/buzziest-openings-hong-kong-japanese-delights-new-literary-museum?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 22:00:09 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak From the 1970s to the 2010s, Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour saw its fair share of sailing ships arriving from across the globe. Here’s how South China Morning Post photographers captured the arrival of these classic vessels. https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3339322/pictures-majestic-sailing-ships-made-hong-kong-port-call?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3339322/pictures-majestic-sailing-ships-made-hong-kong-port-call?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 04:00:15 +0000 Cat Nelson Cat Nelson Hello, January! I hope you survived the first proper work week of 2026. I’ve been going through the avalanche that is my inbox and am barely hanging on. Luckily, this week’s cover story offers a burst of energy as Hsiuwen Liu plunges into the Cantopop revival currently filling Hong Kong’s dance floors. She hits the tiles at Cantomania and finds what started as an underground party is now a full-blown movement, joining a wave of Cantopop nights around town. Cantomania’s DJ Fabsabs (real name Pete... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3339317/week-postmag-cantopop-dance-revival-and-dream-trip-bahamas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3339317/week-postmag-cantopop-dance-revival-and-dream-trip-bahamas?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 04:45:08 +0000 Gavin Yeung Gavin Yeung Eat this Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic x Qu Lang Yuan Anne-Sophie Pic’s Hong Kong outpost welcomes Beijing talent Li Zhanxu of Qu Lang Yuan for a two-night residency on Monday and Tuesday. Li, whose home restaurant is housed in a serene courtyard in the capital’s historic Dongsi Hutong, brings a poetic Franco-Chinese dialogue to Pic’s harbourfront establishment. Expect a seamless meld of techniques: Pic’s signature comté berlingots are receiving an oolong infusion while Alsatian venison is... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3339304/our-cheat-sheet-what-do-hong-kong-january-11-17?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3339304/our-cheat-sheet-what-do-hong-kong-january-11-17?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Jan 2026 05:00:11 +0000 Hsiuwen Liu Hsiuwen Liu Early last year, I started noticing friends posting Instagram stories from a roaming club night called Cantomania. Under dim, shifting lights, the DJ spun Cantopop classics such as Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing’s 1984 hit “Monica” alongside cartoon theme songs from Digimon Adventure and Hamtaro, even the Donki jingle, while the crowd shouted the choruses in unison. The man behind the deck was DJ Fabsabs, real name Pete Sabine, a Hong Kong-born gweilo whose sets have become a celebration of the city’s... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3339157/cantomania-dj-night-driving-hong-kongs-cantopop-comeback?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3339157/cantomania-dj-night-driving-hong-kongs-cantopop-comeback?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 02:00:14 +0000 Sumnima Kandangwa Sumnima Kandangwa It’s midnight on an ordinary Thursday and Darren Lee is wide awake, hunched over a laptop, sending off emails. While most other university students might be winding down after a day of lectures or grabbing drinks with friends, Lee’s nightly routine has just begun. Sure, his grades are slipping, his mother is less than thrilled about all the socks taking over their living room, and his social life is bleak at best. But at only 19 years old, Lee is the proud founder and CEO of Sababu, a home-grown... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3338459/hong-kong-teen-trading-sleep-and-social-life-help-artists-around-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3338459/hong-kong-teen-trading-sleep-and-social-life-help-artists-around-world?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jan 2026 23:00:13 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak For nearly 50 years, the New Year Winter Swimming Lifesaving Championships have represented a tradition of courage in Hong Kong, challenging participants with a 600-metre course from Middle Bay Beach to Repulse Bay Jetty. The fastest swimmers are crowned champions in various age groups and categories, including student and open divisions. Join us as we delve into the South China Morning Post’s picture archives, featuring generations of brave swimmers plunging into icy waters on the first day of... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3338235/pictures-hong-kong-swimmers-braving-cold-new-years-day-1970s-2000s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3338235/pictures-hong-kong-swimmers-braving-cold-new-years-day-1970s-2000s?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 22:00:10 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak Hong Kong has long since embraced the joy of Christmas and New Year’s Eve, with festive gatherings being at the heart of the season, with holiday food, drinks and dancing aplenty. Through the lens of South China Morning Post photographers, we look back at these celebrations from the 1970s to the 90s – from lively corporate parties to charity events that brought smiles to the disadvantaged. These moments show how Hong Kong people came together, year after year, to share laughter and the simple... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3337446/pictures-christmas-and-new-years-eve-parties-hong-kong-1970s-90s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3337446/pictures-christmas-and-new-years-eve-parties-hong-kong-1970s-90s?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 08:00:09 +0000 Salomé Grouard Salomé Grouard It began as an embrace of seasonal sadness, a song giving voice to a Christmas heartbreak. But for award-winning producer Terry Chan Ming-do, the enduring popularity of “Lonely Christmas”, the song he produced and arranged for Eason Chan Yick-shun 23 years ago, remains a delightful mystery. “To us, at the time, it was a very tongue-in-cheek song,” says Chan. “We didn’t expect it to come up every single Christmas after that.” “Lonely Christmas” isn’t your traditional festive song; it’s an anthem... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3337468/songs-sleigh-how-cantopop-created-hong-kongs-own-christmas-soundtrack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3337468/songs-sleigh-how-cantopop-created-hong-kongs-own-christmas-soundtrack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Dec 2025 05:15:08 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak The 1970s, 80s and 90s were decades in which December grew into a lively festival season in Hong Kong – one that blended Western traditions with the city’s unique charms. Here’s how South China Morning Post photographers captured some of that Christmas magic. Christmas shopping Sending Christmas cards Enjoying the Christmas lights Feasting for Christmas https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3336997/pictures-how-hong-kong-celebrated-christmas-1970s-90s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3336997/pictures-how-hong-kong-celebrated-christmas-1970s-90s?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 07:15:08 +0000 Gavin Yeung Gavin Yeung Discover this Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum The Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum has finally reopened after months of renovation. To mark its return – and the 100th anniversary of Dr Sun’s death – a new and free exhibition is on display. “From Healing Patients to Saving a Nation” runs until March 2026, showcasing over 60 artefacts and photos connecting the statesman to Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangdong. Admission is free, offering a fresh reason to finally step inside the historic Kom Tong Hall. Kom Tong Hall, 7... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3336230/best-things-do-hong-kong-december-20-26?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3336230/best-things-do-hong-kong-december-20-26?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 02:00:10 +0000 Andrea Lo Andrea Lo I have always felt confused by early arrivals at dinner parties. My family always show up hours before the meal is supposed to start. When I joined my mum at dinner parties hosted by a close friend, we were encouraged to arrive early. Any guests who enter my home before the appointed hour, however, will find me in a state of barely concealed hysteria – sauce still reducing, candles unlit, playlist half-finished. You’ll be handed whatever wine I panic-bought at 7-Eleven and deposited on my sofa... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3336045/impossible-art-being-good-guest-hong-kong-christmas-gathering?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3336045/impossible-art-being-good-guest-hong-kong-christmas-gathering?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 12:00:11 +0000 Cat Nelson Cat Nelson When we started putting together this year’s festive issue, Jean-Pierre – the new-ish French restaurant in Central – was an obvious pick. It’s maximalist, champagne-fuelled and intentionally chaotic in a way that feels very on-brand for the season. But speaking with the personality behind the madness, Marc Hofmann, what stuck with me wasn’t the excess; it was how unexpectedly sincere it all is. The restaurant is rooted in childhood memories and family gatherings, not just an excuse to pour... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3336209/week-postmag-festive-food-styling-and-cantopop-christmas-ballads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3336209/week-postmag-festive-food-styling-and-cantopop-christmas-ballads?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 04:45:08 +0000 Sumnima Kandangwa Sumnima Kandangwa Don’t miss Monsters by Monsters: Now and Then Kasing Lung’s toothy, forest-dwelling creations are having a moment. Celebrating a decade of these “Monsters”, the Hong Kong-born artist returns home for a sprawling exhibition at Asia Society Hong Kong Center. Running until January 4, “Monsters by Monsters” charts the evolution of the mischievous creatures – which inhabit the same story universe as Lung’s signature Labubu – through sketches, paintings and rare collectibles. Covering everything from... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3336188/best-things-do-hong-kong-week-december-13-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3336188/best-things-do-hong-kong-week-december-13-19?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Dec 2025 02:00:10 +0000 Billy Potts Billy Potts It was December 1990 and I was four years old. Hong Kong then got much colder than it does today, but standing to my mother’s right as we took in the Christmas lights, my younger brother to her left, the cold seemed to melt away. Wide-eyed and clutching my mother’s hand, I gazed upon the illuminated towers and parapets of a snow-white castle. Angels perched on the battlements, haloes aglow. Fairy lights festooned the winter scene on the waterfront by Harbour City, in Tsim Sha Tsui. Hong Kong’s... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3336025/how-hong-kongs-famous-christmas-decorations-came-life-told-one-their-creators?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3336025/how-hong-kongs-famous-christmas-decorations-came-life-told-one-their-creators?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 10:00:15 +0000 Alexander Mak Alexander Mak In the 1980s and 90s, open-air food stalls were a common sight in Hong Kong and during the colder months, hotpot was a dish of choice for those dining alfresco. The steaming pot not only offered a variety of rich flavours but also a cosy way to bring family and friends together, sharing food and laughter to warm the chilly nights. For those preferring a more comfortable setting, Cantonese snake-soup restaurants offered another popular winter staple, the warming tonic having been supped by... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3335320/pictures-what-are-hong-kongs-most-beloved-winter-foods-snapshots-1970s-2000s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3335320/pictures-what-are-hong-kongs-most-beloved-winter-foods-snapshots-1970s-2000s?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 22:00:18 +0000 Cat Nelson Cat Nelson I hope this is the hardest editor’s letter I ever have to write. Over the past 10 days, somewhere on the internet, you’ve likely already read any sentiment I’d like to type. Or you’ve heard it in conversation. Tragic, devastating, heavy. I’ve grasped for other words, if only for variety’s sake, but these are the ones I keep coming back to, like everybody else. They’re accurate and true. When news of the Tai Po fire broke on November 26, we were in the midst of sending off pages for that... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3335316/week-postmag-standing-together-people-tai-po?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3335316/week-postmag-standing-together-people-tai-po?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 04:45:08 +0000