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Chinese history

Chinese history
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Chinese history. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Chinese New Year greeting cards date back over 2,000 years to the Han dynasty. They were initially made of bamboo and later paper. Photo: SCMP composite/Sohu/Weibo
Trending in China

Chinese New Year bamboo greeting cards date back over 2,000 years to Han dynasty

Sending festive messages in ancient times took time and often servants would deliver ‘flying letters’ from their masters to remote friends.

Chinese culture

As I see it | How ancient Chinese philosophers make sense of modern headaches

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Hong Kong society

Over 250 rare Han dynasty relics on display in major Hong Kong showcase

Chinese culture

Reflections | What an old Chinese snack can teach people about the ‘proper’ way to eat dishes

The evolution of ‘biluo’ in Tang-dynasty China highlights how there is no unchanging way in which a dish ought to be prepared and enjoyed.

Cherry Biluo. Photo: Sohu
Trending in China

Mastering the shadows: explore lives, extraordinary skills of ancient Chinese thieves

To maintain social order, ancient Chinese dynasties imposed severe punishments for theft – amputation, exile, even death penalty.

Chinese culture

Turning walnuts into ‘jade’? Social media goes nuts over old Chinese tradition

You will not actually make jade by rolling walnuts around in your palm, but this Chinese tradition can boost hand strength and calm anxiety.

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Celestial craftsmanship: secrets of meteorite axe from China Sanxingdui unveiled

Artefact was made of a particular blend of metal that would have been extremely difficult for the ancient people to create on Earth.

Various meteoric iron artefacts have been discovered in China, with the latest finding revealing how the inhabitants of Sanxingdui forged an axelike tool from a meteorite. Photo: SCMP composite/Archaeological Research in Asia/Shutterstock
Trending in China

How gossip spread in ancient China before newspapers reported on scandals

From eavesdroppers in teahouses to ‘inner informants’ in royal palaces, scandal merchants peddled stories of adultery and divorce.

Belt and Road Initiative

Open Questions | China always a connector, never a coloniser, author says

Sheng-Wei Wang says China’s Belt and Road Initiative echoes the voyages of 15th century Chinese explorer Zheng He, who promoted trade but never stayed.

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Chinese culture

Opinion | Chinese youth are embracing Ching Ming with cultural confidence

Young people visiting the graves of historical figures reflects a cultural shift and the pursuit of a sense of continuity with the past.

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People tend to graves at Diamond Hill Cemetery in Hong Kong on April 3 during the Ching Ming Festival. Photo: AFP
Trending in China

Ancient China lavish toilet routines: nobles used silk, Empress Cixi had 28 maids

During the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), public toilets charged usage fees, and some even featured novels and advertisements to attract patrons.

In ancient China, commoners used scrap paper for toilet hygiene while nobles opted for silk. Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu
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Women sumo wrestling was popular in ancient China until rise of Confucian ethics

Grappling partially clothed, sometimes naked, women drew large crowds, emperors but complaints from conservative officials led to sport’s demise.

Food and Drinks

How Okinawan food evolved with Chinese influences to become ‘truly unique’

Long ago, Okinawa was part of the Ryukyu Kingdom, a trade hub linking Japan to Asia. Today, dishes like goya champuru reflect this history.

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Trending in China

Compound Chinese surnames come from historic figures, ancient states; fewer than 100 remain

From celebrities to ordinary folk, millions of Chinese have such family names, which are considered rare and precious.

In China, compound surnames are rare and valued. Once over a thousand existed, but now fewer than a hundred remain. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | History of Chinese flatbreads reflects how food has echoes of faraway places

How ‘hubing’ came to China is reflected in Hong Kong’s Jenny Bakery cookies smelling like Malaysia’s Rotiboy coffee buns, Wee Kek Koon says.

Today, the descendants of “hubing” Chinese flatbreads survive in everyday foods like “shaobing” (pictured), the ubiquitous flatbread sold at neighbourhood food stalls, and “nang”, the naan-like Xinjiang flatbreads still baked by pressing the dough against the walls of clay ovens. Photo: Shutterstock
Trending in China

Why ‘dung collector’ was a highly lucrative profession in ancient China

Faeces from wealthy commanded higher price due to superior diet as door-to-door ‘night soil’ gatherers sold human waste to farmers.

Chinese culture

As I see it | Why China is always misunderstood and misrepresented

By insisting on the superiority of its own standards of judgment and experience, the West distorts the realities of other societies.

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How emperors and nobles kept warm without quilts during winter in ancient China

While the rich luxuriated using women, dogs, cats to fight off freezing temperatures, the poor slept in manure heaps and death was common.

In ancient China where winters were harsh without electricity or down quilts, emperors had foot-warming maids and nobles kept domestic cats and dogs for warmth. Photo: Zhihu
Chinese culture

As I see it | How to win friends and influence people in ancient China

Although the ancient text Guiguzi may not be widely read, its contents remain a prescient guide for job interviews, marketing and even diplomacy.

Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Imperial China’s armed escort services solved logistical problems – with swords

In imperial China, services of armed martial artists, or biaoju, ensured delivery on risky routes. Their image has since been romanticised.

Diplomacy

Opinion | What ancient Chinese wisdom can offer a divided world – and the US

Chinese leaders often turn to classical poems, essays and proverbs to explain foreign policy, something US policymakers fail to understand.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
World of performing arts

Chinese opera troupe’s retelling of ancient love story ends with a ‘brilliant’ surprise

At the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the new work ‘Red Wedding Bed’, based on the Liyuan opera classic, retells the tale of Chen San and Wu Niang.

A scene from “Red Wedding Bed”, Fujian Province Liyuan Opera Inheritance Centre’s retelling of the Southern Song dynasty Chinese tale “Chen San and Wu Niang”, but with a different ending. Photo: courtesy of Hong Kong Arts Festival
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | How the Hakka spread in China and beyond, their cuisine reflecting hard lives

A people shaped by centuries of migration, Hakka communities are found across China and are prevalent in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Trending in China

Ancient Chinese sentenced to flogging could hire others to take punishment for fee

Brutal centuries-old penal system saw lawbreakers beaten to death with iron-wrapped hammer fitted with barbs.

Trending in China

Jar burials: a glimpse into ancient China’s compassion for infant deaths

New study indicates Neolithic cultures in China may have separated graves of perinatal infants; different treatment than older children.

Recent research suggested that ancient jar burials in China were primarily for newborns, stillborns, or miscarriages, as most infants did not survive to be breastfed. Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu/sciencedirect
China society

As I see it | Rescuing a key Confucian text from centuries of ignominy

The release of an authoritative translation of Kongzi Jia Yu finally places a once-suspected forgery among the traditional canon.

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Children read The Analects at a primary school in Hefei, Anhui province, in February 2014. Photo: Xinhua
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | What an exiled royal’s plea to Chinese emperor can teach Iran’s Reza Pahlavi

A Persian prince’s attempts to restore his family’s throne from abroad highlight how political legitimacy is tough to forge in faraway lands.

China economy

Editorial | China’s ‘two sessions’ passes smoothly despite global turmoil

As long as China focuses on economic development, Hong Kong can leverage its unique strengths to seize opportunities.

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