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History

History
The latest news, analysis and opinion on History. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
These Qing Dynasty lions, which stood outside a Seoul museum for more than 80 years, have been returned to China. Photo: Xinhua
China-South Korea relations

South Korea returns looted Qing dynasty lions to China in cultural diplomacy win

Experts believe the marble sculptures guarded an imperial residence before they were taken by Japanese invaders in the early 20th century.

Food and Drinks

‘Piece of history’: old cookbook exhibition traces Hong Kong’s culinary past

Austria

Hitler’s birthplace reopens as a police station to deter neo-Nazis

Hong Kong culture

Hong Kong brands that rose hand in hand with the city over generations

From the 100-year-old Garden Bakery to TikTok-fave Twemco, these brands tell the story of the city’s evolution into a major metropolis.

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War and conflict

As I see it | Hegemony or balance of power? What the wars of ancient China teach us

A new book on the Spring and Autumn period and its experiments in conflict and diplomacy helps explain today’s global order.

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Japan

Video | Japan revises law to expand imperial family

Revised law does not address possibility of a woman becoming emperor, despite wide public support.

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Vietnam

Vietnam arrests 3 publishing bosses over controversial Ho Chi Minh book

Authorities say ‘Stories with Thanh’, which recounts the Communist Party founder’s years abroad, ‘distorts history’.

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A woman rides a motorbike past a poster with a portrait of the late former president Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi on August 31, 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE
South Korea

South Korea under emergency advisory as heatwave days increase

Scientists warn that extreme weather events such as heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of human-induced climate change.

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Lessons from China's history

Reflections | A history of Chinese fans and how they kept people cool in summer

Fans have long been used in China for cooling and cooking and as artistic status symbols. We look at the tool’s reinvention over 3,000 years.

China economy

As I see it | How the New Left won the battle of ideas for 21st-century China

Their revisionism challenges the neoliberal perspective which treats Maoist command economics and Deng-era capitalist reforms as diametrically opposed.

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A visitor looks at a screen showing President Xi Jinping at an exhibition commemorating China’s Communist Party history and achievements, on October 1, 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE
Chinese culture

Being Chinese | In China, I found pieces of history waiting to be carried forward

My family’s history had travelled across the Pacific, leaving gaps that descendants on both sides are still working to fill in.

A boy offers incense before an ancestral grave on Diamond Hill in Hong Kong on Ching Ming Festival on April 5, 2023. The festival is a time of remembrance across the Chinese diaspora. Photo: Elson Li
Food and Drinks

Best things to do in Wuhan, China’s breakfast capital - revealed in a new light

Hubei’s eclectic capital on the Yangtze River is famous for its hearty breakfast food and many lakes. Here’s how to spend a weekend there.

Jewellery

Ring stacking is everywhere – here’s how to do it like a pro

Celine’s models, Taylor Swift and Zoë Kravitz are all loading their fingers with rings – check out these pointers (pun intended) from jewellery experts.

US-China relations

Opinion | What the US should learn from China’s 19th century decline

Every empire has its strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps the most important asset is understanding those of your adversaries.

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US President Donald Trump (left) walks with President Xi Jinping at the Temple of Heaven on May 14 in Beijing. Photo: AP
United States

Opinion | As the US marks its 250th birthday, it operates an empire in all but name

The opposition to the US’ imperialistic actions at the turn of the 20th century by prominent intellectuals should offer Americans today food for thought.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Chinese culture

‘Cleverest woman that ever lived’: the rise of China’s Empress Dowager Cixi

Beginning royal life as a low-ranking concubine, Cixi controlled Qing-dynasty China for nearly half a century from behind the scenes.

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Africa

Switzerland returns 18 historic Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

The repatriation marks the latest victory in Africa’s push to reclaim priceless artefacts looted by British colonial forces.

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Art

Hong Kong LGBTQ community braves storm to recall pre-internet-era memories

Black rain couldn’t dampen the mood at ‘Offline Memories’ at Eaton HK, where art and printed images evoke human connections in a bygone era.

A visitor browses exhibits at “Offline Memories: Hong Kong LGBTQ+ Archive of Printed Matter from the Pre-Internet Era” at Eaton HK’s Tomorrow Maybe art space.
Luxury Hotels

Review | Where Chinese tea culture and Aman luxury steep together

Set among ancient tea fields and Buddhist temples, Amanfayun is where Longjing tea culture, village life and Aman’s quiet luxury converge.

Art

World’s first Chinese LGBTQ museum spotlights overlooked community

Out Museum in San Francisco’s Chinatown gives artists from China and the Chinese diaspora a platform to tell their stories.

Lessons from China's history

Reflections | How the Chinese language has long been shaped by foreign influences

From Buddhism’s arrival in China to European exchange in the 1800s, external forces have left a mark on Chinese vocabulary and grammar.

The Hong Kong Academy of School Managers holds an event on traditional Chinese costume and calligraphy at Maryknoll Secondary School in Sau Mau Ping on July 9, 2023. Some of the most significant changes in the Chinese language shaped by foreign influences have occurred not in vocabulary but in the grammar and sentence structures that shape how Chinese is written and spoken. Photo: Sam Tsang
Chinese culture

Opinion | For many outside China, Dear You reflects family history, not politics

Some call the film soft power, but for many in the Chinese diaspora, it’s simply family history.

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A woman attends a screening of Dear You in Kuala Lumpur on June 15. Photo: Xinhua
Luxury Hotels

Ran Baas, The Palace combines Indian hospitality with royal grandeur

The luxury hotel in India was restored from an 18th century royal guest house in the Qila Mubarak complex, and now offers a thoughtful hospitality experience.

Technology

Opinion | How the I Ching inspired modern computing and AI

The connection between Chinese civilisation and Western scientific thinking is far deeper and more intricate than commonly understood.

Jewellery

Why brooches are the jewellery trend taking over red carpets

The ‘bro brooch’ swept awards season and the fall/winter 2026 runways – and Pinterest data confirms searches for brooch styling are surging.

Tilda Swinton in Chanel, wearing a diamond brooch at the 2026 EE Bafta Film Awards. Photo: Handout
Architecture and design

The tea towel’s luxe transformation, from kitchen staple to Burberry styles

From hand-printed Italian linens to Hong Kong keepsakes, the dishcloth has transcended its humble origins to become a genuine design object.

Mungo tea towels. Photo: Handout
Books and literature

‘Night of Horrors’: LA’s Chinese massacre of 1871 brought to fore in new book

Lisa See’s novel Daughters of the Sun and Moon revisits the terrible events that saw around 500 people attack the city’s Chinese residents.

Greece

Greece unveils Parthenon’s facade whole for first time in 220 years

Restoration of the western gable of the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens has been completed.

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