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A luxury poon choi from Hong Kong restaurant Duddell’s. Poon choi is a popular meal for family gatherings during the winter solstice in China. Photo: Nicholas Wong / Sixteen Photography
Chinese culture

Explainer | What is the winter solstice? History, food and how Hong Kong celebrates

Known as dung zi in Cantonese and dongzhi in Mandarin, the winter solstice is one of the most important celebrations for Chinese families.

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China-Japan relations

Tower of peace or sin? Why China says a Japanese wartime monument must be razed

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Japan

Japan and South Korea clash over islets as old grievances resurface

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Year of the Horse 2026

Mongolia’s child jockeys are key to its heritage. But are they in danger?

Light and agile, children have long held the reins in Mongolian horse racing. But the hazards of the sport make it anything but child’s play.

Horse rider Dolgorsuren Batoyun (centre) is pictured as a child. Now grown up, the first woman member of Mongolia’s national polo team looks back fondly on the “cultures and customs” her father (right) taught her. Photo: Dominique Backhouse
European travel

The quiet English landscapes that shaped Jane Austen’s world

An exploration of southern England in the footsteps of Jane Austen, born 250 years ago this month.

Books and literature

Hidden histories of China revealed at rare book fair in Hong Kong

At Firsts Hong Kong, several rare book exhibits gave visitors the chance to peruse first-hand accounts of China’s complex past.

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Egypt

Egypt reveals restored colossal statues of prominent pharaoh in Luxor

The giant statues, toppled by an earthquake in about 1200 BC, were meticulously pieced back together in a project that lasted about two decades.

A man takes selfie in front of the two colossal statues. Photo: EPA
Chinese history

After The War | Virtual reality and the Nanking massacre: where does immersion become trauma?

Amid push in China for museum digitalisation, one educator seeks to help students ‘feel history without being flooded by it’.

Chinese culture

5 of the best-known horses in Chinese legend, from the Red Hare to qilin

Horses play a fascinating role in Chinese folklore, ranging from the downright disturbing – one kidnaps a girl – to the gently auspicious.

US-China relations

After The War | How an American family’s wartime bond with China brings the countries together

Daughter-in-law of Flying Tiger who taught in Fujian province sees lessons in ordinary people always finding ways to understand one another.

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Elyn MacInnis and her family share a bond with China that was forged during the second world war and now spans three generations. Photo: Xinhua
Japan

Opinion | From Singapore to Taiwan, Japan must face its past for Asia’s future

Lasting peace in Asia demands that Tokyo abandons its historical revisionism and refusal to acknowledge past crimes.

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A man displays a Rising Sun Flag, the Japanese naval ensign, at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on August 15, the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. Photo: Reuters
United States

How Asian-American history is reshaping classrooms in the US

Connecticut schools are enriching lessons with Asian-American stories amid rising anti-Asian sentiment.

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Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Ancient China’s Labubu-like doll craze also saw fans splurge silly money

Mohele dolls featured expensive ‘special editions’, saw designer collaborations and even inspired cosplay, much like Labubus today.

War and conflict

Opinion | Only true repentance from Japan can resolve East Asia’s ‘memory wars’

It is important that Japan, China and South Korea collectively reckon with the legacy of military aggression and wartime atrocities.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Singapore

Lee Kuan Yew’s Oxley Road home officially declared Singapore ‘national monument’

The designation marks a turning point, potentially ending years of family dispute and opening the door to heritage preservation in Singapore.

Residents walking past the house of Singapore’s late prime minister Lee Kuan Yew on 38 Oxley Road in Singapore. Photo: AFP
Art

Famous horse-related works of art as the Year of the Horse 2026 approaches

To celebrate the nearing Year of the Fire Horse, we look at paintings, books and plays that show how the use of horses in art has evolved.

Science

Editorial | China is no longer a follower in the race for quantum supremacy

A Chinese team recreated one of Einstein’s famous thought experiments, the results of which could help improve technologies like quantum computing.

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Britain

UK police hunt suspects after 600 British Empire artefacts stolen from museum

Police release images of four men after many items with ‘significant cultural value’ were stolen in Bristol on September 25.

This image of CCTV footage shows men carrying bags outside a building which housed items from the Bristol Museum’s British Empire and Commonwealth collection. Photo: Avon and Somerset Police via AFP
Chinese culture

How Boston Chinatown overcame constant threats to win its place in history

New England’s last surviving Chinatown, Boston Chinatown has long suffered hostile urban renewal but now its community is stronger than ever.

South Korea

Shaman rumours resurface as South Korea returns to Blue House

After Yoon Suk-yeol wasted millions on a move critics linked to fortune-tellers, the presidential office is returning to its historic home.

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France

Paris Louvre faces strike after major leak and robbery

Louvre staff warn of ‘collapse’ as they protest work conditions at the world’s most visited museum.

The Louvre Museum in Paris, France. Photo: AFP
Old Hong Kong

In pictures: a taste for winter warming fare, Hong Kong style

How Hongkongers keep warm in the winter, from steaming hotpot and snake soup to roasted chestnuts and bowls of crispy claypot rice.

On a cold winter night in 1984, people tuck into a hotpot meal at a street-side food stall in Hong Kong, locally called a “dai pai dong”. Photo: SCMP Archives
China-Russia relations

Opinion | Despite their strong ties, Russia and China are emotional opposites

Moscow is haunted by a longing for Western approval in contrast to Beijing, which focuses on borrowing what works and changing what doesn’t.

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France

Water leak at Paris Louvre damages books at Egyptian antiquities department

The leak underscores the deteriorating state of the world’s most visited museum just weeks after a jewel heist exposed security flaws.

Egypt

This man has gone viral for his resemblance to an ancient Egyptian king

Egyptian influencer Youssef Mohamed hopes his resemblance to Pharaoh Akhenaten fuels further interest in ancient Egyptian history.

Egyptian influencer Youssef Mohamed has gone viral for a photo he posted showing his resemblance to a pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Photo: Christoph Meyer/dpa
Singapore

Singapore launches book on Malaysia separation with declassified files

‘The Albatross File: Inside Separation’ sheds light on the negotiations leading up to Singapore’s break from Malaysia.

Lee Kuan Yew meeting the press on the morning of Singapore’s separation from Malaysia on August 9, 1965. Photo: Straits Times
Chinese culture

Language Matters | The enduring legacy of bamboo, a symbol of resilience and strength in Asia

Bamboo is used in everything from construction to food throughout Asia, and even lends itself to global concepts like the ‘bamboo curtain’.

Lessons from China's history

Reflections | In wake of Tai Po blaze, China’s long and difficult struggle fighting fire

The qualities that made buildings beautiful in premodern Chinese cities also made them dangerously flammable, and fire was a constant threat.

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