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Hong Kong culture

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Hong Kong culture
Learn all about what makes Hong Kong special: its people, their history, habits and quirks.
Christmas decorations in Landmark in Central, Hong Kong, in 1988. Photo: SCMP Archives
From our archives

In pictures: Hong Kong’s Christmas festivities, from the 1970s to 90s

In the late 20th century, Hong Kong transformed into a hub of festive cheer with bright lights, seasonal decor and plenty of Christmas treats.

Hong Kong society

Editorial | Kam Tin Jiao Festival proves heritage and development can coexist in harmony

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Pass and Goal: Gigi Leung leads football-themed Hong Kong family comedy

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Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | The bold reinvention of 1990s Hong Kong sex symbol Veronica Yip

Veronica Yip posed topless for a Hong Kong magazine and acted in erotic films before becoming a pop singer, TV fixture and a tycoon’s wife.

Hong Kong entertainer Veronica Yip poses in a swimsuit in 1994. From soft-core star to mainstream success, Yip’s career was a masterclass in reinvention. Photo: SCMP
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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Food and Drinks

A Christmas table built from grapes, radicchio and a single red chilli

Food stylist Gloria Chung presents a masterclass in creating a deliciously quirky tablescape.

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Hong Kong society

Hong Kong scraps New Year’s Eve fireworks, moves countdown to Central

Chief Secretary Eric Chan chairs interdepartmental meeting on arrangements for welcoming visitors over New Year break.

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Chater Road is all lit up as “Starlight Boulevard” for the Christmas season. Photo: Eugene Lee
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

3 female action stars who ruled Hong Kong cinema alongside Michelle Yeoh

Like Michelle Yeoh, female fighters Cynthia Rothrock, Kara Hui and Shih Szu starred in their own must-see Hong Kong action classics.

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West Kowloon Cultural District

Opinion | Frank Gehry’s vision for Hong Kong’s arts hub was an opportunity lost

Years after Gehry delivered the Guggenheim Bilbao, one of the world’s most successful museums, his vision for Hong Kong was rejected.

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.

Warlord Lu Bu and his famous horse Red Hare are depicted in the 2013 video game Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends.
Hong Kong society

Bump in recent sales, but 183-year Hong Kong umbrella shop set to fold for good

Yau Yiu-wai, 73, fifth-generation owner of Sun Nga Shing Umbrella Store, values craftsmanship and offers repairs, but says trade no longer viable.

Yau Yiu-wai (black jacket), 73, owner of Sun Nga Shing Umbrella Store in Sham Shui Po, has enjoyed a recent bump in sales but will nonetheless close his 183-year-old business by the end of this month. Photo: Sam Tsang
Internet

Video | How a block of online text led to a cafe’s viral stardom

Tai Bo Cafe in Yuen Long has gone viral online thanks to a copypasta trend on Threads recommending their meat patties, and have seen customers from as far as Macau.

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.

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

No need for complete switch from bamboo to metal scaffolding: Hong Kong minister

Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn’s stance marks shift from Chief Secretary Eric Chan’s remarks following Tai Po fire.

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Damaged bamboo scaffolding is removed from the scene of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. Photo: Jelly Tse
Food and Drinks

Hong Kong-style cafe receives top recognition. Owner has been to the city once

Tarek Hassan fell in love with Hong Kong culture as a teen. Now his Gongfu Cafe & Bao in Ottawa, Canada, serves authentic tastes of the city.

Tarek Hassan is a 46-year-old Egyptian-Canadian who opened Gong Fu Cafe & Bao in Ottawa as an ode to Hong Kong’s traditional cha chaan teng cafe culture. Photo: Tarek Hassan
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

‘We have this gift’: Hong Kong film shows healing power of city’s nature

Never Too Late shows how four Hongkongers found balance and freedom in the city’s natural spaces and why people should cherish its beauty.

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Chinese culture

Why the Year of the Horse 2026 could bring chaos but also great progress

With 12 animals and 5 elements, the Year of the Fire Horse comes around every 60 years and tends to bring both good fortune and bad.

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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
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Was Chow Yun-fat’s mainland Chinese film career a success or a flop?

We look at five films that Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat made in mainland China, with roles including a sleazy con man and Confucius.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Struggles of leaving Hong Kong and returning to it depicted in short film

Moving to another country is stressful, but returning home can be just as tough. Kristie Ko’s own experience inspired her short film.

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Horoscopes

What’s your luck like in December 2025, the month of the Earth Rat?

It’s the luckiest month of the year for the Ox with the Rat being its astrological friend, while the Snake can also expect smooth sailing.

December is the month of the Earth Rat. Illustration: SCMP Graphics
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’.

Bamboo poles are seen used in the construction of a pavilion in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong. Bamboo is used in everything from construction to food throughout Asia. Photo: Eugene Lee
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Under Current: Aaron Kwok, Francis Ng seek justice in fun but silly thriller

This Hong Kong tale of greed and corruption is a watchable portrait of greed and corruption, but it is also thoroughly detached from reality.

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Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | Cantopop icon Alan Tam: from Leslie Cheung’s rival to fans smashing albums

‘Principal Tam’ ruled Cantopop in the late 1970s and ’80s but later vexed fans with his offstage actions. Still, he’s going strong today.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Thrilling Bruce Lee dance show explores Hong Kong star’s life and career

‘Kung Fu Artistry: Bruce Lee’s No Way as Way’ by the Hong Kong Dance Company is a powerful mix of dance and martial arts.

Ong Tze-shen gives a consummate portrayal of Bruce Lee in the Hong Kong Dance Company’s “Kung Fu Artistry”. Photo: Arliugraphy, courtesy of HKDC
Art

Eileen Chang exhibition in Hong Kong reveals the woman behind the icon

Photos, letters, manuscripts and even furniture at the Museum of Modern Chinese Literature preserve Chang’s legacy 30 years after her death.

Photos of Eileen Chang are seen at “Beyond Distance: Half a Lifelong Friendship of Eileen Chang, Stephen Soong and Mae Fong Soong”, the inaugural exhibition at the Hong Kong Metropolitan University’s Museum of Modern Chinese Literature. Photo: Hong Kong Metropolitan University
Food and Drinks

Seaside and sunshine: Sai Kung offers fertile grounds for independent cafes

Sai Kung’s sleepy seaside vibe has made it a popular spot for independently run cafes serving up good coffee and a dose of community.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Road to Vendetta: Jeffrey Ngai plays an assassin in his first lead role

A John Wick-inspired action thriller co-produced by Hong Kong and Japan, Road to Vendetta is a textbook case of style over substance.

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