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Emily Zhou

65 articles published

The Peak Tram: colonial indulgence turned into a weekend treat

PROBLEM: WHAT TO DO about Hong Kong’s damnable summer heat and humidity? That was the question on the mind of British colonial Governor Sir Richard MacDonnell in 1868. Click! He had a brainwave. It was several degrees cooler and significantly breezier at the of Hong Kong’s highest mountain – known as Victoria Peak. He could…

March 21, 20240Comments ByEmily Zhou

Culture

Ancient exercise is cool in China again – with help of German blonde

REJUVENATION IS THE HOT health concept in China at the moment. In recent years, Chinese women's definition of beauty has been constantly changing. A few years ago, Chinese girls pursued fair skin and slim bodies. This forms an obvious contrast with the current "beauty without definition" idea which has become the core of Chinese girls'…

March 14, 20240Comments ByEmily Zhou

In China, parents literally give blood for their children’s schooling

“Parents who deeply love their children are always visionary. ” (“父母之愛子，則為之計深遠。”) -quoted from a Chinese classic“Annals of the Warring States”（《戰國策》） THE HOUSEHOLD REGISTRATION SYSTEM, which has been in place in China for thousands of years, still has a profound impact on the lives of Chinese people, and to some extent determines their fate. Because…

February 29, 20240Comments ByEmily Zhou

Culture Features

Ming Dynasty ‘influencer’ on show in Hong Kong

A ZEN “INFLUENCER” from 500 years ago is back in the spotlight with a display at the Hong Kong Palace Museum. In the recent exhibition“The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Stories Untold — Figure Paintings of the Ming Dynasty from the Palace Museum”in Gallery 4 of Hong Kong Palace Museum, a 60-centimeter long painting attracted…

February 19, 20240Comments ByEmily Zhou

China news Chinese history Culture

Fall in marriage numbers reminds the Chinese of the ‘comb sisters’

WHEN SHOULD A WOMAN GET MARRIED? Maybe never! The benefits or otherwise of marriage has suddenly become a hot topic in China, after a viral media interview in which mothers were asked to list the benefits of being a married woman—and could not think of any. This was a bit of a shocker, since the…

January 17, 20240Comments ByEmily Zhou

Culture

A herdsman in Tibet just won a top literary prize

A FORMER HERDSMAN on the remote Qinghai-Tibet steppes has won a top literary prize in China—even though he left school at the age of 12. Suonan Cairang (索南才讓) first encountered modern storytelling as a child—when people set up tents in which rural people could watch videos. The organizers would sometimes play the videos so loud…

December 29, 20230Comments ByEmily Zhou

Chinese history Culture

The quiet Taoist who stood up to legendary slaughterer Genghis Khan

AS CHINESE AND other diplomats urge a halt to brutal wars raging in Israel and elsewhere today, this may be a good time to remember one of the most extraordinary meetings between a peacemaker and a ruthless warrior. The two characters in this story are Qiu Chuji (丘處機), a Taoist master, and Genghis Khan, the…

December 28, 20230Comments ByEmily Zhou

Culture Features Hong Kong News

Monet steals the show at extraordinary Hong Kong art exhibition

WANT TO LEARN the history of western art in a single afternoon? The Hong Kong Palace Museum is showcasing the UK National Gallery's prestigious painting collection - with 52 of the world’s finest masterpieces painted by fifty influential artists over a 400-year period. All the big names are there, including Botticelli, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Rembrandt,…

December 12, 20230Comments ByEmily Zhou

Culture Features

Groundbreaking animation tells tale of extraordinary Chinese poet

Chinese filmmakers have created a dramatic animated movie in the Disney-Pixar style, with 3D characters in thrilling adventures. Yet at the same, "30,000 Miles From Chang'an" is also very different. It celebrates Chinese history, telling the story of China's most famous poet, and it is unapologetically educational: it has 48 classic Chinese poems scattered throughout…

November 23, 20230Comments ByEmily Zhou

Culture

Two years to turn an epic novel into a blockbuster movie

MOVE OVER, The Lord of the Rings. There’s a new three-part big-budget fantasy movie in town, and it is making a big splash. Part one of the Fengshen Trilogy has a tight grip on the top of the box office chart in China, and is far ahead of Hollywood’s Barbie in popularity and earnings in…

August 24, 20230Comments ByEmily Zhou

Emily Zhou

The Peak Tram: colonial indulgence turned into a weekend treat

Ancient exercise is cool in China again – with help of German blonde

Ming Dynasty ‘influencer’ on show in Hong Kong

Fall in marriage numbers reminds the Chinese of the ‘comb sisters’

A herdsman in Tibet just won a top literary prize

The quiet Taoist who stood up to legendary slaughterer Genghis Khan

Monet steals the show at extraordinary Hong Kong art exhibition

Groundbreaking animation tells tale of extraordinary Chinese poet

Two years to turn an epic novel into a blockbuster movie

The extraordinary ‘warring states’ history of the global west

CFA’s ‘Elephant in the room’

Hong Kong emerging as a global biotech hub