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Emily Zhou

71 articles published

Behind a celebrated Chinese dessert lies a tale of tragedy

IN THE MODERN DAY Qingming Festival (清明節), people in southern China and part of Southeast Asia, young and old expect to enjoy Qingtuan (青糰), a kind of green glutinous dessert with various fillings. However, some people may not know that this delicious dessert was not originally intended for Qingming, but for another important day in…

June 20, 20230Comments ByEmily Zhou

Chinese history Culture

Goujian: Defeated soldier waited years for revenge

IN EARLY APRIL this year, I went on a trip to Wuhan in Hubei Province (湖北武漢). At the Hubei Provincial Museum, I found a long queue in front of a collection. Out of curiosity, I approached the attractive treasure, and found long tin-bronze sword in front of me. It was the “Sword of Goujian” (越王勾踐劍),…

June 14, 20230Comments ByEmily Zhou

Chinese history Culture

Sun Tzu: mountain dweller became world authority on war

Ambitious people worldwide from business folk to army generals make use of The Art of War, an ancient Chinese book written more than two millennia ago. Who was author Sun Tzu? Emily Zhou looks at the man behind the myth. IT WAS ONE OF the most turbulent periods in Chinese history. Nearly every day, people…

April 18, 20230Comments ByEmily Zhou

Culture

Shadow puppetry originated in China for a grieving emperor

Many people think of shadow puppetry as a southeast Asian tradition, but historians say it started in China more than 2,000 years ago. In 2011, this ancient art was added to the official list of items of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage. Emily Zhou reports MORE THAN TWO THOUSAND years ago during the Han Dynasty, Emperor…

January 10, 20230Comments ByEmily Zhou

Chinese food Culture

Actually, the Chinese have eaten bread for thousands of years

MOST PEOPLE AROUND the world likely assume that China’s main carbohydrates are rice and noodles, with bread being seen as a relatively recent import from the west. But the truth is that there are a number of different breads in the country, and the consumption of wheat can be traced back to some 4,500 years…

January 10, 20230Comments ByEmily Zhou

Culture

Friends who tamed the Yellow River, source of life and death

THE YELLOW RIVER (黃河) is hailed as the great mother of China. It rushes out from the high plateau in the west to flow to the east with its silty water, and on the way, it feeds hundreds of millions of people, and also provides hydro-electricity to the north parts of the country. The river…

December 30, 20220Comments ByEmily Zhou

Chinese food Culture

The Hui people’s delicious halal food in Beijing

NIUJIE ("OXEN") STREET in Beijing is home to a long-standing ethnic Muslim community. Visitors will find mosques in which to pray and many halal restaurants in which to eat. The aroma of mutton hotpot and other Islamic dishes drifts over the area. In the late 13th century, 60 years after the mighty cavalry led…

December 15, 20220Comments ByEmily Zhou

Chinese food Culture

The man behind Hong Kong’s busiest restaurant

HONG KONG MASTER CHEF HU ZHU has become a legend for his knowledge about the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast of 1720. More than 40 years ago, in 1977, he presided over a multi-day recreation of the event in Hong Kong. And even today, he gives talks and hosts dinners recreating dishes from the famous menu of…

December 12, 20220Comments ByEmily Zhou

Culture

The greatest feast in history

STORIES SAY THAT on his birth anniversary in 1720, Emperor Kangxi (康熙皇帝) held the most spectacular banquet of all time in the Forbidden City, Beijing. The “Manchu-Han Imperial Feast” (满汉全席) has become a legendary event, featuring in books, movies, TV shows, and even as the inspiration for the plot of a Kung Fu Panda film.…

December 12, 20220Comments ByEmily Zhou

Culture

Ancient figurines reveal ‘unibrow’ was once height of fashion

IN 1928, RAILWAY WORKERS were digging deep into the ground in Luoyang during the construction of the Longhai railway (隴海鐵路). They uncovered a large Tang Dynasty tomb, more than ten centuries old. The diggers unearthed a large number of pottery items. Many were delicate figurines, with unusual colors: mostly creams, browns and greens. Hong Kong…

December 2, 20220Comments ByEmily Zhou

Emily Zhou

Behind a celebrated Chinese dessert lies a tale of tragedy

Goujian: Defeated soldier waited years for revenge

Sun Tzu: mountain dweller became world authority on war

Shadow puppetry originated in China for a grieving emperor

Actually, the Chinese have eaten bread for thousands of years

Friends who tamed the Yellow River, source of life and death

The Hui people’s delicious halal food in Beijing

The man behind Hong Kong’s busiest restaurant

The greatest feast in history

Ancient figurines reveal ‘unibrow’ was once height of fashion

Can Europe dare to do the smart thing, and partner with China in Africa?

Australia’s government lives in a Pentagon-penned fiction of US primacy

How the HK Bar Association lost its way – and was guided back on track