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Chinese history

The emperor treated everyone harshly—except one man

IT WAS EXTRAORDINARILY RISKY to be the brother of Yinzhen (胤禛), the fourth son of Emperor Kangxi (康熙帝). Yinzhen wanted the throne really badly. A cold-blooded man, he imprisoned some of his 23 brothers and killed one who had the same mother as he did. He wanted to get rid of competition to become the…

August 3, 20230Comments ByEmily Zhou

China news Chinese history

Forbidden City cats become celebrities in their own right

CATS AT THE FORBIDDEN CITY in Beijing have become celebrities. They now regularly appear in TV programs and on social media. They also count as part of the historical tale of the complex. In ancient times, emperors and other royal family members owned cats which they pampered, just like modern cat-lovers. In the Ming…

August 1, 20230Comments ByH.C. Lu

China news Chinese history

Teacher Ye refused to retire

MEET AN ACTUAL COMMUNIST PARTY MEMBER. When teacher Ye Lianping hit retirement age, he felt he was still able to contribute to society, but had been left behind by the world. So he turned part of his home into a school and re-started work as a teacher, focusing on children “left behind” by society because…

July 5, 20230Comments ByNury Vittachi

Chinese history

Visiting the thatched home of China’s great poet-sage Du Fu

Could I get mansions covering ten thousand miles, I’d house all scholars poor and make them beam with smiles. In wind and rain these mansions would stand like mountains high. Alas! Should these houses appear before my eye, Frozen in my unroofed cot, content I’d die. -- the poem “My Thatched Hut was torn apart…

June 28, 20230Comments ByEmily Zhou

Chinese history Hong Kong News

Failed rescue mission: amazing tale behind Dragon Boat Races

It started with a death in the river, the legend says. But no one could predict the scale of the repercussions - which are marked today, more than 22 centuries later, with international sports events. The original festival has deep mainland Chinese roots, but was popularized worldwide by the people of Hong Kong. The…

June 21, 20230Comments ByNury Vittachi

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

How Guan Gong rose to become top of the gods

CAN GUAN GONG boost your business, get you through your exams, turn you into a success story? Hundreds of millions of people in East Asia think so. Shopkeepers have his statue on their counters. Business people have him in their high-tech offices. Restaurateurs have him in their dining halls. Hong Kong police believe he can…

May 3, 20230Comments ByH.C. Lu

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

Chinese history Features

Slaughter in four minutes: Britain’s invasion of Tibet

IT WAS ARGUABLY the most mismatched war in history. The British invaded the Chinese state of Tibet in 1903, leading to the deaths of an estimated 2,700 Tibetans. And just five British officers. This extraordinary story has three main elements: First, the presence of a western superpower, known for its unmatched weaponry, acting…

December 12, 20220Comments ByFriday Writers

Chinese history Culture

Amazed sailor finds his ballast was the real treasure

CHINESE EXPLORER ZHENG HE would sail from China with his boats laden with gifts. He took treasures from his country to give as presents or to use in trade with people he met around the world. He once came home with a giraffe. On the way back to China, the ships would be too light…

October 25, 20220Comments ByH.C. Lu

Chinese history

The emperor treated everyone harshly—except one man

Forbidden City cats become celebrities in their own right

Teacher Ye refused to retire

Visiting the thatched home of China’s great poet-sage Du Fu

Failed rescue mission: amazing tale behind Dragon Boat Races

Goujian: Defeated soldier waited years for revenge

How Guan Gong rose to become top of the gods

Sun Tzu: mountain dweller became world authority on war

Slaughter in four minutes: Britain’s invasion of Tibet

Amazed sailor finds his ballast was the real treasure

Tung Chee-hwa: Hong Kong’s first post-colonial leader served his people well

South China cluster again beats Silicon Valley to be world’s top science hub

Incredible story of how a farming province in China beat London, L.A. and Chicago in science rankings