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Culture

12 things to know about Chinese New Year

1. Traditionally, debts and loans are paid/cancelled and any grudges of the past 12 months are forgotten. (Credit card companies and home loan firms do not recognize this part!) 2. But one cool money-related thing DOES happen, at least in Hong Kong: many companies give employees a month’s extra pay. In Hong Kong, this roughly…

January 23, 20230Comments ByNury Vittachi

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

Culture

Spending the holidays inside the art of Vincent Van Gogh

HOLIDAY SHOPPERS IN Hong Kong had a touch of culture with their favorite activity when a major mail decided to celebrate Vincent Van Gogh from November until the coming weekend (the show ends on January 1, 2023). The art exhibition at Megabox in Kowloon Bay called “Joy to the World of Van Gogh” turns the Dutch…

December 30, 20220Comments ByH.C. Lu

Chinese food Features

10 amazing facts about the rice in your bowl

RICE IS RICE, RIGHT? Wrong! Rice is a whole range of wonderfulness. It’s a miracle food, it’s a staple, it’s a delicacy, it’s a business and it’s a whole culture. In Hong Kong, people say "if you haven't had rice, you haven't eaten" and this writer totally knows what they mean. Rice connoisseur Anthony Lam…

December 29, 20220Comments ByNury Vittachi

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

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

Culture

12 things to know about Chinese New Year

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

Spending the holidays inside the art of Vincent Van Gogh

10 amazing facts about the rice in your bowl

The Hui people’s delicious halal food in Beijing

The man behind Hong Kong’s busiest restaurant

The greatest feast in history

Slaughter in four minutes: Britain’s invasion of Tibet

Hong Kong comic book artists take wing to show off their art

After the rain, the world looks different: thoughts on Trump’s return

US thinks China’s culture is a mirror of its own. It isn’t