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Culture

This garden opened my mind to the music of elegance

CANTONESE OPERA (粵劇), one of the most representative cultural symbols of the Lingnan region (嶺南地區), the area south of the Nanling mountains (南嶺山脈), is the foundation and origin of modern Cantonese music. The first time I heard about Cantonese music was when I was learning the Guzheng (古箏). My teacher said that it would be…

August 24, 20230Comments ByEmily Zhou

Chinese history Features

Tensions raise grim reminders of Chinese Exclusion Act

As U.S. politicians call for laws against Chinese people buying property in the country, there are fears that the dark mentality behind the infamous Chinese Exclusion Act is still present, and may even be growing. Portia Chung reports. ISSUES INVOLVING PEOPLE with Asian roots are burning hot in the headlines in the United States right…

August 18, 20230Comments ByPortia Chung

Chinese history Culture

Laozu’s Tao Te Ching: ancient philosophy for modern times

THREE DECADES AGO, Chinese archeologists found an ancient book written on 800 strips of bamboo. It was more than 23 centuries old. The text was identified as a partial copy of the Tao Te Ching (道德經), the book on which Taoism (or Daoism) is based—and which introduced the world to the classic Chinese sage Laozu…

August 15, 20230Comments ByH.C. Lu

Chinese history Culture

Silent but radiant history-tellers in ancient Chinese tombs

GOLD ISN’T JUST BEAUTIFUL AND RARE. It is also durable. No historian can document every detail of history, but burial objects in gold often tell a story better than other records. Thanks to the generous donation from the owners of Mengdiexuan (夢蝶軒), Betty Lo(盧茵茵) and Kenneth Chu (朱偉基), the public has the opportunity to remember…

August 10, 20230Comments ByEmily Zhou

Chinese history Culture Hong Kong News

Zodiac relics from destroyed Summer Palace now in Hong Kong

SURVIVING ZODIAC HEAD STATUES from a glorious imperial garden destroyed by British and French soldiers in the Opium War in 1860 are on show at City University of Hong Kong. The Old Summer Palace, known as Yuanmingyuan (圓明園), was a huge area, covering more than 3.5 square kilometres of land in Beijing. Historians say it…

August 10, 20230Comments ByH.C. Lu

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

Culture

In a village above the clouds

IN A SNOWY VILLAGE high above cloud level, two fur-clad young girls travel to a frozen mountain top lake and stand on the surface, surrounded by elders. They smash through the ice to take a ceremonial ladleful of sacred water, and then everyone sings and dances. It is the most ancient of rituals in a…

July 18, 20230Comments ByNury Vittachi

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

Culture

Palace Museum’s cool gifts take art to the young

ASK A GROUP OF YOUNG PEOPLE whether they want to learn about ancient Chinese art, and they will politely reply: “No, thank you, Uncle.” Now ask them whether they want purple lipstick or the coolest smartphone case EVER and watch them suddenly become interested! Such has been the strategy of the keepers of the Palace…

July 4, 20230Comments ByH.C. Lu

Culture

This garden opened my mind to the music of elegance

Tensions raise grim reminders of Chinese Exclusion Act

Laozu’s Tao Te Ching: ancient philosophy for modern times

Silent but radiant history-tellers in ancient Chinese tombs

Zodiac relics from destroyed Summer Palace now in Hong Kong

The emperor treated everyone harshly—except one man

Forbidden City cats become celebrities in their own right

In a village above the clouds

Teacher Ye refused to retire

Palace Museum’s cool gifts take art to the young

Has the Hong Kong judiciary lost its way?

How the Human Rights Industry hijacked Hong Kong’s legal system

Groundbreaking animation tells tale of extraordinary Chinese poet