Culture – Page 2 – Fridayeveryday

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…

ByH.C. LuAugust 1, 20230Comments

Culture News

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…

ByNury VittachiJuly 18, 20230Comments

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…

ByH.C. LuJuly 4, 20230Comments

Culture

How Asian Portrayal in Hollywood Has Evolved: A Movie Timeline

"ALL REPRESENTATION IS GOOD REPRESENTATION.” Really? Well, in the case of Asian portrayal in film, this feels rather untrue. Certainly, the creation of super-villain Dr. Fu Manchu, below, to display "the unemotional cruelty of the Chinese” on screen, does not inspire much confidence. Publicity still for The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) showing English…

ByPortia ChungJune 29, 20230Comments

Culture

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…

ByEmily ZhouJune 28, 20230Comments

Culture

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…

ByEmily ZhouJune 20, 20230Comments

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),…

ByEmily ZhouJune 14, 20230Comments

Culture

The hidden feng shui of the Forbidden City

FOR SEVERAL DECADES NOW, the Chinese art of feng shui has been recognized worldwide as a valuable tool in the design of everything from workplaces to homes. Feng shui is an ancient system focusing on placement of objects and the layout of buildings with the aim of creating positive effects on the humans using such…

ByH.C. LuJune 1, 20230Comments

Culture

China doesn’t invade other countries: top historian

OVER SEVERAL THOUSAND years of history, China never occupied, colonized or invaded other countries, top Hong Kong historian Lau Chi-pang said in a recent talk. The country is focused on its own affairs and dislike of war is deeply set in its culture, said Professor Lau, a Lingnan University academic, and a member of Hong…

ByH.C. LuMay 11, 20230Comments

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…

ByH.C. LuMay 3, 20230Comments

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Forbidden City cats become celebrities in their own right

In a village above the clouds

Palace Museum’s cool gifts take art to the young

How Asian Portrayal in Hollywood Has Evolved: A Movie Timeline

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

Behind a celebrated Chinese dessert lies a tale of tragedy

Goujian: Defeated soldier waited years for revenge

The hidden feng shui of the Forbidden City

China doesn’t invade other countries: top historian

How Guan Gong rose to become top of the gods

Here’s what needs to be done to boost Hong Kong’s nightlife

New study shows what really happened in Hong Kong in 2019

Hong Kong and Shenzhen North are learning from each other