In this edition of Quirky Asia, a student graduates as Patrick Star, black tongues for mother and daughter after hotpot, and extra slow service in Japan.
A young Chinese construction worker had a special reason for leaving extra money when he paid his bill in a restaurant – he was inspired by the eatery’s owner.
A mother and father in China have faced an avalanche of criticism for placing surveillance equipment in their child’s bedroom for the duration of the period he was studying for a crucial examination.
The death of a man in China went unnoticed for 30 hours inside an internet cafe after employees thought he fell asleep.
A series of courts refused a woman’s compensation claim after she was fired in 2019 for using umbrellas to obstruct surveillance cameras in the office.
K-pop idol Lisa from the band Blackpink has paid compensation to shopkeepers and passers-by so she could shut down a whole street in Bangkok’s Chinatown to shoot her latest music video.
A teenager in China who was derided as a spoilt rich kid for turning up to China’s gruelling gaokao exam in a luxury car has surprised cynics by getting top marks.
A financially successful former private tutor who gave up studying medicine 10 years ago because his family needed him to earn money, has decided to pursue his dream and is facing criticism for doing so.
A young Chinese woman was so concerned about how her cancer treatment would affect her 86-year-old grandmother that she used the latest technology to disguise her symptoms when on WeChat.
A hospital patient in China who sat down to receive intravenous treatment and was hit with a fee for the chair he used has sparked controversy.
An ethnic Chinese woman in Malaysia was shocked to discover that her husband, who quit his job citing exhaustion, was making money by selling naked images of her on the internet.
A delivery worker from China will travel to Paris to take part in a public marathon event in Paris alongside the city’s Olympic Games later this year.
A young man in China from humble beginnings has become a sensation for his singing and retro style, attracting thousands of visitors to his small hometown in the east of the country.
A woman in China who married in haste is now regretting her decision after she found out in divorce proceedings that her violent husband of five years was not the doctor he claimed to be, but a penniless liar who leeched off his mother.
A son in China saved his mother during a sudden deluge, giving his life for her in a dramatic display of filial piety.
Jiang Ping has become the subject of national curiosity after climbing past competitors from Stanford, Cambridge, and Tsinghua to reach the finals.
A woman in China has finally been formally freed from her violent husband who battered her so badly that she ended up needing to wear a colostomy bag.
A human resources staffer from Singapore who was the only person entrusted with the company payroll system’s password, ripped off her employer for two and a half years before she was caught.
A Chinese-American victim of deepfake porn posted by a man she rejected has set up a company which she hopes will allow women like her to fight back against malicious online content.
The crew of a boat that took three tourists in China to a location where they were taking a diving test refused to return to collect them, forcing the trio to swim for two hours to reach the shore.
Internationally renowned Chinese actress Fan Bingbing continues to be plagued by her less-than-perfect tax affairs, despite her recent appointment as a tourism ambassador for the Malaysian state of Malacca.
Famous Chinese actress Yang Zi has joined a slew of other stars by being selected as a torch-bearer for the Paris Olympics this year.
A racketeering bicycle rider in China has been detained by police after he netted US$14,000 in compensation payouts from car drivers after staging fake accidents.
A Japanese actor, known for being the voice of some of the country’s most popular anime characters, has apologised for committing adultery with, and assaulting, a fan nearly 40 years his junior.
A woman brought her sugar glider onto a plane in China, and passengers were forced to disembark after it had escaped.
A man in China who wanted to attend a Jay Chou concert in place of his dead sister as a way of honouring her memory was told by a ticketing platform that he could not change the name on the ticket she had bought.
The rich history of ninjutsu has captivated many foreigners, drawing them to Japan in pursuit of mastering the art of the ninja.
The security architecture in place to protect the integrity of China’s most important national examination is the envy of banks, but why?
Cash-strapped and unafraid young people in Taiwan are snapping up properties in which somebody died because they come with a lower price tag.
The wedding day of a couple in China has attracted attention for the large amount of cash given to the groom by his elder siblings because he was the only boy in the family, upholding a dwindling custom.
