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Mark Sharp

Eclectic, nostalgic, fun and saucy are just a few of the diverse adjectives we like to use to describe the South China Morning Post’s culture and lifestyle coverage. Our readers agree, if some of the most popular stories we ran in 2017 are anything to go by.
In case you missed them, here are 10 of your – and our – favourite stories of the year.




Why Hong Kong passengers are a flight attendant’s nightmare
At Christmas time, many expats in Hong Kong head home for festive family reunions, while locals use the holiday as an opportunity to take an overseas trip. So it’s peak season for airlines and one of the most stressful times of the year for flight attendants – as are the summer holidays. Here’s what crew members told us about the challenges of the job, and troublesome travellers.
Read the full story

Hong Kong’s part-time girlfriends (and a boyfriend) tell their stories
The phenomenon of “part-time girlfriends” made headlines earlier this year when 10 young women (including a schoolgirl) were arrested for advertising sexual services on their social media accounts. We met up with some PTGFs – and a part-time boyfriend – who told us about their experiences, and what their clients expect from the relationship.
Read the full story




Six luxury hotels that are no longer with us
Hong Kong’s luxury hotels didn’t always just provide accommodation for overseas visitors: they were a part of the city’s social fabric. In days gone by, residents came together at hotels to socialise when there were fewer other entertainment options available. We trawled the archives to revisit local institutions that have been lost to redevelopment.
Read the full story

How an African-American tracked down her Chinese grandfather
African-American Paula Madison told us the amazing story of her search to trace her Chinese grandfather, Samuel Lowe. It was a journey that took Madison from her home in California to the Caribbean island of Jamaica, and ended in the southern Chinese boomtown of Shenzhen, where she met her oldest living relatives in their ancestral village.
Read the full story

The top 10 Hong Kong skyscraper nicknames
Hongkongers have a penchant for nicknames, whether they’re given to people in the public eye, particularly politicians, or the architecturally intriguing buildings that tower over the city. From the descriptive (such as the Ahma’s Tooth) to the downright rude (the Hong Kong Finger), we perused the skyline to bring you some of the best.
Read the full story

Hong Kong’s Taoist funerals: the superstition and symbolism
Arcane rituals, obscure symbolism and ancient superstitions are characteristics of a Taoist funeral service, the most common choice for relatives of the deceased in Hong Kong. Funeral homeowners gave us the rundown on how malignant spirits are appeased and mourners safeguarded during the sombre ceremony.
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Suzie Wong: 60 years after the Hong Kong icon was created
It’s been 60 years since British author Richard Mason wrote a Hong Kong love story about an artist who falls for a “yum yum” bar girl that was later adapted into a West End theatre show and then a legendary movie. In a 1993 interview, four years before his death, Mason told the Post how The World of Suzie Wong came together during his stay in a sleazy Wan Chai hotel.
Read the full story

Confessions of a Hong Kong underage drinker
Lily, 14, candidly shines a light on the “typical Friday night” of underage international school students in Hong Kong and how she wakes up hungover on Saturday mornings looking forward to next week’s adventure in the bar and nightclub district of Lan Kwai Fong. Concern groups say local teenagers don’t understand the dangers of alcohol abuse. Lily begs to disagree.
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The Chinese Indonesians with long memories and escape plans
When former Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Purnama was jailed for two years on blasphemy charges in May, treatment of the Christian Chinese Indonesian opened old wounds. His sentence came 19 years after the May 1998 riots targeting Chinese shops and homes. Purnama’s case sparked fears of a return to violence among Chinese Indonesians.
Read the full story

Property, sex, nudity and the MTR
The list of readers’ 2016 favourites was itself a popular read a year ago. It had it all: food, bare bottoms, grisly murders, crazy rich people, colourful MTR stations and property speculation – all unrelated, unfortunately. Now that is what we call variety.
Read the full story


The gay Hong Kong Chinese men afraid to come out to their families, and why parents need educating to accept them

The 10 Hong Kong lifestyle stories you liked best in 2017, and some of our own favourites too

Alcohol deaths in baby boomers over 50 years old jump in the UK

It’s dog eat dog as China declares war on man’s best friend ... and his owner

LIFE

From the African-American woman who successfully tracked down her Chinese grandfather to the confessions of an unrepentant, underage drinker: we round up some of our most read lifestyle stories of the year

--LOW RES. IMAGE, ONLINE ONLY-- This handout image shows France Nuyen with William Shatner on stage version of The World of Suzie Wong in 1959. Photo: HANDOUT [2017 FEATURES LIFE]

DF681G Flight attendants serving lunch in Airline flight. Photo: Alamy [15AUGUST2017 FEATURES LIFE]

A yellow paper Taoist talisman, to be burnt by guests after a Taoist funeral , photographed at Wing Fook funeral home, Hung Hom, Hong Kong on June 28, 2017. 28JUN17 [FEATURES] SCMP / Antony Dickson

Protesters hold up a lighted candles to show solidarity in Bandung, in West Java province on May 13, 2017, for the release of Jakarta's governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama better known as "Ahok". Jakarta's Christian governor was jailed for two years after being found guilty of blasphemy, in a shock decision that has stoked concerns over rising religious intolerance in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation. / AFP PHOTO / TIMUR MATAHARI [FEATURES]

A general view of Cheung Kong Center in Central. 26FEB15

***ONE TIME USE ONLY*** The Hong Kong Hilton in 1972. Photo : HANDOUT

***ONE TIME USE ONLY, PLEASE CLEAR THE COPYRIGHTS BEFORE RE-USE - OTUO*** Choi Hung MTR Station.

Lan Kwai Fong is the Friday night haunt of Hong Kong underage drinker Lily and her friends. Photo: Shutterstock

Five ways to give back in Hong Kong and Macau this Christmas and New Year

Buy a figurine dog or human to add to the miniature village Dogtown at squarestreet. Funds raised will go to Hong Kong Dog Rescue.

SOMETHING for homeless

Dogtown at squarestreet

ZUMBATHON charity event

TUNG YAO charity event to raise funds for kids' ceremics workshops

“Din Dong x Taipa Village” Charity Carnival

Lifestyle

Lists

From the African-American woman who successfully tracked down her Chinese grandfather to the confessions of an unrepentant, underage drinker: we round up some of our most read lifestyle stories of the year


From the African-American woman who successfully tracked down her Chinese grandfather to the confessions of an unrepentant, underage drinker: we round up some of most read lifestyle stories of the year
