Long Reads
From Wolf Totem to the Three-Body Problem, her China publishing career
Jo Lusby recalls halcyon days in Beijing, early career success with Penguin that saw her handle books from Peter Rabbit to Michelle Obama’s memoir, and a move to Hong Kong. Now she’s dealing with another hit.
From Hong Kong court translator to the top Chinese diplomat in Washington
Wu Tingfang went from court translator to English barrister, helped negotiate an end to the Sino-Japanese war, then went to Washington, where his diplomatic skills earned him kudos. Until he overreached.
Running from China: the ‘older’ single women escaping to study in the West
It’s tagged the ‘run philosophy’ on social media – single women in their thirties with nothing to hope for in China leaving to study in the West, with no intention of returning. Post Magazine talks to some.
When a submarine hunting Chinese pirates sank ferry that carried 200 people
Could that new weapon of war the submarine put an end to piracy along the South China coast? Britain’s Royal Navy thought so, and sent some state-of-the-art subs to Hong Kong in the 1920s, with mixed results.
‘It was mind-blowing’: moment that told Hongkonger she had to be sex educator
Sex-positivity advocate, entrepreneur and educator Vera Liu tells Kate Whitehead how discovering self-pleasure set her on the road to enlightening Hong Kong about the magic of intimacy.
Hong Kong-Chiang Mai trip shows benefits of Belt and Road Initiative
Instead of flying from Hong Kong to Chiang Mai, the Post sets out to test infrastructure in Southeast Asia built under China’s Belt and Road Initiative. All goes well until we slip up and resort to van and bus.
How Mexico’s early Chinese migrants traded their way to success
In his book America’s Lost Chinese: The Rise and Fall of a Migrant Family Dream, Hugo Wong recounts how his forebears and fellow Chinese migrants in Mexico became a force in small business there.
How Hong Kong ‘buffalo whisperer’ found peace tending to the animals
Lantau’s ‘buffalo whisperer’ Jean Leung tells Kate Whitehead about growing up in a haunted house in Cheung Chau, disrespecting a triad boss and the injured beast that changed her life.
His cold-case crime podcasts bring justice for murdered Australian women
Hedley Thomas, investigative journalist and author, tells Kate Whitehead about sleeping beside his police scanner, marrying in Hong Kong, and the power of podcasts such as his true-crime series.
Mean Girls actress Jo Chim on building a legacy and scoring a Nasa invite
Hong Kong-born actress and filmmaker Jo Chim tells Kate Whitehead about hiding her Chinese side from school friends, being mean in Mean Girls and why she got invited to Nasa.
How writing memoir of Chinese-American ‘hero’ dad healed a daughter’s grief
The death of Alexandra Chan’s father, a Chinese-American engineer for Kodak, so devastated her she began writing a memoir of him, and learned that her grief ran far deeper than the death of a parent.
From Flying Pigeons to ultra bikes, Beijing’s extreme cycling boom
Spurred by the pandemic, ultra cycling is booming in Beijing, with enthusiasts heading out of the city to ride day and night on ‘probably the most beautiful roads in the world for cycling’.
Dying to be famous: the dark side of China’s live-streaming industry
Unemployed or fed up with long working hours, young people in China are drawn to live-streaming for the autonomy and earnings potential it gives them. Some engage in deadly stunts, writes Xinrou Shu.
Writer, actor and director Saurabh Shukla on his Hong Kong stage show
Saurabh Shukla, who will be bringing his stage show Barff – Hindi for ‘snow’ – to Hong Kong in June, talks about being typecast for his large frame and still feeling 22 at the age of 60.
Nearly forgotten, 2 intrepid women artists who painted China
One was Scottish, the other American: Anna Hotchkis and Mary Mullikin were successful and intrepid artists who documented China in vivid paintings before World War II tore them apart.
How to type in Chinese faster than in English? The genius of predictive text
Online Chinese typing tools built on pinyin input – once thought unsuited – and using the power of predictive text allow phone and computer users to type in Chinese faster than anyone can in English.
It’s Hong Kong’s ‘bird paradise’. And it’s under threat once again
Hong Kong’s Mai Po wetlands are a magnet for diverse species of birds, but now this natural asset is once again under threat, this time from plans to build an IT hub for its Northern Metropolis.
They said Michael Chow was too Chinese to be an artist. Look at him now
Famous for his celebrity-packed chain of Chinese restaurants, 85-year-old Michael Chow talks about facing prejudice, and why he wants to be known as the world’s greatest living artist.
‘I was always a water baby’ – German in Hong Kong made diving his living
Simon Lorenz, a Hong Kong-based underwater photographer, diving instructor and owner of a dive travel company, tells Kate Whitehead the benefits of an alternative lifestyle and why you need to stay flexible.
‘Keep going’: Hong Kong Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym owner’s fight for success
Kiko Cacella, the founder and head coach at D’Jago BJJ Academy, talks about growing up in Rio de Janeiro, discovering Brazilian jiu-jitsu, his short MMA career, and opening gyms in Hong Kong.