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Chinese culture

Chinese culture
Latest news and updates on Chinese culture including the country’s traditions, food, values, history and festivals.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during the parade in Washington on January 20, 2025 to mark Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president. Musk’s gesture drew comparisons with Nazi salutes. Photo: AFP
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Nazi salute or no, Elon Musk reminds us of the importance of gestures

Some historical gestures should never be revived. The yi greeting, once common in ancient China, is thankfully not one of them.

Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Living the Land a captivating tale of upheaval in 1990s rural China

Asian cinema: Chinese films

5 things to know about Ne Zha 2, megahit Chinese animated movie

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Cantonese

Being Chinese | Why don’t we say ‘I love you’ in Chinese? Let me count the reasons

Chinese speakers like me have been trained to understand the difference between ‘aiyah’ and ‘aiyaah’, and things left unsaid among loved ones.

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Love messages are displayed on an electronic billboard in Tsim Sha Tsui on February 14, 2024. In cities like Hong Kong, those three little words are seldom spoken in Chinese. Photo: May Tse
Video gaming

How Chinese culture has inspired video game series such as Pokémon

After Black Myth: Wukong’s success, we look at games like Street Fighter and Pokémon that reference Chinese history, myths and martial arts.

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Hong Kong culture

Opinion | Panda fever is great but Hong Kong needs its own cultural icon

The Lion Rock, the unmistakable red-sailed junk and the 120-year-old tram system are all cultural assets unique to the city.

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From our archives

In pictures: Spring Lantern Festival in Hong Kong, through the years

To mark the end of Chinese New Year, Hong Kong comes alive with colourful lanterns on the 15th day of the first lunar month – here’s a look back at celebrations from the 1980s to 2024.

Visitors trying to solve lantern riddles during the Spring Lantern Festival in Tiger Balm Gardens in Tai Hang, Hong Kong, in 1988. Photo: David Wong
Lunar New Year

Wait until this date to open your Lunar New Year red packets

There is a particular day considered the best and most auspicious on which to open your red packets. Try to resist the temptation until then.

Food and Drinks

Opinion | How a Chinese takeaway kid grew to appreciate her family’s sacrifices

For Ginny Wong, the older and the further away from takeaway life she has got, the more she has realised what her family gave up for her.

Chinese history

Nezha 2: ancient Chinese tales are a winning formula for animated film success

Eight days after its release, Nezha 2 became China’s highest-grossing movie ever with its take on mythical figures.

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Animated film Nezha 2 has broken records at Chinese cinemas over the Lunar New Year holiday, proving that stories based in ancient Chinese mythology are a winning formula. Photo: Xinhua
US-China relations

Opinion | What Wukong, Nezha and DeepSeek hold for the future of China-US rivalry

The popularity of games and films inspired by traditional culture highlights a new pride and confidence among young Chinese people.

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Nezha 2 is predicted to break Chinese box office records. Photo: Reuters
Lunar New Year

Born in the Year of the Dragon? Here’s everything you need to know in 2025

From predictions to curses and feng shui tips for Dragons in the Year of the Snake.

Lunar New Year

Feng shui master’s advice for Dragons in the Year of the Snake

Feng shui master Andrew Kwan shares where Dragons can place auspicious elements, colours and symbols for luck in the Year of the Snake.

Chinese overseas

Being Chinese | To know who we are, China must remain open to foreigners

Interactions with the outside world have shaped my identity as a Chinese and a human being, opening my eyes to the value of cultural exchange.

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Italian Sara Tentori and her Chinese husband Li Jian select a festive paper cutting at a Spring Festival market in Nanying village in Tianjin on January 19. The couple met when Li was a student in Italy. Photo: Xinhua
Music

San Francisco premiere for opera based on Journey to the West

The Monkey King composer, Huang Ruo, was inspired to write the opera to give his children a superhero figure from Asia to look up to.

Costume design for the title role in The Monkey King by Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang, a new opera that will premiere at the San Francisco Opera on November 14, 2025. Image: SFO
Lunar New Year

Born in the Year of the Rabbit? Here’s everything you need to know in 2025

From predictions to curses and feng shui tips for Rabbits in the Year of the Snake.

Horoscopes

Chinese horoscopes: how’s your luck in February 2025, the Earth Tiger Month?

This is your month if you’re a Tiger like Lady Gaga and Tom Cruise … while Snakes should play it safe – but did you know that babies born before February 4 take their sign from the previous year?

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Lunar New Year

Feng shui master’s tips for Rabbits in the Year of the Snake

Feng shui master Andrew Kwan shares how Rabbits can improve their luck in a year where their love life may not be as stable as their career.

Rabbits should be careful when it comes to investments this year. A feng shui master shares where to place crystals, orchids and more for luck in wealth, health and love. Photo: Shutterstock
Lunar New Year

Born in the Year of the Tiger? Here’s everything you need to know in 2025

From predictions to curses and feng shui tips for Tigers in the Year of the Snake.

Lunar New Year

Feng shui master’s advice for Tigers in the Year of the Snake

Feng shui master Andrew Kwan shares how Tigers can prevent bad luck in the Year of the Snake by placing lucky items around their living space.

China and climate change

Opinion | We all need a bit of China’s mountain-moving, desert-greening spirit

Historical necessity and culture have shaped a national character that views obstacles not as roadblocks but as opportunities.

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People fix straw checkerboards on sandy land in Qiemo county in 2014, in a decades-long campaign to encircle the Taklimakan Desert with a green belt. Photo: Xinhua.
Lunar New Year

Year of the Snake predictions for Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin

What’s 2025 going to be like for three of the world’s most powerful people? Two feng shui masters make predictions using Chinese astrology.

U.S President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the entrance of the White House in Washington, U.S., February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Lunar New Year

Born in the Year of the Ox? Here’s everything you need to know in 2025

From predictions to curses and feng shui tips for Oxen in the Year of the Snake.

Lunar New Year

Feng shui master’s advice for Oxen in the Year of the Snake

Feng shui master Andrew Kwan shares where to place auspicious items in your living space for good luck in what will be a hectic year ahead.

Lunar New Year

Born in the Year of the Rat? Here’s everything you need to know in 2025

From predictions to curses and feng shui tips for Rats in the Year of the Snake.

Illustration: SCMP Graphic
Lunar New Year

Feng shui master’s advice for Rats in the Year of the Snake

Feng shui master Andrew Kwan shares where Rats should place lucky items and colours to maximise their luck in the Year of the Snake.

Rats will enjoy a good financial Year of the Snake. Photo: Shutterstock
Asia travel

Staged China rural scenes go viral, tourists pay US$40 to film them

Rural residents in China’s Fujian province have gone viral on Douyin and RedNote by indulging visitors’ nostalgia with staged country scenes.

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Lunar New Year

Why now is the best time of the year to get tangled in Chinese knots

We explore the rich history and symbolism of Chinese knots, which signify good luck and are displayed during Lunar New Year festivities.

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