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SCMP

We have selected seven Lifestyle stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. How Hong Kong’s ‘Fat Mama’ Maria Cordero went from Cantopop to controversy
To generations of Hongkongers, she is Fei Ma, or “Fat Mama” – a beloved singer, actress and television chef whose booming voice and hearty recipes feel like a warm embrace. But in the past decade or so, Maria Cordero has adopted a new, more polarising role through her political expressions, which have complicated her legacy.
2. ‘We’ve been through a lot’: Metropol boss on closing after 35 years

For Mamoru Hayashi, the closure of Metropol – the Cantonese restaurant his family has run for the past 35 years in Hong Kong’s Admiralty area – on September 27 is not something he views with sadness. Unlike many recent restaurant closures – often lacking notice or completely unannounced – the sunsetting of Metropol was sealed months prior, in July, with news of the venue being acquired by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) for HK$354.4 million (US$45 million).
3. Where does the word ‘typhoon’ come from? It’s not what you might think

Ragasa – “a surge, a rush, a sudden quickening of motion” in Tagalog – is an apt name for the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone this year, which peaked as a super typhoon, and from which northern Philippines, Taiwan and southern China are just recovering.
4. What is ‘volume eating’? The new weight-loss hack that’s trending online
“Volume eating” is a new weight-loss hack that is trending on social media. A search on Instagram brings up more than 45,000 related posts. The practice is simple: focus on consuming large amounts of low-calorie foods that are high volume or high bulk – that is, high in water, fibre or air content.
5. Why dishes from China’s Yunnan province can taste so much like Thai food
At a Yunnan restaurant, you might expect a feast of mushrooms or a warm bowl of chewy noodles. However, some dishes carry the unmistakable, citrusy perfume of lemongrass, lime and galangal, which combine into the very familiar scent of the classic Thai tom yum soup. This is no coincidence. It is an echo of a shared ancestry, one that makes Thailand and the highlands of Yunnan the equivalent of culinary cousins.
6. ‘A highlight of my life’: the rise of VTubers in Hong Kong and worldwide

On a humid summer day, a long queue of people snakes outside a hotel ballroom turned concert hall in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, light sticks in hand. But they are not waiting for a chart-topping Cantopop star nor a viral K-pop sensation. Instead, this is a concert headlining virtual YouTubers, or “VTubers”.
7. Suffer from stress, anxiety, depression? Why your heart is at risk
Having anxiety or other chronic mental health disorders is now an established independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death globally. The traditional “big five” risks for poor heart health are having high cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, a family history of heart disease and smoking.


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SCMP Highlights

Maria Cordero’s Cantopop journey, VTubers find fame in Hong Kong: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Fans wave glowsticks at a screen featuring VTubers Hakos Baelz (left) and Kobo Kanaeru at the Hopewell Hotel Grand Ballroom in Hong Kong, part of the “hololive Meet @ Hong Kong 2025 ft. Hakos Baelz and Kobo Kanaeru” event, on July 27. Photo: Cover via InfiniteOne

Maria Cordero in an interview with the Post in 2014. The Cantopop singer, actor and chef rose to popularity in Hong Kong in the 1980s, but more recently her political outspokenness has made her a polarising figure. Photo: Bruce Yan

Mamoru Hayashi, managing director of the Heichinrou Group, which owns Metropol, chooses dim sum dishes at the Hong Kong restaurant in Admiralty on August 26. Photo: Elson Li

A man sits on a bench on the Tseung Kwan O promenade as waves approach during Super Typhoon Ragasa on September 24. Photo: Elson Li

Hong Kong foodie’s surprise fame, Cantopop’s golden age: 7 Lifestyle highlights

(From left) Beat Friday members Zip Chow, INK and Ballshing at Bing Bing in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Kent Wong, aka Uncle K, at Lok Yuen, a traditional Hong Kong-style cha chaan teng cafe in Kowloon City. The content creator has risen to Instagram fame in recent months with his videos about Hong Kong restaurants. Photo: Sam Tsang


A Paris peacock butterfly is seen at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district. Photo: KFBG

A Chinese oracle bone from the Shang dynasty (1600BC-1046BC) at Hong Kong’s Chinese Culture Festival 2025. Inscriptions on these bones are the most ancient form of written Chinese ever found. Photo: Nora Tam

Carina Lau’s best films, Jolly Roger’s evolution, Seoul Art Week: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Assorted leung gwo from Yiu Fung. Photo: Yue


Hong Kong actress Carina Lau attends the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards presentation ceremony on April 14, 2024. Photo: Sam Tsang

A HK$200 (US$24) preserved plum from Yiu Fung, a third-generation Hong Kong preserved fruit company. Each of the plums is hand-picked, crafted using premium natural ingredients, hand-prepared and sun-dried for 60 days. Photo: Lisa Cam

An activist holds a poster as a flag from the Japanese anime One Piece is displayed during a rally in Jakarta, Indonesia, on September 3, 2025. Photo: AP

Guests enjoy a meal at a Japanese restaurant at Soneva Fushi, which won the Art of Hospitality Award in the World’s 50 Best Hotels 2025 ranking. Photo: Soneva Fushi

Chinese supernatural beings explained, a 30kg weight loss journey: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Tony Leung Chiu-wai in a still from Silent Friend. Photo: Lenke Szilagyi

Gong Li plays Baigujing, or White Bone Spirit, in a still from the 2016 film The Monkey King 2. Jing, or spirits, are living and non-living entities in Chinese culture that, unlike yao (demons), do not only manifest in human form. Photo: Filmko Entertainment

After she started seeing online fitness trainer Sheikh Nadir Siddiquee in 2023, Ashanthi Nandika now weighs 55kg. Photo: Ashanthi Nandika

Chinese actress Xin Zhilei holds the Volpi Cup for best actress for her performance in The Sun Rises on Us All at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. Photo: EPA

Tony Leung Chiu-wai’s character studies a gingko tree in a still from Silent Friend, directed by Ildikó Enyedi. Photo: Lenke Szilagyi

Douglas Bray (centre) competes in the Hyrox challenge in Hong Kong in July. Completing the gruelling race left the cancer survivor feeling “fully recovered” three years after his life-changing surgery. Photo: Douglas Bray

Training your mind to be happy, meaning of Chinese ‘red thread’: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Hong Kong actor and singer Louis Koo in a still from the action thriller Paradox (2017).

Want to feel happier? Think of happiness as a state of mind that can be attained through life practices. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong actress Charmaine Sheh has starred in a number of notable TVB shows, including War and Beauty (2004), Maidens’ Vow (2006), You’re Hired (2009) and Line Walker (2014). Photo: Instagram/charmaine_sheh

Hungry Ghost Festival rituals are held at Wah Fu Estate in Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong, on August 31, 2025. Photo: Karma Lo

According to legend in China and across East Asia, a red thread connects soul mates and prevents them from posing each other. Photo: Getty Images

Malaysian teen plays 30 instruments, Hong Kong mooncake deals: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Belle Sisoski’s unique sonic identity has earned her more than a million followers on each of her major platforms, with her YouTube videos amassing over 100 million views. Photo: Belle Sisoski

Kowloon Shangri-La’s durian mooncakes are one of the more creative offerings this year from Hong Kong hotels, many of which have early-bird discounts in the coming days and weeks. Photo: Instagram/kowloonshangrila


A dish at Samsen in Wan Chai. Photo: Samsen

Hong Kong-based photographer Derry Ainsworth at 98kg (left) before developing severe acute pancreatitis, which saw him quit drinking, change his diet and do more exercise, dropping to 78kg (right). Photo: Derry Ainsworth

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From the origins of the word ‘typhoon’ to a new ‘volume eating’ diet trend, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting


From the origins of the word ‘typhoon’ to a new ‘volume eating’ diet trend, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting.


Maria Cordero’s Cantopop journey, VTubers find fame in Hong Kong: 7 Lifestyle highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From the origins of the word ‘typhoon’ to a new ‘volume eating’ diet trend, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting

1. .css-jfmysa{display:inline;word-break:break-word;}.css-1ankfgb{cursor:pointer;display:inline;word-break:break-word;}How Hong Kong’s ‘Fat Mama’ Maria Cordero went from Cantopop to controversy

From the origins of the word ‘typhoon’ to a new ‘volume eating’ diet trend, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting

1. How Hong Kong’s ‘Fat Mama’ Maria Cordero went from Cantopop to controversy