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Chinese history

Chinese history
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Chinese history. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
An elderly woman washes clothes the old-fashioned way in a river in Fenghuang Ancient Town in China’s Hunan province. Before the advent of washing machines and chemical detergents, laundry was a labour-intensive affair shaped by local environments and available materials, with clothes typically washed in rivers or streams. Photo: Shutterstock
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | How the Chinese did laundry before washing machines: ash ‘soap’, stone beatings

Before chemical detergents and modern equipment, Chinese people kept their clothes clean with little more than river water, wood and ash.

American cinema

How Hollywood turned China’s Boxer rebellion into a racist Western

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Trending in China

China emperors drank from mountain springs while commoners downed murky well water

Trending in China

What was Qing dynasty’s imperial yellow jacket, what it symbolised, why it mattered

Tradition had it that the colour meant the element earth, symbolising that ‘all land belongs to the king, and all people are his subjects’.

The imperial yellow jacket, worn by Qing dynasty nobility, was reserved for those close to the emperor or awarded by him, as yellow was the ruler’s exclusive colour. Photo: SCMP composite/Sohu/Wikipedia
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Succession struggles in China’s past echoed in Malaysia’s 2026 royal crisis

Disputes over Negeri Sembilan’s next royal ruler recall how succession in China often fused dynastic legitimacy with aristocratic elections.

Asia travel

Best things to do in China’s Nanjing, from food and architecture to history

Planning a weekend in Nanjing? Here’s an itinerary to consider for visiting the bustling metropolis in eastern China.

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Famous Chinese women in history

In ancient China, women were expected to be obedient and chaste. But throughout millennia, some dared defy traditions with their intellect and ambition. In this series, we profile some of the most powerful and enigmatic female figures in Chinese history.

Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history, reigned as a legitimate leader in China during the last 15 years of her life in her short-lived Wu Zhou dynasty (690-705). Photo: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Art

Gardens of China and Europe juxtaposed in spectacular Hong Kong exhibition

A new exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of Art features works including Monet’s water lilies and Qing dynasty masterpieces.

Chinese culture

Beautiful, power-hungry: how Wu Zetian became China’s only female emperor

A legitimate ruler for 15 years – but de facto leader for years more than that – Wu Zetian is remembered as a complex character.

Hong Kong culture

Editorial | Hong Kong’s efforts to commemorate Bruce Lee should pack bigger punch

While the latest move to honour the late kung fu star is welcome, more must be done to acknowledge his standing as a pillar of Hong Kong heritage.

Chinese-American martial artist and actor Bruce Lee is pictured during the early 1970s. Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Ancient Chinese sleep advice, from bedtimes and body positions to state of mind

For premodern Chinese people, sleep was much more than daily rest – it was a cultivated discipline and a medical necessity.

The ancient Chinese believed that the ideal sleep schedule followed nature’s rhythms, and rising early was prized. Photo: Shutterstock
Taiwan

Why Beijing now wants its spies executed in Taiwan back in the spotlight

Mainland China is seeing a surge in interest over ‘invisible martyrs’ such as Wu Shi, a KMT defector who was executed in Taipei in 1950.

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Trending in China

7,000 years of China stilted houses celebrate human ingenuity, offer insights

Elevated homes have been part of Chinese culture since earliest days, showcasing how intercultural interaction fuelled technology development.

Trending in China

China’s ‘most pampered child’ interred with treasures in lavish coffin 1,400 years ago

Though no portraits exist, reconstructions portray her as a noble young girl with twin circular hair buns, delicate, porcelain-like complexion.

A Sui dynasty girl, remembered as China’s “most pampered child”, died at just nine years of age and was interred in a palace-like stone coffin. Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu/Xian Beilin Museum
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | The history of China’s hospitality industry and how its inns evolved over time

Private inns served travelling merchants in ancient China and grew in number and sophistication as the economy and infrastructure expanded.

WUZHEN, ZHEJIANG PROVINCE, CHINA - 2014/11/05: A small inn is renovated from an ancient civil house. Located in the centre of the six ancient towns south of Yangtze River, Wuzhen displays its two-thousand-year history in its ancient stone bridges floating on mild water, its stone pathways between the mottled walls and its delicate wood carvings. It gives a unique cultural experience for tourists. (Photo by Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images)
History

Inside the 14k, the Hong Kong triad that went global

From its roots in mainland China to expansion in Hong Kong and beyond, we look at the history of one of the most notorious triad societies.

Trending in China

Chinese New Year bamboo greeting cards date back over 2,000 years to Han dynasty

Sending festive messages in ancient times took time and often servants would deliver ‘flying letters’ from their masters to remote friends.

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Chinese culture

As I see it | How ancient Chinese philosophers make sense of modern headaches

Scholar Daniel A. Bell has written an entertaining new book, exposing a new generation to ancient Chinese wisdom on the issues of our day.

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A Confucius statue in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. Confucianism has traditionally been the predominant ideology in Chinese cultural and intellectual contexts, with other philosophical schools usually sidelined. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong society

Over 250 rare Han dynasty relics on display in major Hong Kong showcase

Development chief Bernadette Linn calls exhibition a ‘sequel’ to last year’s Tang dynasty showcase, with 95 per cent of relics shown in city for first time.

Chinese culture

Reflections | What an old Chinese snack can teach people about the ‘proper’ way to eat dishes

The evolution of ‘biluo’ in Tang-dynasty China highlights how there is no unchanging way in which a dish ought to be prepared and enjoyed.

Trending in China

Mastering the shadows: explore lives, extraordinary skills of ancient Chinese thieves

To maintain social order, ancient Chinese dynasties imposed severe punishments for theft – amputation, exile, even death penalty.

Ancient Chinese thieves, known for skills like qinggong and clever tactics, followed a strict code: never stealing from the vulnerable. Photo: SCMP composite/research.sinica.edu.tw/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Chinese culture

Turning walnuts into ‘jade’? Social media goes nuts over old Chinese tradition

You will not actually make jade by rolling walnuts around in your palm, but this Chinese tradition can boost hand strength and calm anxiety.

A social media trend takes on an ancient Chinese tradition in the form of rolling a pair of walnuts around in your hand until they turn into “jade”. Photo: YouTube/ growithjessie
Trending in China

Celestial craftsmanship: secrets of meteorite axe from China Sanxingdui unveiled

Artefact was made of a particular blend of metal that would have been extremely difficult for the ancient people to create on Earth.

Trending in China

How gossip spread in ancient China before newspapers reported on scandals

From eavesdroppers in teahouses to ‘inner informants’ in royal palaces, scandal merchants peddled stories of adultery and divorce.

Belt and Road Initiative

Open Questions | China always a connector, never a coloniser, author says

Sheng-Wei Wang says China’s Belt and Road Initiative echoes the voyages of 15th century Chinese explorer Zheng He, who promoted trade but never stayed.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Chinese culture

Opinion | Chinese youth are embracing Ching Ming with cultural confidence

Young people visiting the graves of historical figures reflects a cultural shift and the pursuit of a sense of continuity with the past.

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People tend to graves at Diamond Hill Cemetery in Hong Kong on April 3 during the Ching Ming Festival. Photo: AFP
Trending in China

Ancient China lavish toilet routines: nobles used silk, Empress Cixi had 28 maids

During the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), public toilets charged usage fees, and some even featured novels and advertisements to attract patrons.

Trending in China

Women sumo wrestling was popular in ancient China until rise of Confucian ethics

Grappling partially clothed, sometimes naked, women drew large crowds, emperors but complaints from conservative officials led to sport’s demise.

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