Culture
As the movie Dear You brings the history of early Chinese migrants back into the spotlight, online conversations about Chinese identity and cultural heritage have grown louder. ThinkChina’s Lu Lingming and Yi Jina speak with Chinese Singaporeans about what Chinese identity, or “Chineseness”, means to them today.
Lu Lingming, Yi Jina
03 Jul 2026
Culture
Salt-baked chicken and tea-smoked ham: Songyang’s unforgettable flavours
A literary trip to southern Zhejiang unlocks the sensory soul of Songyang — a paradise where ancient mountain villages blend rich cultural history with unforgettable delicacies. Writer Shen Jialu uncovers the rare, centuries-old art of tea-smoked ham and more.
Shen Jialu
26 Jun 2026
Culture
Dear You: China’s Nanyang dream and Singapore’s lived reality
Chinese film Dear You about Nanyang migrants moves audiences in China, but for Jean Lee, a second-generation Nanyang migrant, the romanticised onscreen nostalgia clashes deeply with the gritty reality of her family’s history.
Jean Lee
26 Jun 2026
Culture
[Video] Hsu Chung-mao: Why I am both Taiwanese and Chinese
Taiwanese historical photo collector Hsu Chung-mao had a front-row seat to history as a war journalist, and became part of it himself when he was injured during the 1989 Tiananmen incident. Decades spent collecting and colourising rare photographs have shaped how he sees the past — and why he sees himself as both Taiwanese and Chinese. In a conversation with ThinkChina’s Charlene Chow, he reflects on history, identity and the twists of fate that have shaped his journey.
Charlene Chow
19 Jun 2026
Culture
France’s new law: Can China get back its looted treasures?
France’s landmark 2026 legal reform has breathed new life into global art repatriation. For China, whose looted Old Summer Palace treasures remain in French collections, the implications could be significant. Lawyer Ryan Su examines the challenges in a field where emotions and patriotism run high.
Ryan Su
09 Jun 2026
Culture
Is Ai Weiwei a figure of the past?
By embodying recognisable themes of political dissent, ideological trauma and cultural memory, early Chinese contemporary artists like Ai Weiwei acted as interfaces that helped the West understand China. But the milieu has changed, requiring new-gen artists to reexamine their identity and their art. Lianhe Zaobao visual journalist Fio Zhang gives her take on the issue.
Fio Zhang
29 May 2026
Culture
[Video] Living in the moment: Two Singaporean artists finding home in Jingdezhen
In Jingdezhen, China’s porcelain capital, Singaporean ceramists Ken Lu and Nelson Lim have each found their own mecca — a place for Ken to put down roots, and for Nelson to continually return to. Living in the Moment, produced by Lu Lingming and Yi Jina, is ThinkChina’s first documentary film. It explores how the city reshapes Ken and Nelson’s identities as Chinese Singaporeans, while tracing their lifelong pursuit of art and craft.
Lu Lingming, Yi Jina
22 May 2026
Culture
Timeless treasures: How wuxia captured generations on print and screen
From rare, handwritten manuscripts surviving only in Singapore to the multibillion-view world of modern xianxia, wuxia remains a cultural powerhouse. Lianhe Zaobao senior correspondent Lim Fong Wei gives us a glimpse of a special exhibition from this year’s City Reading @ SG festival, tracing how these legendary martial arts tales evolved from newspaper serials into global screen phenomena.
Lim Fong Wei
30 Apr 2026
Culture
There’s no city like Singkawang: Where Hakka is the lingua franca and Cap Go Meh dazzles
In Singkawang, West Kalimantan, writer Teo Han Wue found kindred spirits, a vibrant Chinese community and a chance to witness the colourful culmination of Chinese New Year celebrations there — a spirit-medium parade, known to the locals as Cap Go Meh or Pawai Tatung.
Teo Han Wue
02 Apr 2026
Culture
Hokkien roots, Brunei soil: My father’s journey across borders and spiritual planes [Eye on Fujian series]
From wandering between homes in Malaysia to setting roots in Brunei, one would never have thought that a young rebel with just a toy car to his name would live a life in service of the gods. ThinkChina’s Josephine Hong shares snippets of the life of her father, Richard Hong Kuan Yin.
Josephine Hong
01 Apr 2026
Culture
When birthdays, funerals and feasts share a dish: A Fujian food story [Eye on Fujian series]
Oyster pancake, all forms of pastries called ge (guo 粿), go (gao 糕) and bnia (bing 饼), one-of-a-kind braised noodles, red rice wine chicken and even pork double-boiled in urine — from his findings in Yongchun county and other studies, anthropology professor Tan Chee-Beng shares his knowledge about the wonders of eastern and southern Fujian cuisines.
Tan Chee-Beng
31 Mar 2026
