History
Society
[Big read] How Singapore’s boba milk-tea generation is rediscovering traditional tea
A new generation of teahouses is putting a contemporary spin on traditional tea culture, from Teochew gongfu tea and Chinese ceramics to herbal milk teas, giving young Singaporeans new ways to slow down, connect and rediscover age-old traditions. Lianhe Zaobao senior Fukan correspondent Ng Yimin finds out more.
Ng Yimin
11 Sep 2026
Culture
15th Shanghai Biennale: Does the flower hear the bee?
In an increasingly AI-centred world, this year’s edition of the Shanghai Biennale themed “Does the Flower Hear the Bee?” asks timely questions in inviting visitors to think about engaging different forms of intelligence beyond ourselves. Curator and writer Tan Hwee Koon walks us through the exhibition.
Tan Hwee Koon
11 Sep 2026
Society
When humans become demons: China’s viral AI hit
A 26-minute AI-generated animation about people branded as demons has become a viral hit in China. Behind its striking visuals is a creator using new technology to tell an old story about suffering, power and the people history leaves behind. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han tells us more.
Miao Zong-Han
03 Sep 2026
History
[Photos] Guangdong: Where China first looked outward
From an isolated southern frontier to China’s main gateway to the maritime world, Guangdong’s early encounters with foreign traders, armed sea powers and overseas migration laid the foundations for its later role as a cradle of reform. Historical photo collector Hsu Chung-mao traces the early history of Guangdong in ThinkChina’s Eye on Guangdong series.
Hsu Chung-mao
01 Sep 2026
Culture
Building for family glory: Guangdong’s architecture of success
The Chen Academy in Guangzhou and Ruishi Lou in Kaiping county were built with sophisticated techniques from wealth earned or migrant funds sent home. Architecture professor Ho Puay Peng takes us on a tour of these fine examples of Lingnan architecture in ThinkChina’s Eye on Guangdong series.
Ho Puay Peng
31 Aug 2026
Culture
Truffles and gold leaf can’t save dim sum: What the masters know
However much dim sum — bite-sized morsels originating in Guangdong province — is reinvented, the patience and fortitude that goes into the craft and the sincerity of the hands that make it remain paramount, observes writer Tan Pin Yen in ThinkChina’s Eye on Guangdong series.
Tan Pin Yen
28 Aug 2026
Culture
[Video] Was Cantonese really the language of Tang poets?
With copious research into the vivid histories of Hong Kong and Guangzhou, academic Lian-Hee Wee and researcher Winnie HY Cheung trace a quirky timeline of the evolution of the Cantonese language in ThinkChina’s Eye on Guangdong series.
Lian-Hee Wee, Winnie HY Cheung
28 Aug 2026
Culture
How my Aquarian mother survived state-made absurdity [Part 2]
Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun’s mother fled bombings, displacement and political upheaval to keep the family alive through war, before rebuilding a life from scratch in Dalongdong, where survival slowly became home.
Chiang Hsun
14 Aug 2026
Society
Why Beijing shelved its Taiwan war blockbuster
A lavish war epic about the Qing conquest of Taiwan was meant to be China’s next blockbuster. Instead, it vanished twice, raising questions about Beijing’s evolving Taiwan narrative and political messaging. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong explains.
Han Yong Hong
30 Jul 2026
Society
Dear You: A Chinese film revives Japan’s diasporic memory
The Chinese hit movie Dear You has struck a chord with overseas Chinese in Japan, whose own efforts to preserve their language and culture echo the film’s portrayal of diaspora life in Nanyang. Writer Foo Choo Wei finds out more.
Foo Choo Wei
28 Jul 2026