History

Bilahari Kausikan: The Korean Peninsula and the future of East Asian geopolitics

Former Singapore diplomat Bilahari Kausikan believes that a momentous strategic shift is underway on the Korean Peninsula, impacting the East Asian geopolitical landscape. The rise of a nuclear-armed North Korea and a transactional US alliance system are forcing a structural reset. An independent nuclear path for South Korea and Japan may be next.

Bilahari Kausikan

16 Oct 2026

[Photos] Days by the sea: Remembering writer and revolutionary Chen Yingzhen

Rediscovered photographs from a 1987 trip to the Philippines bring back memories of Taiwanese literary giant Chen Yingzhen — his ideals and friendships, his unwavering convictions, and a rarely seen, carefree side of the famously serious writer. Historical photo collector Hsu Chung-mao goes back in time.

Hsu Chung-mao

09 Oct 2026

Chan Chun Sing: Winning the world requires example, not force

Speaking at the 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, Singapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing urged nations to build trust, embrace interdependence, and lead by the “power of example” to ensure global stability. This is an edited transcript of his speech.

Chan Chun Sing

21 Sep 2026

Who was the most consequential emperor in Chinese history?

Hint: it is someone you have probably never heard of, who might have played a role in China’s AI takeoff, says Professor Yasheng Huang.

Yasheng Huang

15 Sep 2026

[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

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

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

[Video] Eye on Guangdong series

Our sixth regional series, Eye on Guangdong, explores the province’s history as China’s gateway to the world, Cantonese culture and cuisine, Guangzhou and Shenzhen’s economic and technological rise, and much more!

02 Sep 2026

[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

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

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

[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