Humanity
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
Are Singaporeans disappearing? The identity challenge behind the baby crisis
To confront a historically low total fertility rate, Singapore is re-engineering social frameworks for parenthood. As the nation turns to global immigrants, it needs to ensure that new arrivals successfully forge a rooted national identity. Han Yong May, deputy editor-in-chief of SPH’s Chinese Media Group, considers the issues at stake.
Han Yong May
08 Sep 2026
Culture
Why city living starves the soul: I left Taipei to find the earth again
Chishang in Taitung county brought Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun back to the land. After decades of urban life, he rediscovers dawn, dusk and the seasons — and reflects on how reconnecting with the land might help us recover something we have lost.
Chiang Hsun
04 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
Society
AI micro-dramas do not understand people. Are we starting not to either?
The gliches in AI micro-dramas may have been fixed, but not their indifference to human nature. As we consume ever more predictable stories, are we also losing our patience for complexity — and our respect for what’s real? Han Yong May, deputy editor-in-chief of SPH’s Chinese Media Group, ponders the question.
Han Yong May
20 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
Sold by the kilo: China’s pet protection blind spot
Celebrity dog Chutou was stolen and sold to a dog meat restaurant in China, with the thieves and the slaughterer nonchalantly and unapologetically offering compensation. Will this start a new awareness of animal rights? Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Li Kang gives her views.
Li Kang
22 Jun 2026
Technology
When employees leave, their AI clones carry on working
Companies are racing to turn workers’ skills and know-how into AI-powered digital employees. But as the technology advances, more workers are fighting to stop their expertise from being extracted — and used against them.
Caixin Global
19 Jun 2026
Technology
What will movies be like without human actors?
iQIYI’s announcement of its AI talent pool has opened up new possibilities of using all-AI actors in film and TV. Yet how authentic are such productions without human emotion and expression? Academic Zhang Tiankan explores the issue.
Zhang Tiankan
05 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