Morals

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

China’s underground surrogacy industry: Operating in the shadows

Surrogacy in China disproportionately affects vulnerable women, exacerbating gender inequality. While declining birth rates pressure the government to address the issue, legal and ethical dilemmas hinder legalisation. The industry persists in a legal grey area, posing ongoing challenges. Lianhe Zaobao’s China Desk looks into the matter.

China Desk, Lianhe Zaobao

19 Nov 2024

Colour and culture: Why did Confucius detest the colour purple?

Cultural historian Cheng Pei-kai takes a look at the perception of the colour purple in Chinese history. Was it always deemed as the colour of the imperial royals?

Cheng Pei-kai

13 Sep 2024

[Big read] China’s sex workers find opportunities with tech but big data sparks fear

Lianhe Zaobao Shenzhen correspondent Daryl Lim speaks with academics and insiders about how technological advancements have changed the way the sex industry operates in China, as the use of big data and its regulations have made it more difficult for sex workers to stay under the radar.

Daryl Lim

06 Aug 2024

The legal and ethical considerations of 'resurrecting' the dead with AI

Recent AI-generated videos of deceased celebrities have sparked heated debate on whether it is ethical or legal to use the likeness of famed personalities in such videos. Lianhe Zaobao's China Desk looks into the recent trend of "resurrecting" the dead and the implications.

China Desk, Lianhe Zaobao

16 Apr 2024

Should there be a limit to personal wealth?

Former journalist Goh Choon Kang notes that perhaps the true significance of accumulating personal wealth is to give back to society in one way or another, and to contribute to more equitable distribution of wealth.

Goh Choon Kang

08 Mar 2024

Vast difference in expectations of local governments in the US and in China

Wu Guo notes that local governments in the US are rarely intrusive in the lives of residents, often getting involved only in matters of taxation, public environment and public health. But corruption and dereliction of duty does exist too, and Chinese immigrants may miss that if they do not cast off their utopian blinkers.

Wu Guo

05 Jul 2023

#MeToo in Taiwan: Why public opinion matters

While it is easy for public commentators to lash out at perpetrators and victims alike in #MeToo cases, the psychological factors behind each case are complex. Would angry bashing tamp down our empathy for the afflicted in rooting out the underlaying issues behind sexual assault?

Ho Kok Ho

27 Jun 2023

Can China become a more relaxed society?

Consultant Ma Haotian notes that recent and past cases of celebrities getting banned for various transgressions show that morality in China can be taken to the extreme to exert control over people. He urges moderation and adjusting the so-called rules and standards of behaviour according to the times, so that people can act with more freedom and autonomy.

Ma Haotian

28 Feb 2023

Do Gen Z Americans hold the key to improving China-US relations?

American youths today are dealing with more issues and turmoil than their previous generations. US academic Wu Guo believes that the culmination of terrorist attacks, financial crises, social injustice and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic have led to a generation that is more politically, socially and environmentally aware. These challenges and experiences could be a path for Americans to connect with the world outside of the US, in particular with China.

Wu Guo

11 May 2022

The curse of political correctness in China and the US

How the China-US conflict will end very much depends on the vociferous court of public opinion of each country. At the moment, political correct views are being spewed on both sides. Such behaviour shows a common human weakness to demonise the other and threaten to keep both sides locked in a vortex of vitriol. East Asia Institute academic Lance Gore implores the people of both countries to keep their senses and adhere to their better judgement. In particular, China should be clear-eyed that the combined strength of the US and its allies exceeds any level China may attain in the foreseeable future and act accordingly.

Lance Gore

24 Mar 2022

'The world has abandoned me': Chinese women married into slavery?

Chinese academic Lorna Wei says that the authorities' determination to root out human trafficking may waver, but netizens' voices speaking up for the victims - often women married off into other counties - will not be silenced. This may be the only comfort that countless women suffering alone can take solace in.

Lorna S. Wei

25 Feb 2022