Education

Nanyang artist Sun Yee. (Dynasties Antique & Art Gallery)

Who are the Nanyang women artists?

Even those familiar with Nanyang artists may be hard-pressed to name other women artists aside from Georgette Chen. Actually, Sun Yee was a renowned artist in her own right, and in Singapore where she eventually settled down, she spent close to three decades heading an art academy. Low Sze Wee, CEO of the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, tells us more.
The writer's set of the Nine Volumes.

The book box: A cultural journey from Geylang to China and back

An evening musing over an old wooden box of books prompted Hua Language Centre director Chew Wee Kai to embark on a personal journey of discovery into the history and legacy of the book box.
Singapore primary school students in class, 6 April 2023. (SPH Media)

Singapore is becoming the preferred study destination for affluent Asian families

Even amid global developments and tensions, education remains a basic need for young people. Given Singapore’s unique attributes and global outlook, it has become one of the most popular places for students from China and elsewhere.
People cross a road in Hong Kong, China, 15 February 2023. (SPH Media)

Hong Kong’s talent attraction strategy facing controversies and challenges

Amid the significant labour shortage Hong Kong is facing due to a massive emigration wave, officials have introduced a number of measures to attract talent back to the city. However, the application loopholes and homogenous background of the applicants leave the locals questioning the measures’ effectiveness in boosting the workforce. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tai Hing Shing tells us more.
Young people sleeping at Hai Di Lao to save money on accommodation. (Internet)

Why China’s young travellers are sleeping at Hai Di Lao

Chinese youths are jumping on the trend of “special forces” travel, spending as little as possible to cover as many locations in as short a time as possible, and spending nights in restaurants and trains instead of hotels and travel accommodations. But given the general lack of in-depth experiences and the negative effects of such superficial tourism, is it worth the effort? Or are young Chinese looking for an outlet for their pent-up energy and emotions?
Young people streaming in to take the civil service exam in Taiyuan city, Shanxi province, 28 November 2021. (CNS)

Chinese society's obsession with becoming a civil servant

How far would one go to get a job in the civil service? In China, young people are under enormous pressure if they choose to take the civil service exam, pouring everything into it — some tragic cases have ensued. Zaobao’s China Desk explores the obsession with getting into the civil service.
Liu Yuan and her son, Jackson.

China's young families sending kids to international schools in Thailand

Given the intense competition and rigidity in China’s education system, an increasing number of Chinese middle-class families are moving to Thailand and putting their children in international schools there. Zaobao journalist Liu Liu speaks to families and academics to find out more about the factors behind this trend.
People gather to burn incense sticks and offer prayers at the Lama Temple, in Beijing, China, on 19 February 2023. (Jade Gao/AFP)

More Chinese youths visiting temples to seek solace

As Chinese youths face pressures on all fronts, from education to job hunting and even finding love, they are finding some solace in prayers to gods. But a recent article from state media denouncing such behaviours has sparked uproar among the youths, claiming that the authorities are far removed from the problems young people face today.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew reacts during a session for him to testify before a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, 23 March 2023. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

What Singapore can learn from the Chew Shou Zi phenomenon

Lee Huay Leng, editor-in-chief of SPH Chinese Media Group, observes that the spotlight cast on Singaporean TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi at a US Congress hearing recently is a good entry point for us to think about the role that Singapore can play in the new world order, besides the larger topics such as TikTok and China-US relations.