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History
The latest news, analysis and opinion on History. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
The British surrender Hong Kong to the Japanese on Christmas Day in 1941. Photo: SCMP Archives
Old Hong Kong

Recap | Hong Kong’s darkest days of Japanese invasion, cannibalism, POW camps and heroism

PostMag writer Jason Wordie looks back at the harrowing history of Hong Kong during World War II under Japanese occupation after the city fell in December 1941.

Wellness

How ancient bones reveal secrets to old diseases such as plague

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Art

When Brit art world provocateurs Gilbert & George’s visited China

Celebrity style

Why celebrities and brands alike have embraced the iconic camel coat

British brand Jaeger introduced coats made of camel hair in 1919, when wool was hard to come and today it is a wardrobe staple, which Max Mara creative director Ian Griffiths refreshes every season.

Angelina Jolie embodies chic in Brunello Cucinelli camel coat at the Torino Film Festival. Photo: Getty Images
Japan

Apologise, or stay silent? Japan’s ‘pro-China’ PM faces WWII anniversary dilemma

As conservatives urge Shigeru Ishiba to follow the late Shinzo Abe’s lead, moderates warn against alienating Japan’s neighbours.

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Hong Kong

The Lunar New Year poon choi feast isn’t just about food

Having started as a rustic meal jointly made by rural households to enjoy together, poon choi is now a family-favourite Chinese New Year staple in Hong Kong.

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Crime

Theft in Netherlands of ancient golden helmet leaves Romania distraught

The 2,500-year-old Cotofenesti helmet, one Romania’s most revered national treasures, was stolen from Drents Museum.

Drents Museum director Harry Tupan (right) speaks during a news conference in front of an image of the ancient golden Cotofenesti helmet, at the Drents Museum in Assen, Netherlands on Saturday. Photo: RTL Nieuws via AP
Japan

‘At rock bottom’: 100 years of Japan-Russia ties come full circle

Moscow marked the occasion by issuing a thinly veiled critique of deteriorating ties and hints at plans to close Japanese cultural centres.

Vietnam

Vietnam’s sticky, ‘delicious’ Lunar New Year delicacy takes 12 hours to make

Wrapped cakes of glutinous rice, green beans and pork belly have been a Lunar New Year speciality in Vietnam for centuries.

US-China relations

New pandas from China make their debut at National Zoo in Washington

Bao Li and Qing Bao, both three years old, are the US capital’s latest panda diplomats.

Bao Li eats bamboo leaves during the public debut of the giant pandas at the National Zoo on Friday. Photo: AP
Asia travel

19th-century Phuket mansion transformed into new luxury destination

The redesigned House of Tin Baron on Thailand’s Phuket island includes a Louis Roederer Cristal Room and fine-dining Italian restaurant Terra.

A former Sino-Portuguese heritage building, House of Tin Baron in Phuket, Thailand, has been redesigned and repurposed to serve locals and tourists alike. Photo: House of Tin Baron
Science

Where did the first dinosaurs evolve? Scientists have an answer

Dinosaurs likely originated in a locale that spans the modern-day Sahara desert and Amazon rainforest regions, study suggests.

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From our archives

Recap | Hong Kong building disasters, from an inferno to construction site tragedies

These were some of Hong Kong’s most tragic construction disasters, from the 1918 Happy Valley racecourse inferno to deadly lift crashes, highlighting the critical need for improved safety standards.

Hong Kong culture

Her 1,000-piece collection of Hong Kong memorabilia tells the city’s story

From dolls, ceramics and vintage textiles to posters, books and souvenirs, Tarlan Amigh is on a mission to tell the real story of Hong Kong.

Tarlan Amigh holds items from her vast collection of Hong Kong memorabilia at her home in the city. Many items have been handcrafted using techniques passed down through generations. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Chinese culture

Want better luck in the Year of the Snake? Pray to these 3 Chinese gods

Besides the tai sui and Jade Emperor, the gods of wealth, doors and kitchens are also appeased by those wanting the best shot at fortune.

A statue of the god of wealth stands in a forest in Nanjing, in China’s Jiangsu province. The god is one of the many guardian deities that Chinese people traditionally pray to during Lunar New Year for fortune, health, love and prosperity. Photo: Getty Images
Art

Portuguese dressage school preserves a ‘source of collective identity’

At Lisbon’s Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, riders and a unique breed of horses are guardians of dressage recently listed by Unesco.

Asia travel

From Hoi An to Hanoi: a ride along Vietnam’s twisty Ho Chi Minh Highway

Mountain scenes, quaint villages, chaotic traffic, cheap motels and repetitive noodle soup, punctuated by the occasional flat tyre.

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Science

Chinese sweat and blood – not soldiers – have left their mark on Panama Canal

Donald Trump stokes fears about Beijing’s influence in Panama, but thousands of Chinese gave their lives to build canal and railway.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Japan

Court ruling over Koreans enshrined in Japan’s Yasukuni reopens wartime wounds

A group of 27 South Koreans fought to have their relatives’ names removed from the highly controversial shrine in Tokyo.

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Tourism

Depression-era house where FBI shot it out with gangsters now a museum

In 1935 agents traded fire with Barker-Karpis Gang members for over 4 hours at their Florida hideout. 90 years on, it’s open to the public.

War and conflict

Opinion | Are the 2020s doomed to be a repeat of the 1920s?

As ethno-nationalist populism and propaganda threaten human society, we need leaders who can offer an alternative to confrontation and war.

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A resident of Panama City, Panama holds a banner that reads “Trump not welcome!” as part of the commemoration of Martyrs’ Day, a Panamanian day of national mourning, on January 9. US president-elect Donald Trump has floated the prospect of reclaiming the Panama Canal by force. Photo: AP
From our archives

When China put a journalist under house arrest in retaliation for jailings

Anthony Grey was caught in the crossfire when Hong Kong jailed a Chinese news agency correspondent over anti-British demonstrations in 1967.

Anthony Grey, the journalist placed under house arrest in Beijing for 26 months from July 1967. Photo: Post Staff Photographer
Hong Kong economy

4,000 visitors expected for festival at once-abandoned Hong Kong Hakka village

The Countryside Harvest Festival: Kuk Po ‘Sound-Sight-Taste Fusion’ Tour will run for two consecutive weekends.

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Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Why are Chinese couples so set on Western wedding fashion?

Chinese brides used to wear black, then red, before the Western white gown became ubiquitous. Some push back now and don hanfu bridal wear.

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United States

Biden grants clemency to 2,500 people, most ever in a day

Biden may issue further commutations or pardons before he hands over power to president-elect Donald Trump on Monday.

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Biden commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 people and pardoned 39 others last month. Photo: AP
Photography

Recap | How famous photographers capture the essence of Hong Kong over the years

Explore the rich history and cultural evolution of Hong Kong through the lenses of renowned photographers.

Fan Ho with his Rolleiflex 3.5 A (type K4A) camera which he used to take phots of Hong Kong in the 50s and 60s. Photo: Fan Ho
Old Hong Kong

An abandoned village is brought to life in this debut Hong Kong festival

The Countryside Harvest Festival takes place at the 400-year-old village of Kuk Po in Hong Kong’s far north.

Architecture and design

No need to ask, it’s a smooth calculator

Few office devices can be as desirable as the Divisumma 18, designed in 1972 by Mario Bellini for Olivetti.

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