3 d. ago Chinese boy rolls across newlyweds’ bed while chanting on wedding day

At some Chinese weddings, a little boy is invited to roll across the wedding bed while chanting blessings, praying for the couple to have children and enjoy prosperity. Known as gun chuang or “rolling the bed”, this centuries-old tradition originated in northern China but has since spread nationwide. In ancient China, when populations were small and productivity low, families desperately hoped for a male heir to help with agricultural work. Legend tells of a woman from the Zhao family who,...

Politics

3 d. ago Why Chinese boy rolls across newlyweds’ bed while chanting on wedding day

At some Chinese weddings, a little boy is invited to roll across the wedding bed while chanting blessings, praying for the couple to have children and enjoy prosperity. Known as gun chuang or “rolling the bed”, this centuries-old tradition originated in northern China but has since spread nationwide. In ancient China, when populations were small and productivity low, families desperately hoped for a male heir to help with agricultural work. Legend tells of a woman from the Zhao family who,...

Politics

5 d. ago Alibaba banks on AI to boost Singles’ Day sales on Taobao, Tmall

Alibaba Group Holding is taking advantage of artificial intelligence to turn its online marketplace into a “comprehensive consumption platform”, as the e-commerce giant regains momentum in an extremely competitive market. The company kicked off its annual Singles’ Day event – the world’s largest shopping festival – on Wednesday, riding on the back of strong growth in online shopping and on-demand delivery. Taobao and Tmall, Alibaba’s two domestic e-commerce platforms, are offering 50 billion...

Economics

5 d. ago Shutdown costing US economy US$15 billion a day, Treasury chief Bessent says

The two-week-old federal government shutdown is costing the US economy about US$15 billion a day in lost output, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday, putting an estimate on its economic toll and urging Democrats to “be heroes” and side with Republicans to end it. Bessent told a news conference that the shutdown was starting to “cut into muscle” of the US economy. “We believe that the shutdown may start costing the US economy up to US$15 billion a day,” he said. The wave of...

Economics

9 d. ago Why brides from China Bai ethnic minority wear sunglasses on their wedding day

A fascinating and unique wedding ritual among China’s Bai ethnic minority involves brides wearing sunglasses on their wedding day to hide their tears as they bid farewell to their families. The Bai, whose name means white in Chinese, originally referred to themselves as Baipzix due to their strong preference for the colour white, which they hold in high esteem. In 1956, they were officially recognised by the Chinese government as the Bai ethnic group. Today, they primarily live in the Dali Bai...

Politics

9 d. ago Explainer | Why brides from China Bai ethnic minority wear sunglasses on their wedding day

Explainer | Why brides from China Bai ethnic minority wear sunglasses on their wedding day  South China Morning Post

Politics

1 week ago China’s ‘super golden week’ box office lags, but annual picture improves

China’s extended “super golden week” holiday saw cinemas’ box-office revenues slump compared to last year’s National Day break, but nationwide takings since the start of the year have already exceeded the total for all of 2024. According to box-office tracker Dengta Data, cinemas raked in 1.83 billion yuan (US$257 million) during the eight-day holiday, which ended on Wednesday. That was the second-lowest total since 2017 and down from the 2.1 billion yuan reported for the regular seven-day...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong retailers, caterers enjoy ‘golden week’ business growth of up to 20%

Hong Kong retailers and caterers have reported business growth of up to 20 per cent year on year during mainland China’s National Day “golden week” break, with one tourist spending a whopping HK$1 million (US$128,500) on international brands, business leaders have said. Industry leaders said stores selling gold, jewellery and cosmetic products emerged as the big winners as the eight-day break wrapped up on Wednesday, while cha chaan teng were the top dining choice, followed by Chinese...

Politics

1 week ago China braces for record travel peak on final day of ‘golden week’

China’s transport system braced for a massive travel surge on Wednesday as millions of people returned to work at the end of the annual “super golden week” holiday, one of the busiest times of the year. Transport authorities added hundreds of extra trains and additional temporary EV charging stations to manage the rush on the final day of the week-long break, which included National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Ministry of Transport on Wednesday said the total number of journeys during...

Sport

2 w. ago Alibaba’s Amap hits record 360 million users as ‘golden week’ begins

Amap, Alibaba Group Holding’s answer to Google Maps, saw a record 360 million daily users on the first day of China’s “golden week” National Day holiday, as the company strengthens its local service offerings amid increasing competition with Meituan. On Wednesday, the first day of the extended eight-day break, Amap provided navigation for trips totalling over 9 billion km, also a record high, according to Alibaba, owner of the Post. Meanwhile, Amap’s new road safety alert system, Eagle Eye...

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong, mainland China adapt to gold prices amid wedding jewellery demand

Since the beginning of the year, Kelvin Siu and his fiancée had waited for gold prices to decline before buying jewellery for their wedding. Last week, they finally pulled the trigger to purchase, as gold prices continued to climb to fresh highs. “We had no choice but to buy the gold dragon and phoenix bracelets and other jewellery last week because our wedding day is getting close,” said Siu, who has booked his wedding in December. Gold prices, which have surged more than 48 per cent this year...

Politics

2 w. ago Fourth storm in five weeks threatens after Hong Kong recovers from Ragasa

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong is bracing for its fourth storm in five weeks, with a typhoon forecast to move close to the city this weekend, hot on the heels of Super Typhoon Ragasa which brought life to a standstill for two days last week. The Hong Kong Observatory said on Wednesday that a tropical depression formed earlier in the day to the east of the Philippines would...

Events

2 w. ago Fourth storm in 5 weeks threatens after Hong Kong recovers from Ragasa

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong is bracing for its fourth storm in five weeks, with one forecast to move close to the city this weekend, hot on the heels of Super Typhoon Ragasa, which brought life to a standstill for two days last week. The Hong Kong Observatory said on Wednesday that a tropical depression formed earlier in the day to the east of the Philippines would intensify...

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong marks National Day with fireworks, naval ship tours and horse races

Hundreds of thousands of spectators packed Hong Kong’s harbourfront for a fireworks display on National Day, capping off celebrations that included an open day at PLA naval ships and visitors descending upon the city for shopping, sightseeing and hiking. Police said 344,000 people packed both sides of Victoria Harbour to watch the 23-minute display on Wednesday, the local highlight of the first day of mainland China’s “golden week” holiday. The Immigration Department recorded a net inflow of...

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong’s No 2 official vows to enhance East Dam travel with better Wi

Hong Kong’s No 2 official has pledged to further improve travellers’ experience at High Island Reservoir’s popular East Dam by strengthening Wi-fi connectivity and improving traffic arrangements there. Chief Secretary of Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki’s remarks came on Wednesday, the first day of the National Day “golden week” holiday, as over 1,000 visitors descended on the site earlier in the morning, with many expressing their approval of government measures to handle the surge in tourist...

Politics

2 w. ago Hongkongers tour PLA naval ships as trainees sample local delicacies

Scores of Hong Kong residents set off at dawn to visit two PLA naval ships anchored at Stonecutters Island as part of National Day celebrations on Wednesday, while military college students gave a thumbs up to the city’s street food and skyline. Training vessel Qi Jiguang and amphibious assault ship Yimeng Shan are harboured at the island’s naval base and were opened up to residents able to secure one of the 11,000 free tickets the People’s Liberation Army gave out over the weekend. More than 30...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong police arrest woman after daughter, 8, shoves baby off bench

Hong Kong police have arrested a 37-year-old woman for allegedly neglecting her eight-year-old daughter, who was seen twice pushing a crying baby off a bench and injuring the infant. The force said on Wednesday that it had received a report the previous day from a staff member of Good Mansion, a transitional housing project in Hung Hom, alleging that an unsupervised child had mistreated an 11-month-old baby and a two-year-old boy. A source said the eight-year-old girl had led the two young...

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong leader vows to get rid of ‘bottlenecks’, speed up gains for residents

Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to “eliminate bottlenecks” and shorten the time needed to realise economic gains to ensure that residents from all walks of life can benefit from the city’s development. Speaking at this year’s National Day reception on Wednesday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also vowed to continually enhance the city’s national security laws to safeguard economic development while promising to ensure the coming Legislative Council election would be held in a fair and orderly...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong to get National Day celebrations under way with flag

Hong Kong marks National Day on Wednesday with a range of activities to celebrate the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu is expected to deliver a speech at a reception at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, attended by local and central government officials as well as leading business figures. The city kicked off the National Day celebrations on Tuesday with a four-day port call by two People’s Liberation...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong gets National Day celebrations under way with flag

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong marks National Day on Wednesday with a range of activities to celebrate the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has delivered a speech at a reception at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, attended by local and central government officials as well as leading...

Politics