Xi Jinping calls for wider use of Mandarin in China’s border areas amid security push

Xi Jinping calls for wider use of Mandarin in China’s border areas amid security push

President Xi Jinping has called for national security and social stability to be upheld in China’s border regions and for Mandarin to be spoken more broadly in those areas, according to state media. Addressing a Politburo study session on Monday, Xi said maintaining security and stability was the “baseline requirement” for border governance, state news … Read more

How Chinese haute couture is taking on the fashion world

How Chinese haute couture is taking on the fashion world

Haute couture, which means “high dressmaking” in French, has historically been associated with Parisian culture. But the concept of high fashion is no longer confined to France, or the West, as more Chinese designers make headway in the fashion industry. Beijing-born fashion designer Guo Pei’s current solo exhibition at Hong Kong’s M+ museum of visual … Read more

Beijing’s official messaging needs AI, algorithms to counter Western media: experts

Beijing’s official messaging needs AI, algorithms to counter Western media: experts

People’s Daily published a full page of articles on Friday filled with calls to improve China’s information campaign on the global stage, with specific suggestions to debunk US-led narratives, including the use of AI. In the Communist Party mouthpiece, scholars suggested strategies that included using harnessing technology to counter Western media, which they said painted … Read more

How Chinese wedding dresses are made, their symbolism and why some can cost US$13,000

How Chinese wedding dresses are made, their symbolism and why some can cost US,000

A Chinese wedding has many of the trappings of a Western marriage and in addition rituals, traditions and matters of etiquette to follow. In our series on Chinese weddings, we break these down and tell you how to get everything right. Choosing a beautiful dress for the big day can be extremely stressful for brides … Read more

The enduring Chinese love affair with gold wedding jewellery, the dragon and the phoenix

The enduring Chinese love affair with gold wedding jewellery, the dragon and the phoenix

A Chinese wedding has many of the trappings of a Western marriage and in addition rituals, traditions and matters of etiquette to follow. In our series on Chinese weddings, we break these down and tell you how to get everything right. Gold symbolises fortune, power and longevity in Chinese culture, so it is no surprise … Read more

Why Chinese bride wine is a wedding staple, its origins and why it’s buried for 18 years

Why Chinese bride wine is a wedding staple, its origins and why it’s buried for 18 years

A Chinese wedding has many of the trappings of a Western marriage and in addition rituals, traditions and matters of etiquette to follow. In our series on Chinese weddings, we break these down and tell you how to get everything right. Nu’er hong is a Chinese rice wine originating in Shaoxing, eastern China. It is … Read more

All about the Chinese clay flute, from its ancient origins to Studio Ghibli inspiration

All about the Chinese clay flute, from its ancient origins to Studio Ghibli inspiration

Clay, a versatile material that turns into all kinds of objects when married with water and fire, is most often associated with pottery, which has thousands of years of history in China and other parts of the world. The xun – pronounced huen in Cantonese – a flute shaped like an egg but with a … Read more

Opinion | Some of China’s best cultural ambassadors are foreign vloggers

Opinion | Some of China’s best cultural ambassadors are foreign vloggers

I was impressed that a couple from Britain and Italy, on their YouTube channel, said that people in China completely blew them away because they “never expected anyone could be so lovely, so friendly, so helpful, so welcoming and so patient”, and “so nice”. It was the first time I had seen someone put so … Read more

5 film set superstitions in Hong Kong, from rites to lucky red envelopes for death scenes

5 film set superstitions in Hong Kong, from rites to lucky red envelopes for death scenes

Learn the ins and outs of feng shui, villain hitting, and fortunetelling as well as the dos and don’ts for cultivating good luck in our series on Chinese superstitions. In Chinese culture, show business is thought of as an “informal” trade because of the lack of a stable income and how you have to rely … Read more

China’s ethnic policy chief slams ‘ignorance of history’ in Xinjiang assimilation claims

China’s ethnic policy chief slams ‘ignorance of history’ in Xinjiang assimilation claims

“There is an inaccurate narrative in the international community that separates Xinjiang culture from Chinese culture and even sets them against each other. But a large amount of archaeological evidence tells us that Xinjiang has been an important part of the Chinese cultural sphere since ancient times,” Pan said. “There is also an international narrative … Read more