South China Morning Post

Major cities in China are trying to lower the din on public transportation by introducing “quiet cars” or punishing people for using their phone speakers with no headphones on the subway. 

In China, there are differences in opinion about whether or not being noisy in public should be regarded as impolite because it can be interpreted as a sign of vibrancy and energy.  

But for large swaths of the younger generations, it is important to be quiet on public transportation to show respect to…

A Chinese province will obligate companies to provide women with menstrual sick leave days starting in March, 2021. 

The announcement from the provincial government of Liaoning, a province in northeastern China, renewed worries that such “protective policies” will actually worsen gender discrimination in the workplace. 

The rules stipulate that companies must provide their employees with one or two days of sick leave for women on their menstrual cycle, provided they have medical proof of…

Perhaps BTS’ next song should be titled Time heals all wounds because four years after China banned the K-pop supergroup, their songs have finally returned to Chinese airwaves. 

In a promising sign this week that suggests warming relations between the two nations, the band’s hit song Dynamite was played on Beijing radio.

One academic described the move as “hopeful”, but said it was too soon to tell if the nations’ long-running disputes would end. 

Since 2016, relations between China and…

The year 2020 will be everyone’s to remember, no matter how much we would like to forget. 

Living through a pandemic that has changed lives and the course of history, and the ripple effects will be felt for years to come. 

But it also reminded us of our core humanity, be it racing to save our beloved pets, some whimsy in the form of a camel or our willingness to get outraged over minor slights. 

As a holiday treat, we have selected five stories that reminded us of the complexity and audacity…

A 9-year-old schoolgirl in China found herself caught up in the country’s burgeoning national social credit system, prompting concerns that the scheme’s wide net may unwittingly capture the wrong people. 

In November, the girl, named Chen Man, was banned by a local court in Henan from doing “high-level consumption” activities, which include flying, travel by high-speed rail and checking into hotels - not typical activities for a kid.

The girl appears to have been caught up in China’s social…

China is home to 44 of the world’s 100 tallest buildings, including the 128-story Shanghai Tower, the second tallest in the world at 2,073 ft.

But China is also home to one of the tallest unfinished towers anywhere, the Goldin Finance 117 – otherwise known as the China 117 – in Tianjin, a major port city a couple of hours away from Beijing.  

When it broke ground 12 years ago, the hope was that the mega skyscraper eclipse the Shanghai Tower as the tallest building outside of the Burj Khalifa…

In some countries, who you love can be deadly.

Same-sex activity is illegal in almost 70 countries. In six, it’s punishable by death. These include Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria (the 12 northern states only), Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

These were the findings of a world survey on sexual orientation laws released this week that found dozens of nations across the globe still treated same-sex couples as criminals.

The organization (The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex…

An image of poor young rural Chinese boys swinging baseball bats in a bid for a better life has moved a nation to tears with the release of a new documentary that sheds light on the lives of the country’s “left-behind” children.

The documentary, Tough Out, opened last week to critical acclaim and is a devastating reflection of the reality faced by seven million children who have been left behind in rural China by parents forced to move to the cities in search of work. 

Named best documentary…

After living with a nitpicking husband for over 30 years, supporting her daughter to finish university and raising her grandchildren to preschool age, 56-year-old Su Min decided it was time for her to be just herself.

While most of the Chinese women at her age would be babysitting their grandchildren or cooking and washing clothes for their husbands, Su started a solo road trip in September with her white Volkswagen Polo that she bought with two years’ savings from taking odd jobs.

Without…

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Script:

Info officer: Good morning. EcoPark Management Office. How may I help you?

Mrs Shum: Good morning. I'm Mary Shum, a teacher at Park Valley Secondary School. I'm thinking about bringing a party of students to visit EcoPark and I'd like some information about what we can expect to see during our visit. I’d also like to make a booking for the visit.

Info officer: No problem, Mrs Shum. We accept bookings for groups of fifteen to forty people.

Mrs Shum: Would a…