South China Morning Post

Two architects from China, Zeyu Cai and Sibei Li, have won a global online competition seeking new designs for the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Organized by GoArchitect, an independent publisher in the US, the contest was an unofficial effort to gather creative ideas to rebuild the cathedral’s spire and roof, which were destroyed by fire in April. The organizer had received 226 designs from 56 countries.

GoArchitect is not affiliated with the French government. Winning the contest does not mean the…

As US-China tension threatens to sever the access that Chinese firms have to foreign know-how and markets, Huawei Technologies is racing to develop its own technology – by writing fat paychecks.

The Shenzhen-based telecommunications equipment giant is prepared to pay successful candidates at least five times what their peers are making, Huawei said in a recruitment post on its WeChat account.

Having the talent to develop proprietary technology has taken on increasing strategic importance for…

“Is Hong Kong safe?” is not usually a difficult question to answer, given the city’s reputation for low crime. 

But as anti-government protests have increasingly escalated into violent clashes between police and demonstrators, the United States and Australia, among several other countries, have warned people about visiting Hong Kong.

The US State Department has advised visitors to “exercise increased caution” due to “civil unrest.” According to a Level 2 travel advisory issued on Aug 7,…

Beijing has become the latest city in China looking to regulate undesirable behavior in public. 

Authorities in the Chinese capital are drafting rules to crack down on what they deem to be uncivilized behavior, possibly with fines as a penalty.

As part of a 20-day public consultation, officials have listed 19 behaviors in a survey in which residents can choose up to 10 behaviors they consider unacceptable and give feedback.

The behaviors include exposing one’s torso in a style commonly…

Let us try again. Hong Kong needs to restart political reforms, stalled by endless debate, as it searches for crisis solutions.

The key is to find a format for electoral democracy that can win support from a substantial number of Hong Kong people, even if it leaves a sizeable minority dissatisfied.

A solution would allow Hong Kong people to rule Hong Kong, through a system of one man, one vote, and direct elections for the position of chief executive.

Such a change would vastly strengthen…

For the first time, the Chinese government has banned mainland Chinese films and stars from participating in Taiwan’s Golden Horse Film Festival, the Oscars of the Chinese-speaking world. 

The country’s film regulator, the China Film Administration, announced the boycott on Wednesday without giving any reason. It’s widely seen as another move to show disapproval of Taiwan’s ruling party ahead of the coming presidential election.

This month, Beijing stopped allowing solo mainland Chinese…

A famed Bruce Lee philosophy has become a mantra for Hong Kong’s leaderless anti-government protests.

“Be water” was once known only among fans of the kung fu superstar. Now the saying has been adopted by protesters to keep the police on their toes, as they demand accountability and democracy.

For protesters, “be water” means being anonymous, spontaneous, flexible and also evasive – just like the flow of water. 

The words are printed in English on protest posters, cited in online discussions…

When pro-independence activist Edward Leung first declared his election slogan “Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times” in 2016, few could relate to it or understand what it meant.

But over the past week, the rallying cry of the now-jailed student leader has become the most commonly heard chant in the city as long-running protests against an extradition bill have morphed into a full-blown anti-government movement.

Black-clad young protesters in balaclavas, masks and helmets have been…

The US Treasury Department has officially labeled China a currency manipulator, causing stock markets to plunge around the world.

The declaration was made on Monday afternoon, after the Chinese central bank allowed its currency, the yuan, to sink to its weakest level against the US dollar in 11 years.

On Monday, the three major US indices ended the trading day about 3% lower. It was the biggest one-day fall of 2019. Asian shares followed suit on Tuesday.

Why is this important?

The move…

From air traffic controllers to civil servants, some of Hong Kong’s well-heeled professionals have thrown their support behind the younger, more radical demonstrators seen on the frontlines of anti-government protests.

On Monday, up to 500,000 Hongkongers from more than 20 business sectors were expected to join a day of industrial action, in a move to pile more pressure on the city’s embattled administration.

At Hong Kong’s airport, one of the busiest in the world, more than 200 flights were…