South China Morning Post

A video showing an attack on an activist guarding a wall of sticky notes in support of recent demonstrations in Hong Kong has incensed the city’s democracy advocates.

Makeshift displays of sticky notes, known as Lennon Walls, have sprung up across the city to support protests against a government plan that critics said could erode the city’s autonomy from mainland China.

In the widely circulated video, a young man guarding one such wall in the city’s Kowloon Bay neighborhood was seen being…

They sprang up seemingly overnight: on footbridges, in pedestrian underpasses and at bus stops. They took over walls, storefronts and construction site fencing. When damaged, they regenerated.

Neighborhoods across Hong Kong are covered in colorful Post-it notes in support of a series of protests against a contentious – and now declared “dead” – government plan that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China. 

The walls of messages, known here as Lennon Walls, have emerged as a potent…

In China, “dama,” which literally means big mama, is a derogatory term used to refer to middle-aged women.

They’re commonly portrayed as rude, boisterous and fans of group travel as well as square dancing.

For years, so-called dama performers have been singing and dancing in a park in Hong Kong.

But these shows have effectively been banned after protesters accused the women of staging noisy, indecent performances. 

The government said on Tuesday it would stop accepting applications from…

The Chinese government has instructed schools to teach children to follow Communist Party values from an early age.

The directive, aimed at primary and middle schools, is part of new guidelines issued by the  central government that also prohibits the use of teaching materials from outside China.

“[The goal is to] promote patriotism, collectivism, socialist education, to lead children and youth to listen to the party and to follow the party,” it said.

Chen Daoyin, a Shanghai-based political…

Donald Trump says “trade wars are good and easy to win.” Conversely, orthodox economists like to say that in trade wars, there are no winners.

Strictly speaking, neither view is correct; things aren’t that simple.

The agreement between Trump and Xi Jinping in Osaka last month to put further tariff increases on hold and to resume bilateral negotiations amounts to a ceasefire which marks the end of the first round of the US-China trade war.

So this is a good time to look at how the conflict…

What do Chinese people believe in?

I think they believe in a set of private ethics. Private ethics are related to the gains or losses belonging to oneself and one’s small circle of friends and family, rather than on the greater social good.

Chinese people often prefer to operate in ways that are ambiguous and flexible. This is why they often prefer to deal with matters by using personal relationships, rather than strict and clearly-defined public rules.

For example, if someone receives a…

Facebook’s plans to create its own cryptocurrency, called Libra, have forced China’s central bank to step up its game in developing its own digital currency.

Facebook says Libra will let consumers send money around the world easily, but the project has raised regulatory questions at home and in several other countries.

A People’s Bank of China official said Libra could challenge the country’s monetary policy and even financial sovereignty, and has forced the Chinese government to speed up…

Chinese fans are questioning the authenticity of Disney’s depiction of the iconic heroine Mulan, after viewing a new trailer for the highly anticipated live-action film.

In the trailer, the titular character is seen riding her horse across emerald-green rice paddies and arriving at home – a distinctive donut-shaped structure with mud walls, tiled roofs and a bustling courtyard shared with neighbors.

This scene has Chinese fans scratching their heads. The real Mulan, if she lived at all, could…

Ever since the trade war between Beijing and Washington started more than a year ago, China’s state media has performed contortionist acts in trying to build up a narrative.

For much of the year, the official media outlets focused on playing up the potential fallout of the escalating conflict on the US economy while remaining silent on its potentially bigger negative impact on the Chinese economy, giving rise to jokes that Chinese officials seemed to be more concerned about the Americans than…

Protesters in Hong Kong in the past month have focused their ire on the authorities, fuelled by fears of dissolving legal and political firewalls between the semi-autonomous city and mainland China.

But on Sunday, the activists changed tack. They turned to diplomacy.

Descending on a part of the former British colony popular with tourists, protesters tried to spread their messages to mainland Chinese shoppers. 

They handed out leaflets and sent strangers images of posters explaining what…