South China Morning Post

Harajuku, a neighbourhood in the Japanese capital Tokyo, has long been known as the birthplace of some incredibly colourful and unique fashion subcultures. The district had gone relatively quiet for years, but now one of its best-known styles called decora is staging a surprise comeback. In this episode of About Asia, we chart the rise, fall and rebirth of Harajuku’s fashion scene.  Read more: htt...

Once described as “the best pig” by the late food legend Anthony Bourdain, babi guling is no longer just a ceremonial dish in Bali. Post reporter Lisa Cam examines how overtourism helped turn the beloved spit-roasted pig into the Indonesian island’s most ubiquitous street food. Read more: https://sc.mp/3lkcz

The European Union and the United States claim that China is flooding global markets with cheap goods. China says these assertions are groundless. Post Europe correspondent Finbarr Bermingham breaks down the arguments for and against overcapacity, and looks at whether the EU and China are heading towards a trade war. Read more about this: https://sc.mp/a1e73f 

The US has been grappling with an opioid crisis for decades, but the problem has been exacerbated by the arrival of fentanyl – a synthetic drug 50 times more potent than heroin. What roles do China and India play in the global illicit fentanyl trade? Post correspondent Khushboo Razdan and independent investigative journalist Ben Westhoff walk us through their reporting. For more on this: https://s...

The US has been grappling with an opioid crisis for decades, but the problem has been exacerbated by the arrival of fentanyl – a synthetic drug 50 times more potent than heroin. What roles do China and India play in the global illicit fentanyl trade? Post correspondent Khushboo Razdan and independent investigative journalist Ben Westhoff walk us through their reporting. For more on this: https://s...

Domestic tourism in China is steadily recovering, but what about inbound tourism? Post senior correspondent Ralph Jennings has a look at who is visiting China and who is not and explores the various hurdles foreigners face when travelling to China. For more on China travel: https://sc.mp/facef8

Hong Kong’s urban jungle was once regularly visited by wild tigers, with sightings of the big cats until the 1960s. While local history books only mention tiger killings in 1915 and 1942, the animals appear in oral accounts, newspapers and John Saeki's 2022 book The Last Tigers of Hong Kong – which tells tales of deadly attacks and terrified villagers hearing roars and frantic pig squealing. In th...

China is turning science fiction into fact, whether through the development of nuclear reactors for interplanetary space travel or the use of artificial intelligence to fight corruption. The Post’s science editor Stephen Chen and science reporter Holly Chik discuss some of the latest achievements by China’s scientific community and how the country is nurturing the next generation of scientists. Re...

Oppenheimer will finally make its Japan premier on March 29, 2024, eight months after the film’s world debut. How will the only country to suffer wartime atomic bombings react to a biopic about the American physicist who led efforts to build the first such weapons of mass destruction? Yuki Miyamoto, a nuclear ethics professor at DePaul University who has seen Oppenheimer three times, discusses her...

Protests continue in India against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which many say is a Hindu nationalist campaign targeting Muslims, spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Post spoke with independent journalist Angad Singh for more. Read more on this: https://sc.mp/5396d3 

China has just concluded its biggest annual plenary event in Beijing, the “two sessions” of its top legislative and political advisory bodies. Post executive editor and resident China expert Chow Chung-yan sits down with managing editor Yonden Lhatoo in this extended version of Talking Post to unpack it all. Watch the video interview: https://sc.mp/6dae8c 

The yakuza are seeing a pop cultural renaissance with hit TV shows like Tokyo Vice and video games such as Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. In reality, however, the Japanese organised crime groups are in serious decline. But do their shrinking numbers tell the whole story? To learn more, the Post’s Jonathan Vit spoke with Dr Martina Baradel, a criminologist at the University of Oxford. Read more on...

How might a second Trump presidency affect US relations with China, North Korea, Japan, Asean, India and more? Post US bureau chief Robert Delaney compares and analyses the foreign policies of incumbent President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump and explores whether Beijing prefers one over the other. Read the latest on the US presidential 2024 elections: https://sc.mp/0d0073 

How might a second Trump presidency affect US relations with China, North Korea, Japan, Asean, India and more? Post US bureau chief Robert Delaney compares and analyses the foreign policies of incumbent President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump and explores whether Beijing prefers one over the other. Read the latest on the US presidential 2024 elections: https://sc.mp/0d0073 

A growing number of women are freezing their eggs as a means of prolonging their fertility, but what are the economic and social barriers they face along the way? The Post spoke with Dr Geetha Venkat to learn more. Read more on this: https://sc.mp/3hse 

The political marriage of the Philippines’ two most powerful families appears to be crumbling. Lucio Blanco Pitlo III, research fellow at the Asia-Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation, explains the history behind the apparent feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, and its potential implication to the country’s political future. For the latest on the Phi...

Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia’s current defence minister, has won the presidential election by a wide margin, according to unofficial, but historically accurate quick count results. But there are lingering concerns about Prabowo related to past allegations of human rights abuses. In this episode of About Asia, we speak with Jacqui Baker of Murdoch University about the president-elect’s successful sh...

A century-old American trade provision known as the “de minimis” rule has drawn the attention of some US lawmakers. They argue that the rule gives Chinese e-commerce platforms, such as Temu, an unfair advantage over American retailers. Post reporter Siqi Ji explores the arguments for scrapping the rule and explains why changing it will be hard despite bipartisan support. Read Siqi’s story: https:/...

Black moss is synonymous with Lunar New Year feasts because its name in Cantonese sounds lucky – fat choy being a homonym for “get rich”. However, cultivation of the moss has taken an unfortunate toll on some arid regions of mainland China. Post deputy culture editor Charmaine Mok reports on how overharvesting of black moss has turned some areas into desert. Read Charmaine’s full story: https://sc...

Taylor Swift is one of the biggest musical acts in the world – and she’s coming to Singapore in 2024, along with Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars and Coldplay. For decades, so-called “world tours” have skipped much of Asia, but how has the tide of concert tourism changed? We sat down with Post reporter Kimberly Lim to discuss more. Read more on this: https://sc.mp/oh50b 

Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami team travelled to Hong Kong for a highly anticipated football match on February 4, 2024. But the game ended with boos and demands for refunds after the player often referred to as the “greatest of all time” never took the field. Post sports editor Josh Ball has more on an event that for many was the greatest let-down of all time. For the latest updates: https://sc....

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made the South its “principal enemy” in proposed changes to the country’s constitution. He has also ended hopes of reunification, while intensifying missile tests. Is the Korean peninsula on the brink of war? Former CIA analyst and North Korean expert Soo Kim has more. Read the full story: https://sc.mp/u6mb

Golden oysters are a plump delicacy symbolising prosperity and they adorn many tables at Lunar New Year in Hong Kong. Post reporter Lisa Cam travels to the city’s Lau Fau Shan area to discover how this delicacy is made and why it has been a staple for the local Shajing community. Read Lisa’s full story: https://sc.mp/k4583 

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made the South its “principal enemy” in proposed changes to the country’s constitution. He has also ended hopes of reunification, while intensifying missile tests. Is the Korean peninsula on the brink of war? Former CIA analyst and North Korean expert Soo Kim has more. Read the full story: https://sc.mp/u6mb 

Sweet and sour pork is served around the world to diners who consider it among the most iconic and beloved of Cantonese dishes. Hosts Charmaine Mok and Sam Evans sit down with Post reporter Lisa Cam to discuss its evolution including how it made its way from the Chinese port city of Shanghai to Hong Kong, and around the globe including on the menus of British-Chinese takeaway shops. Read more abou...