Follow South China Morning Post - Society, filter it, and define how you want to receive the news (via Email, RSS, Telegram, WhatsApp etc.) https://follow.it/scmp11 Wed, 26 Jan 2022 20:11:53 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctsm9MrWnLlL1KCY3L745TL_ Painstakingly, women of retirement age adorn sheet after sheet of yellow joss paper with gold and silver leaf and red paint to satisfy last orders for sacrificial cash offerings ahead of next month’s Lunar New Year festival.Taiwan’s Chen Kun-huei, 82, is determined to keep alive an ancient tradition of making the “joss paper” by hand even as others have shifted to automated production at factories.“I will continue making joss paper until I can’t move any more,” said Chen, the third-generation…]]> Wed, 26 Jan 2022 09:00:15 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctsm9MrWnLlL1KCY3L745TL_ https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtvfVf3z-m5KM3n9ye8UNv30 Question marks hang over a summit in China viewed as critical to protecting the Earth’s plant and animal life, with its planned date in doubt because of the pandemic.Chinese environment ministry spokesman Liu Youbin said on Monday that the second phase of the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15), which was supposed to be held in April and May in the southwestern city of Kunming, was likely to be delayed.Liu said the expected postponement was a knock-on effect of changing the date of an in-person…]]> Wed, 26 Jan 2022 06:00:29 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtvfVf3z-m5KM3n9ye8UNv30 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctuh0xNmc0ChM8b1naedg1wr Nobody would use the adjectives “lean” or “athletic” to describe China’s roly-poly giant pandas, even though they eat almost entirely bamboo for their entire lives.Despite subsisting on a low-fat, poor-quality diet, these animals are beloved in part because of their heft. Which makes one wonder: why are pandas so chubby?According to a new study published last week in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Reports, the answer may be gut bacteria that helps pandas build up fat despite eating only leaves…]]> Wed, 26 Jan 2022 03:00:13 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctuh0xNmc0ChM8b1naedg1wr https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtuOBgZ1PYimK8b1naedg1wr Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on the country to fully understand the urgency and difficulty of achieving its climate targets.“Achieving the ‘double carbon’ target is not something we are told to do but something that we must do,” state news agency Xinhua quoted Xi as saying at a Politburo study session on Monday, referring to the country’s carbon peak and neutrality goals.Of the seven Politburo Standing Committee members, Zhao Leji, who is head of the Central Commission for Discipline…]]> Wed, 26 Jan 2022 01:00:30 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtuOBgZ1PYimK8b1naedg1wr https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtusQ5wwwOVdwSlmFkX7M1Jw Even major Hollywood stars like Brad Pitt and Edward Norton are no match for China’s censors, as film fans recently discovered the movie Fight Club has an alternative, less intense ending in versions released in China.In the 1999 David Fincher classic, the film ends with the protagonist shooting himself, killing his dangerously controlling alter-ego Tyler. Then, his girlfriend arrives at the scene and together they watch as a series of explosions take place, with buildings in the distance…]]> Tue, 25 Jan 2022 12:06:09 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtusQ5wwwOVdwSlmFkX7M1Jw https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtvfFefVwejJgJVjH6qdYdAk The Chinese capital and its neighbouring province of Hebei will take temporary measures to shut down companies and stop traffic during the Winter Olympics to clean up the air.Hosted by Beijing and the Hebei city of Zhangjiakou, the Games will begin on February 4 and will be followed in March by the Winter Paralympics.In addition to controlling the spread of the coronavirus during the Olympics, Beijing is under huge pressure to improve its air quality.Environment ministry spokesman Liu Youbin…]]> Mon, 24 Jan 2022 14:07:11 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtvfFefVwejJgJVjH6qdYdAk https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctui17t7IrMC4Xn9ye8UNv30 The body of a teenager who was sold by his birth parents as a baby and deserted by them again after a recent reunion was found on a beach in the southern Chinese island province of Hainan early Monday morning.Liu Xuezhou, 17, apparently committed suicide and left a lengthy note on Weibo, alarming people who had become concerned about his personal safety. Police in the city of Sanya launched a search for the boy after they were alerted by the public that he could be in danger.Liu was found by…]]> Mon, 24 Jan 2022 11:00:25 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctui17t7IrMC4Xn9ye8UNv30 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctu11a9VIEBGjeT5HJgy6HUf China has set itself a target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, but how it will reach the goal is unclear.According to a recent report by oil and gas multinational Royal Dutch Shell, one way China could build a carbon-neutral energy system before 2060 is by focusing on hydrogen, biofuels and carbon-removal technologies, while phasing out fossil fuels.In its analysis, electricity’s share of China’s energy consumption is projected to rise to almost 60 per cent in 2060, from 23 per cent…]]> Sun, 23 Jan 2022 10:00:20 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctu11a9VIEBGjeT5HJgy6HUf https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtubNtGtIWmW0cb1naedg1wr When the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou detected a Covid-19 case a few days back, it did not worry public relations expert Liu Ling in the least.After all, authorities had immediately sprung into action for what had been a well-practised routine in cities across China the past two years – track and trace every close contact of each new case, and roll out mass nucleic acid tests.It was not until Liu looked up official travel policies that grim realisation struck: she would not be able to go…]]> Sun, 23 Jan 2022 06:00:25 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtubNtGtIWmW0cb1naedg1wr https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctv5HCKO8PX7oaCY3L745TL_ A hotel in China is under fire over plans to offer suites looking directly into a tiger’s enclosure as part of a Chinese Year of the Tiger experience.Sendi Tribe Treehouse Hotel, inside the Nantong Forest Safari Park, in Jiangsu province, eastern China, will offer new rooms built around the tiger’s pen in the adjoining park allowing guests to see the big cat through a window and sleep next to it during their stay.The windows in the suites, dubbed “beast rooms”, will use explosion-proof glass to…]]> Fri, 21 Jan 2022 03:00:30 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctv5HCKO8PX7oaCY3L745TL_ https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctt01oNpOvr0Bnn9ye8UNv30 A young man from northern China whose parents sold him at birth and refused a relationship with him after he recently found them has now vowed to take the case to court.Liu Xuezhou, a 17-year-old college student in Hebei province, northern China, said on Thursday that he is suing his birth parents for abandoning him twice after reuniting with them a few weeks ago with the help of police.The teenager, who tracked down his parents last month, said on his social media account that it was a happy…]]> Thu, 20 Jan 2022 12:04:34 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctt01oNpOvr0Bnn9ye8UNv30 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtuGeBzv1SWCZuzdsCmHakzH Company executive Yang Jie, 36, is leaving Beijing for Sanya on the southern Chinese resort island of Hainan on Friday.Yang is undeterred by the rigorous Covid-19 checks required by various parties for the Lunar New Year travel season, which gets under way on Monday.Her trip will be one of the more than 1.18 billion – or 36 per cent more than last year – that the Transport Ministry forecasts will be made around the nation during the 40-day Spring Festival travel period as people “get used to”…]]> Wed, 19 Jan 2022 06:00:23 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtuGeBzv1SWCZuzdsCmHakzH https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtvcDMJ2wMvu-ps0ohxaO6Yr A woman who was trapped for a month at the home of a blind date during a Covid-19 lockdown has announced the pair are getting engaged.The engagement plan was announced following a similar lockdown encounter of another woman, who shot to fame in China for her videos documenting her life stuck at a blind date’s house since the start of this month.Zhao Xiaoqing, said on social media that she will become engaged to the man, Zhao Fei, during the upcoming Lunar New Year festival when the lockdown is…]]> Wed, 19 Jan 2022 03:00:22 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtvcDMJ2wMvu-ps0ohxaO6Yr https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtvL3vXRUPjj4CejEQ2Mq9rY A young man in China who was sold by his parents at birth tracked them down last month, only to be abandoned by them again.Liu Xuezhou, a 17-year-old college student in Hebei province, northern China, reunited with his birth parents a few weeks ago after he launched an online search, but was told they did not wish to maintain contact shortly after their reunion, the teenager said on social media.Liu was sold by his birth parents in 2005 to his adoptive parents via a middleman and was…]]> Tue, 18 Jan 2022 14:00:25 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtvL3vXRUPjj4CejEQ2Mq9rY https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctt4xhtQ_xxFacb1naedg1wr Petite but commanding, China’s former world champion gymnast Sui Lu stood among a sea of yoga mats doling out encouragement to her students as they bent their torsos towards their outstretched legs.Sui was four years old when she was picked out by China’s state sports machine and began training as an elite athlete. She became world champion on the balance beam in 2011 and won silver at the London Olympics the following year.But the pupils taking instruction from her in the bright, airy room in…]]> Tue, 18 Jan 2022 09:04:32 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctt4xhtQ_xxFacb1naedg1wr https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtuBCr5Sq5gCoyejEQ2Mq9rY A video of a four-year-old boy with no fingers on his left hand who skilfully makes dumplings has become an online hit in China.Sensen, his nickname, was born without fingers on one hand, said his mother surnamed Chen. However, he has managed to overcome the difficulties caused by his disability and is able to do everyday tasks like getting dressed, peeling fruits and eggshells, as well as buttoning his coat, his mother told the Yangtze Evening News.Chen, a resident of Luohe, in Henan province,…]]> Tue, 18 Jan 2022 03:00:19 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtuBCr5Sq5gCoyejEQ2Mq9rY https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CttlRDe3DlWPruT5HJgy6HUf A five-year-old girl in southwest China is in hospital in a serious condition after she was beaten and attacked with hot liquid by her father and his new girlfriend, Chinese media has reported.The girl, surnamed Qin and nicknamed Yanyan, has been in hospital with a serious infection caused by scalds and multiple injuries to her body since earlier this month when her grandfather discovered she had been abused, the Jimu News reported.Her injuries were so severe she narrowly avoided having both…]]> Mon, 17 Jan 2022 12:00:12 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CttlRDe3DlWPruT5HJgy6HUf https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtsW6PxzZbLwWezdsCmHakzH It has been almost a year and a half since Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged that China would aim to reach peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.But few provinces have yet to produce detailed plans outlining how they will help the country reach these goals.A meeting of top policymakers in December was warned that the nation’s energy supply was still dominated by coal and that some provinces where fossil fuels played a key part in the economy would struggle…]]> Sun, 16 Jan 2022 12:00:16 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtsW6PxzZbLwWezdsCmHakzH https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctt9kKcxqyoNeXn9ye8UNv30 The scale of China’s lucrative live-streaming business model – revealed by the 1.34 billion yuan (US$210 million) tax evasion fine for top influencer Huang Wei, known as Viya – has taken ordinary Chinese by surprise.“Is it reasonable for live streamers to earn so much? What’s their contribution to the country apart from persuading customers to buy things they don’t really need?” said one comment on social media platform Weibo.“Poverty limits my imagination,” another said. “I’m a graduate from a…]]> Sun, 16 Jan 2022 06:00:27 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_Ctt9kKcxqyoNeXn9ye8UNv30 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtvYQqeybCKqZylmFkX7M1Jw Who would have thought that all it would take was a basket of dim sum – which costs around HK$20-$40 (US$2.50-US$5) – to convince Hong Kong’s elderly population to finally get their Covid-19 vaccines?For about a year, nothing could persuade Hong Kong’s 70-and-aboves to get vaccinated, not even the threat of contracting the virus itself.Even the business sector stepped in to help by offering a flurry of cash incentives by way of vaccination lotteries. Prizes included shopping vouchers valid at…]]> Sat, 15 Jan 2022 03:15:13 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/l02wgZA_CtvYQqeybCKqZylmFkX7M1Jw