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Discovering the natural and historic charm of Hong Kong's Repulse Bay
Away from the city's hustle and bustle, and yet easily reachable, the scenic Repulse Bay area is a blend of luxury high-rises and lush surrounds
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South China Morning Post
7 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
India's Modi opens rail line, with world's ‘highest railway arch' bridge, to contested Kashmir
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made his first visit to Kashmir since a conflict with arch-rival Pakistan, opening a strategic railway line to the contested region he called 'the crown jewel of India'. Modi launched a string of projects worth billions of dollars for the divided Muslim-majority territory, the centre of bitter rivalry between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan fought a four-day conflict last month, their worst stand-off since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10. 'Pakistan will never forget … its shameful loss,' the Hindu nationalist premier told crowds on Friday, a month since India launched strikes on its neighbour after an attack on tourists in Kashmir. 'Friends, today's event is a grand festival of India's unity and firm resolve,' Modi said after striding across the soaring bridge to formally launch it for rail traffic. 'This is a symbol and celebration of rising India,' he said of the Chenab Bridge which connects two mountains.
South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
The legacy of Hong Kong's signature curio shops
Since the mid-19th century, Hong Kong has been famed for the extensive array of (mostly, but not exclusively, Chinese) curios available in speciality shops. A mainstay of the local tourism industry, generations of visitors have departed these shores with some appealingly 'oriental' item tucked away in their baggage as a memento of their stay. While some are genuine antiques, most curios are recently manufactured. Porcelain items, jade and intricately carved netsuke remain popular, along with Swatow embroideries, Mandarin coats and scroll paintings. Despite the wholesale decimation of African elephant populations in recent years, carved ivory curios remain popular purchases for the less environmentally conscious, and Hong Kong's numerous ivory shops have insisted, for the past few decades, that items are all made from 'old stocks'. Tourists browse among the second-hand and curio stalls at Upper Lascar Row. Photo: Winson Wong From the 1920s, open-air second-hand stalls along Upper and Lower Lascar Rows , just below the Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road, were regularly referenced in contemporary guidebooks and thus became popular tourist hunting grounds for curiosities. More credulous visitors still hope for hidden treasure among the random bric-a-brac, mostly caked in dust, found jumbled together. For some bargain hunters, this fusty atmosphere is a large part of the appeal. Until well into the 60s, these lanes also had a well-deserved reputation among local residents as a thief's market, where newly burgled householders surreptitiously checked out stalls to see whether their stolen property was being fenced. During the worldwide tourism boom that characterised the Roaring Twenties , wealthy passengers who travelled on round-the-world ocean liners typically staged through Hong Kong on their journeys. In the interwar years, upmarket shopping arcades located within popular hotels, such as The Peninsula in Kowloon or between the Gloucester and the Hongkong Hotel in Central, each had at least one curio dealer to meet demand from passing tourists. Surrounding backstreets had many more to choose from. Interwar Hong Kong was an excellent place to buy high-quality Japanese curios, such as netsuke, unusual as their widespread availability here may appear today. A hawker selling used goods on Upper Lascar Row in 1972. Photo: SCMP Archives Hong Kong in those years had a sizeable resident Japanese community, many of whom had made their homes in the British colony for decades, and who spoke English and Cantonese, as well as Japanese. As a free port, curio items, like almost everything else on offer in that long-ago 'shopping paradise', were imported and sold unburdened by export and import tariffs and local sales taxes. Consequently, purchases made in Hong Kong were frequently cheaper than in their country of origin. And unlike Japan, where curio items varied throughout the country, Hong Kong's speciality shops that sold such wares were within pleasant strolling distance of each other and stocked a wide variety.
South China Morning Post
15 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Who to see in Greater Bay Area in July 2025? Charlie Puth, Richard Clayderman and Kenny G
From electrifying performances by international pop stars to a Mongolian singing sensation, there is plenty of world-class entertainment on offer this July in the Greater Bay Area. Advertisement Below is our pick of upcoming performances in Macau and cities just across the border with mainland China, all easily accessible from Hong Kong. 1. Charlie Puth – Something New II tour American pop sensation Charlie Puth will bring his 'Something New II' tour to Shenzhen in July. Puth is known for his smooth vocals and polished pop production, and for hits like 'Attention', 'We Don't Talk Anymore' and 'Left and Right.' If you missed his 2023 appearance in Hong Kong, this is a chance to hear him sing his chart-topping tracks in a dynamic live setting. Date: July 6, 2025 Advertisement Venue: Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre Stadium How to get there: Exit C, Universiade Station (大运站), Metro Line 3, Shenzhen Metro.
