logo
‘Like me? Approach me directly, okay?': Inside a matchmaking event for China's wealthy

‘Like me? Approach me directly, okay?': Inside a matchmaking event for China's wealthy

Straits Times5 days ago
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Wealthy single Chinese mingle at a high-end matchmaking event for China's wealthy singles in Beijing on July 13.
– A woman in a light blue dress twirled gracefully across the dance floor; a man in a white polo tee, hair slicked back, belted out a Cantonese ballad, 1874 by Eason Chan.
This was no talent show but a matchmaking event at a five-star hotel in Beijing; one touted as exclusive to Chinese millionaires.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Darth Vader's lightsaber set to fetch over $3m at auction
Darth Vader's lightsaber set to fetch over $3m at auction

Straits Times

time3 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Darth Vader's lightsaber set to fetch over $3m at auction

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Star Wars villain Darth Vader (left) used the lightsaber (right) to chop off Luke Skywalker's hand in The Empire Strikes Back. LONDON - Darth Vader's lightsaber, used to chop off Luke Skywalker's hand in Star Wars classic The Empire Strikes Back, went on display in London on Aug 6, ahead of its US sale in September. The prop has been described as the 'Holy Grail' for Star Wars fans, with millions prepared to end up like Skywalker and give their right arm to own the iconic weapon. Reflecting that passion, it is predicted to fetch up to US$3 million (S$3.8 million) went it goes on sale in Los Angeles in September. 'It's just an amazing piece of film history,' Mr Brandon Alinger, chief operating officer of the Propstore auction house selling the item, told AFP at a London preview of the sale's most important lots. 'Is there any villain as significant, as memorable as Darth Vader? I don't think so, and this is his weapon,' he added. Darth Vader wielded the 'energy sword' during legendary fight scenes in both The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return Of The Jedi (1983). David Prowse, the actor behind Vader's mask, and stuntman Bob Anderson actually used two of the devices. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore MRT track issue causes 5-hour delay; Jeffrey Siow says 'we can and will do better' Singapore ST Explains: What is a track point fault and why does it cause lengthy train disruptions? Singapore Three people taken to hospital after fire in Punggol executive condominium Singapore Elderly man found dead in SingPost Centre stairwell could have been in confused state: Coroner Singapore 81 primary schools to hold ballot for Phase 2C of Primary 1 registration Singapore S'pore and Indonesia have discussed jointly developing military training facilities: Chan Chun Sing Singapore Two workers died after being hit by flying gas cylinders in separate incidents in 2025 Sport Young Lions and distance runner Soh Rui Yong out of SEA Games contingent One without a blade was clipped to the villain's belt while the other, which had a wooden blade attached, was used for the fight scenes. It is the battle-scarred item, albeit without the blade, that is up for sale, having been in the hands of a US individual for 40 years. 'Somebody, literally, who Googled 'sell Star Wars film prop' came to us and said, 'I've got this thing to sell', and we were just floored,' explained Propstore founder Stephen Lane. 'There was no understanding that this thing even still existed – it's a brand new discovery, which is incredibly exciting for Star Wars collectors.' He compared its significance to the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in 1939 classic The Wizard Of Oz. Experts verified its authenticity by matching its dents and scratches to those seen on film. 'Look at the big dent on the back, that's probably from (Luke Skywalker actor) Mark Hamill's lightsaber blade,' Mr Alinger explained while showing the device to AFP. While now likely worth millions, the item is actually an old camera-flash attachment with spare parts, such as the bubbles from behind a calculator pad, stuck on. Other items to be sold during the three-day auction, taking place Sept 4-6, include the bullwhip, belt and holster used by Harrison Ford in 1989's Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade. Indiana Jones' eight-foot bullwhip is also up for sale. PHOTO: EPA One collector will also get their hands on a neuralyzer used by Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) to erase memories in Men In Black (1997). 'This is used in the opening scene of the film,' explained Mr Ibrahim Faraj, consignments manager at Propstore in the UK. The item, whose LED display still works, is expected to sell for up to US$150,000. AFP

Russian mum influencer breaks back trying Nicki Minaj stiletto challenge
Russian mum influencer breaks back trying Nicki Minaj stiletto challenge

Straits Times

time7 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Russian mum influencer breaks back trying Nicki Minaj stiletto challenge

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Influencer Mariana Vasiuc tried to keep her balance on one foot on a tub of baby formula stacked on top of an overturned saucepan atop a countertop. Just eight weeks after giving birth, a 32-year-old Russian mum influencer tried the Nicki Minaj stiletto challenge that has taken TikTok by storm in recent weeks – and failed spectacularly. She broke her back. Yet, Ms Mariana Vasiuc said on social media it had all been worth it because it had, in a way, made her even more popular than if she had succeeded in the acrobatic act. In a video she posted on Instagram on Aug 1 that had been seen over 500,000 times and reposted many times on TikTok, Ms Vasiuc can be seen trying to keep her balance – while wearing a pair of high heels and sitting cross-legged – on one foot on a tub of baby formula stacked on top of an overturned saucepan atop a countertop. Off to the side, someone is holding her right hand, as she holds another tub of baby formula with her other hand. As soon as she lets go of the hand , however, she loses her balance and falls – back first – off to one corner of the table. In a since-deleted caption on her Instagram post, Ms Vasiuc said she sustained a compression flexion fracture: a vertebra – or a bone in the spinal column – is compressed or squashed to a forward-bending force. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Recent rail disruptions disappointing and 'we can and will do better': Jeffrey Siow Singapore ST Explains: What is a track point fault and why does it cause lengthy train disruptions? Singapore 'It's either my life or the dog's': NSF rescues lost dog which was hit by car in Bedok Singapore 81 primary schools to hold ballot for Phase 2C of Primary 1 registration Sport Young Lions and distance runner Soh Rui Yong out of SEA Games contingent Singapore Two workers died after being hit by flying gas cylinders in separate incidents in 2025 Singapore 19 drivers nabbed over illegal ride-hailing services in Singapore and across border with Malaysia Singapore Man recruited victim to open bank account, forced him to drink urine after account was frozen 'Irony? Karma? Or just life, which always tests our strength at the most unexpected moment,' she wrote lightheartedly in the caption. Ms Vasiuc was hopping on a viral TikTok trend that sprouted from a 2013 music video showing hip-hop artiste Nicki Minaj striking an iconic pose: She crouches poolside in sky-high heels with one leg crossed over the other, balancing her weight on one foot. Influencers trying to amass views and likes and sell products have upped the ante by replicating the pose on absurdly unstable platforms – stacks of Spam cans, champagne bottles, traffic cones, even surfboards – while wearing high‑heeled stilettos. One viral video, with over 61.7 million views, shows a nail salon worker balancing in gold stilettos on the caps of two bottles of nail polish. Ms Vasiuc wrote in a follow-up post on Aug 4 that because of her spectacular fall, she is now a 'popular person'. 'More than 50 people sent me my reel from different publications today,' she said. 'I'm doing great, following the guidelines and now living in 'star' status.' Her Aug 4 post already had over 600,000 views as of Aug 6. It did not seem to matter to her that most of those who saw her video seemed to be mocking her. 'How do you say 'imbecile' in Russian?' one asked on Instagram. 'I bet the baby daddy is re-evaluating his choices,' said another. Others took a shot at the challenge itself. 'Here we are teaching our kids not to follow stupid social media trends, and yet here is an 'adult' doing it,' said one. Some wished her a smooth recovery. 'You are brave,' said a more sympathetic commenter.

Weapons movie review: Zach Cregger's horror masterpiece gets 4 stars
Weapons movie review: Zach Cregger's horror masterpiece gets 4 stars

Straits Times

time9 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Weapons movie review: Zach Cregger's horror masterpiece gets 4 stars

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Julia Garner is excellent as the young teacher put through the emotional wringer in Weapons. Weapons (M18) 128 minutes, opens on Aug 7 ★★★★☆ The story: In an ordinary American town, something bizarre has happened. In the middle of one night, 17 children wake up, run out of their homes and disappear. Each one is a student from the class taught by Justine Gandy (Julia Garner). Only she and one student, Alex (Cary Christopher), have not gone missing. Parents like Archer Graff (Josh Brolin) are distraught and desperate for answers. Weapons' early scenes play out like a psychological drama – the kids vanish overnight, a town is in shock and in mourning, and the audience is introduced to characters dealing with the fallout of the event. It is all reminiscent of what happens after a school shooting. Alcohol, failed marriages, anger and blaming become the norm, and especially infuriating – and blackly funny – is the soothing psychobabble spouted by professionals offering insurance-mandated mental health options. But as with American writer-director Zach Cregger's previous film Barbarian (2022), the movie becomes something else altogether at the midpoint. The threads of suspense set up in the first act solidify into a story that is as thrilling as it is unapologetically gruesome, delivered in a style that marries Stephen King-style suburban creepiness with the aesthetics of a slasher movie. Cregger is the new kid on the block, joining the likes of Jordan Peele (Get Out, 2017; Nope, 2022) and Coralie Fargeat (Revenge, 2017; The Substance, 2024) in the ranks of writer-directors who deliver character-driven stories that shock and scare. Garner is excellent as the young teacher put through the emotional wringer. Like the main character in a Coen brothers movie, she suffers the twin injustices of being falsely accused, while those who claim to be on her side gaslight her at every turn, replacing her reality with a version that makes their own lives more comfortable. The story is told through chapters that replay events through the eyes of different characters. But the format is not quite the one used most famously in the Japanese classic Rashomon (1950). The unfolding events in Weapons are real and factual, but each new perspective unravels the mystery further. The climax arrives, as happens in many good horror movies, with a bonkers intensity that feels satisfying and fully deserved. Cregger handles the mayhem without sacrificing the sense of mystery that precedes it. Hot take: When a suburban chiller turns into a gruesome Stephen King-meets-slasher masterpiece, Weapons delivers its killer blow.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store