Marking its 30th anniversary, the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan) in South Korea promises a typically raucous 11-day event from July 2 to 12. Staged in the bustling satellite city west of Seoul, Asia’s largest celebration of genre cinema has assembled a formidable selection of the latest horror, action, science fiction and fantasy films from around the globe.
This year, proceedings kick off with the local premiere of Hong Kong film legend Yuen Woo-ping’s blockbuster wuxia...

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There’s no shortage of exceptional mixology experiences to elevate your weekend in Hong Kong. Stop by Jordan rooftop hotspot Terrible Baby, where Cambodian gem Sora from Rosewood Phnom Penh is taking over, or sneak a peek at Bangkok bar Sundry’s upcoming menu at Friday After Class. Alternatively, head to Alibi to savour an immersive, literary-inspired cocktail journey curated by Madara’s Rayven Leung.
Thursday, June 25
Terrible Baby x Sora from Rosewood Phnom Penh
Terrible Baby is welcoming...

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Nathaniel Moxom is the managing director for Hong Kong & Taiwan at Carlsberg Group. He spoke to Andrew Sun.
I have always been a practical eater. I grew up on hearty, homestyle food – meals that were comforting, filling and unfussy, rather than designed to impress.
That mindset has stayed with me over the years, even as my surroundings have changed. Growing up in the UK, yet spending more than a decade living in Hong Kong and Asia, my palate has expanded across the region.
When it comes to...

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Don’t miss these limited-time offerings and new openings in Hong Kong this weekend, from Shanghai Plus’ rare multi-chef Chinese collaboration to Kinsman’s lamb-and-cocktail crossover and Smoke & Barrel’s new Sai Ying Pun brunch. Book your table and ease into July with a full stomach.
For more dining recommendations, check out our 2026 100 Top Tables Guide.
Friday, June 26
This weekend, Shanghai Plus in Wan Chai hosts a rare eight-hands collaboration, bringing together top Chinese chefs from...

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Sticky, translucent strings dangle from Wesley Smith’s chopsticks as the American tourist eats his natto, the loved-and-hated Japanese fermented soybean superfood going global one slimy mouthful at a time.
The latest trade statistics show Japan’s exports of the highly nutritious gooey beans tripled from 2017 to 5,248 tonnes (5,784 tons) in 2025, with China and the United States topping the list of destinations.
The delicacy infused with beneficial bacteria remains a traditional Japanese...

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The title of Kiki Yeung’s 2025 comedy special, Don’t Get Sick and Die, always gets a laugh from others.
For the Los Angeles-based comedian, however, the phrase was not originally a punchline.
“It was everything coming out of my parents’ mouths,” Yeung, 47, says. “‘If your red blood cell count drops again, you’ll get sick and die. If you stay up late, you’ll get sick and die.’”
The warning became a constant refrain after Yeung survived a life-threatening autoimmune illness as a teenager. This...

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Trees across Hong Kong and mainland China’s south are bursting with fragrant, golf-ball-sized red fruit, which can mean only one thing – lychee season is here.
Lychees are much loved in the country. One well-known historical titbit tells of how Yang Guifei (719-756), the favourite concubine of Tang dynasty Emperor Xuanzong, had such a fondness for the fruit that the emperor set up a high-speed horse relay across half of China to deliver them to her at the imperial court in Chang’an while they...

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Los Angeles is a shimmering dream factory of Hollywood boulevards and palm trees silhouetted against powder-pink sunsets. The American city is also famous for its wonderfully wacky culture that has given the planet everything from space-age architecture to US$21 smoothies at organic supermarket Erewhon.
But for the slew of sports fans who will descend upon the city for the Fifa World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics, the question remains: is Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) safe?
For decades, DTLA...

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Beijing-based artist Shao Fan’s first memories of Chinese aesthetics are linked to his grandmother’s stories – and her wardrobe.
It was a sensory oasis in a bleak landscape. At the time, China was drained of colour, swept by the Cultural Revolution’s campaign against the “Four Olds” that sought to eradicate all traces of tradition. His grandmother would open drawers and unfold clothes, lay out accessories and let the past breathe for a moment in secret.
Decades on, Shao has become one of the...

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Thirty-one-year-old Luke Ng Cheuk-hang has travelled around the world in search of culinary inspiration. The Hong Kong-born chef, who is currently based in Paris, has cooked in kitchens across France, the UK, Ukraine, Japan and Hong Kong.
Yet at Chez Elisa, the Parisian bistro where Ng is head chef, it is his Cantonese dishes – such as his Yangzhou fried rice – that have earned him a loyal following.
“Nobody expected the fried rice to be this good,” he says, adding that people usually associate...

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Alice Yeung Hoi-ching does not just write music for listening; she writes music that is meant to be seen.
The Switzerland-based, Hong Kong-born composer with a first degree in composition and electronic music from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) creates dramatic, visceral experiences that transform concert halls into theatres – and her inventiveness is getting noticed.
She has won a wide range of commissions in her home city, from the Hong Kong Sinfonietta (HKS) to the Hong...

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4/5 stars
Revolving around the thorny topic of music rights, the latest light drama from Irish writer-director John Carney (Once) begins as an authentic take on life in the music business, only to morph into a feel-good fantasy. Although this stylistic shift is noticeable, Power Ballad’s lilting tone is so affecting that viewers are unlikely to mind.
Music star Nick Jonas, who is also an experienced actor, does much more than play himself, delivering a well-judged emotional performance as a...

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The first rule of spycraft, we learn early on in 007 First Light, is to always do the unexpected. The thing is, the game – an origin story chronicling how James Bond becomes a 00 agent – is full of what you’d expect from a Bond story: quippy one-liners, endless charisma, highly competent people romping around stunningly beautiful places and a story so over the top you can’t help but shake your head at it.
But what is unexpected is how the somewhat clichéd individual elements are shaken (not...

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A wish is a deeply personal thing, often fleeting and silent. But sometimes, a wish is a collective endeavour, a bold and communal call for action.
Yoko Ono’s Wish Tree installation is both. The piece – which Ono has staged more than 250 times in more than 35 countries – draws on a Japanese tradition that invites visitors at Buddhist temples to scribble their hopes and dreams onto paper tags and tie them to the branches of a tree. The wishes are left dangling amid the tree leaves, like budding...

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It is common knowledge that ticks can spread infections that cause serious illnesses, including Lyme disease. Now health officials are trying to raise awareness of a lesser-known problem: a life-threatening allergy to meat triggered by tick bites.
The problem, known as alpha-gal syndrome, was first linked to a particular species of tick about 15 years ago. But cases are on the rise as more people report symptoms such as hives, diarrhoea and itchiness after eating as little as a mouthful of meat...

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Emerging on the internet in the early 2020s, “Dreamcore” is an aesthetic inspired by the surreal, nostalgic-yet-eerie feel of online video games of the early 2000s. A distinctly Chinese subgenre, however, abandons elements common in Western dreamcore – such as empty suburban spaces and VHS glitch effects – and instead reflects the rapid urbanisation of mainland China.
“Chinese dreamcore” taps into the weird, discordant architecture that the country’s netizens have grown up with and glamorises...

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3.5/5 stars
The yellow, gobbledygook-spouting Minions may have lost the battle with Star Wars’ youngling Grogu as the most oversaturated cute film mascot around, but that has not deterred regular director Pierre Coffin from marching on with the series.
After four Despicable Me movies, in which they were introduced as the sidekicks to super-villain Gru, and two scattershot stand-alone adventures, the dungaree-wearing mischief-makers are back for Minions & Monsters, one of the more pleasurable...

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Few items of clothing have sparked more debate in the music industry in recent months than the babydoll.
The short, floaty nightgown has long been seen on female performers. Still, it has become a hot topic on social media thanks to the feminine aesthetic of singers like Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter.
Critics accuse the singers of deliberately styling themselves as childlike and giving off Lolita vibes.
A closer look shows that the debate is about more than just fashion. It is about how...

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Fennie Yuen Kit-ying was a major actress in the late 1980s and early 90s, starting off in teen fare like the Happy Ghost film series – she starred in three instalments between 1985 and 1990 – then changing tack with a career-making dramatic role in Ringo Lam Ling-tung’s School on Fire (1988).
She then cemented her fame as the memorable Blue Phoenix in Tsui Hark’s first two Swordsman films, released in 1990 and 1992, before moving mainly into television.
Here, we discuss Yuen’s primary roles with...

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Hong Kong has a tantalising variety of restaurants, serving everything from Cantonese to Italian to Thai food. But many residents face the challenge of balancing indulgence with fiscal responsibility. It can be difficult to manage your budget while treating yourself to a good time.
To help, we have provided a quick overview of some of the best and most affordable upscale summer menus in town. These menus will give you a chance to elevate your date night or romanticise your everyday existence...

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Even now, Ayo Canlas can still vividly recall the elite tennis athlete he was as a student, a time that saw him represent the Philippines in the 2006 Junior Davis Cup. Last year, however, the 37-year-old corporate executive found he was struggling to keep up with a four-year-old.
This wake-up call came during a family staycation in Singapore in December, when his daughter Arya challenged him to swim the length of the hotel pool with her.
“It was difficult for me to match her pace,” says Canlas,...

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Reading Intimate Audrey feels like cuddling into your favourite reading nook and wrapping yourself in a real-life fairy tale. In this book, the authors take you on a most personal journey into Audrey Hepburn’s life from her childhood to her death.
Filled with stories of victory – such as being declared the only person to play Gigi in the Broadway show of the same name by the novelist on whose book the show was based – and tragedy, such as when her housekeeper revealed the extent of her husband’s...

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Days before Obsession opened in cinemas across the US, its 26-year-old director, Curry Barker, made a bet with his manager and agent. They said if the film opened with more than US$20 million at the box office, they would all get tattoos.
Obsession fell just short. It debuted with US$17 million. They were still thrilled. Barker made the horror film with just US$750,000. It was enormously successful. But then something unexpected happened. The following weekend, Obsession easily cleared US$20...

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After a few quiet weeks on the casting front, a flurry of K-drama announcements has been making headlines this month, with stars signing on to buzzy projects spanning workplace fantasy, mystery-thrillers and period romantic comedies.
Read on for the latest news.
Embassy for Foreign Monsters in Korea
Lee Jun-ho of the K-pop boy group 2PM is in talks for the leading role in the high-concept fantasy series Embassy for Foreign Monsters in Korea.
The story follows a human diplomat who is accidentally...

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The new family drama Dear You has become a surprise low-budget hit in mainland China, where it has grossed more than 1.6 billion yuan (US$237 million) at the box office since being released in April 2026. The film’s creators no doubt hope for similar success in Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia and Singapore, where it was released on June 18.
The story follows an elderly woman and her grandson who goes to Thailand in search of his long-lost grandfather and uncovers a decades-old secret involving...

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With an average life expectancy at birth of 82.7 years, men in Hong Kong live long lives by global standards. But a long life is not a guarantee of a long healthspan. On almost every measurable health outcome, Hong Kong women are healthier than their male counterparts.
There are several reasons for this. Men are generally more likely to put off seeking healthcare and ignore early warning signs until a condition advances to a critical stage.
Men are also at a higher risk of cardiovascular...

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Inside an unassuming room of the Huntington Library in Los Angeles, California, author Lisa See unfolds a stack of court records. At first glance, they look like a centuries-old love letter. The paper has yellowed from age, and the cursive is so ornate that the words are hard to make out.
“This is the case of the Wing Chun store,” See explains. “This is where a lot of the violence happened.”
The store was run by Sam Yuen, head of one of Los Angeles’ tongs, which were secret societies made up of...

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The K-Stage Festival, a four-day extravaganza of South Korean performing arts, will kick off at the East Kowloon Cultural Centre in Hong Kong on June 25, following its successful debut in Taiwan in 2025.
The festival will feature four stage productions: a stage adaptation of the 2011 K-drama Dream High, about six high school students who dream of being K-pop idols; Jump, a comedy about a family of martial arts savants; The Greatest Taekwondo, which blends traditional martial arts with modern...

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Nicola Walker is hardly an unknown. She has been a stage and television actor in the UK for 30 years and a star for more than 20. A performer of deep humanity who can take a character from cheeky humour to gimlet-eye resolution as quick as a weather change on the English coast, she has won an Olivier award – for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – and received multiple Bafta nominations for her work in television.
Her name recognition may not be what it should be outside the UK –...

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At 34, Kevin Zhu has already clocked more kitchen miles and career pivots than many chefs twice his age. He has been a farmhouse wok master, a fledgling apprentice scrubbing floors, a restaurateur-entrepreneur in northern China and the youngest Chinese executive chef in the Shangri-La hotel group’s history.
Today, he stands at the helm of Lakeview Palace at Wynn Palace in Macau, quietly orchestrating one of the most intriguing culinary conversations in the Chinese-speaking world: a seamless,...

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This is the 79th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades.
“Are Hongkongers forgetful? Not when there’s a scandal,” Andy Hui Chi-on told HK Magazine in 2006. It was a casual, tongue-in-cheek observation at the time, but the Hong Kong pop singer could not have known that those words would come to define the darkest chapter of his life 13 years later.
With a career spanning four decades, 58-year-old Hui has survived the entire spectrum of...

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In a split second, things went south for John Patrick Poon. The bartender from Mius, in Hong Kong’s Central neighbourhood, was in the middle of preparing his station for the final round of the Diageo World Class Hong Kong and Macau cocktail competition on June 17, when his knife suddenly slipped and sliced open his thumb.
The competition was put on hold while Poon, the last contestant in the top four to present, received medical attention. Returning to the stage 30 minutes later with a gloved...

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At first glance, a standing-room only, bar counter space at the top of oft-crowded Peel Street might seem like an unintuitive spot to enjoy a refreshing cocktail in a city like ours, where summers are hot, humid and often rainy. However, in line with its aspirations as Hong Kong’s Cuban bogeguita (“little neighbourhood bar”), Sugar King’s interior and trim, rotating list of precisely balanced speciality cocktails makes the venue a masterclass in clarity and focus of concept.
Some might consider...

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The long weekend in Hong Kong is packed with activities for all tastes.
Enjoy free live performances by local bands at The Wanch as its H2 Festival kicks off, or head to Sheung Wan and check out a series of pop-ups at Soho House.
Take part in a wellness event hosted by Flow and Friends at Central Harbourfront, and don’t forget to celebrate fathers by treating your dad to a special set meal.
Read on for more details.
1. H2 Festival
Wan Chai live music venue The Wanch kicks off its annual H2...

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With the opening of some prominent new Italian eateries in Hong Kong, pizza has again returned to the fore.
Of course, it never went out of fashion. In polls, it is still regarded as one of the world’s most popular foods. It is easy to eat, easy to make, and easy to adapt and reinvent with endless topping possibilities.
However, traditionalists like to claim its original Neapolitan form as the best and most authentic pizza.
Recently, I made a pilgrimage to Naples, the historic capital of...

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We have selected seven Lifestyle stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. The TCM influencers demystifying ancient Chinese healing practices for Gen Z
The rise of “Chinamaxxing” and a growing appetite for cupping reels and the like has launched traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) content into the mainstream – where it now stands as the perfect combination of holistic healing and all things...

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Just over two years after opening Kinsman, a Hong Kong cocktail bar focused on Cantonese liquor, Gavin Yeung has embarked on another endeavour in his mission to spotlight Chinese culture in the food scene.
It started with his discovery of matcha as a serene way to start the day. He initially saw whisking the tea as a grounding practice amid the chaos of the city.
But for Yeung, whose career has revolved around reviving long-lost traditions, it became an obsession.
For many tea drinkers, matcha –...

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3.5/5 stars
Boasting a cast of largely unknown actors and playing out almost entirely in the Teochew (Chiu Chow) dialect of eastern Guangdong, Lan Hongchun’s modestly budgeted drama Dear You has become a runaway success at the mainland Chinese box office.
Its young female lead, Li Sitong, gives a career-making performance, while eagle-eyed viewers will recognise 80-year-old actress Usha Seamkhum from the 2024 Thai blockbuster How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies in a small but notable...

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New York City is a paradox in that it is ethnically diverse but defined by its distinct enclaves. Within that global melting pot, communities gravitate towards the familiar, as evidenced by its three Chinatowns in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.
But culture has a habit of breaching these invisible borders in some surprising ways.
Eva Sam Chiok-va, for instance, became an honorary member of influential rap collective A$AP Mob from Harlem after she connected with black musicians 20 years her...

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4/5 stars
Best known for her numerous collaborations with French New Wave auteur Eric Rohmer, veteran Hong Kong-born editor and filmmaker Mary Stephen turns the camera on herself in Palimpsest: The Story of a Name, an absorbing and endlessly surprising documentary exploring her obscure heritage.
For as long as she can remember, Stephen has encountered confusion, curiosity and discrimination because of her Western surname. Determined to uncover its origins once and for all, the 73-year-old, who...

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This weekend, Quinary, Bar Sepia and Dead Poets are offering great reasons to hide from this stuffy, rainy June. Hendrick’s unveils a new gin alongside signatures at Quinary, while Dead Poets teams up with La Cabane on draft natural wines from New Zealand. Bar Sepia in Lan Kwai Fong offers a sanctuary from the madness, combining a quality record-listening experience with Japanese-style concoctions.
Friday, June 19
Another Hendrick’s takes over Quinary
In case you missed it, Quinary’s facade on...

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French-Canadian Mathieu Bedard is CEO of Camden, a global boutique communications agency; he established its Hong Kong office in 2020. He spoke to Andrew Sun.
I was born in the suburbs of Montreal, Canada, and grew up eating simple, hearty food. There was some Italian influence, but also many comfort dishes shaped by long, cold winters – things like pâté chinois, essentially Quebec’s version of shepherd’s pie. In my teenage years, I developed a real passion for gastronomy from around the world....

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Hong Kong’s restaurants and bakeries are going all out this Father’s Day, catering to every variety of dad imaginable.
Our selections below feature everything from chocolate cigars to tailored suits to steaks weighing a full kilogram (2.2lbs), but there remains one common theme: connection. These businesses offer opportunities to slow down and appreciate time spent together on a day dedicated to our fathers.
1. The Mandarin Cake Shop
If your father has a penchant for indulgent sweets, The...

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With all the rain Hong Kong has had lately, Friday’s public holiday is a good excuse to stay dry and make the most of a three-day food line-up, from Jija’s refreshed afternoon tea to a rare four-hands steak dinner at Carna and a Father’s Day brunch at LPM on Sunday. Start with Chinese craft teas for Dragon Boat Festival before celebrating your father figures with Riviera delights.
Need more dining options for dad? Check out our 2026 100 Top Tables Guide.
Friday, June 19
For the public holiday,...

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At age 22, Ashleigh Martin’s body went into rebellion. She watched as her periods became erratic and she gained 35kg (77lbs) in just six months.
Then came the frightening diagnosis: an ultrasound showed 20 “cysts” on each ovary.
“I remember being told that I might not be able to have kids and that the cysts might be cancerous. I was terrified,” says Martin, a now 34-year-old British-Singaporean born in Hong Kong who at the time was working in the food and beverage industry as a VIP account...

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Most people who have spent time in a kitchen will tell you that baking and cooking are fundamentally different crafts: the former tends to follow strict formulas that require absolute precision while the latter is largely adaptable and often intuitive.
But New York-based Natasha Pickowicz, a four-time James Beard Award-nominated American pastry chef and cookbook author, argues the two are more alike than many think, citing similarities between making artisanal pastries and Chinese hotpot.
Born...

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3/5 stars
For the past three decades, Pixar’s Toy Story franchise has used state-of-the-art animation to remind us of the simple pleasures of old-fashioned play – a nifty bit of mental gymnastics that works because the films are so lovingly crafted.
After a near-perfect original trilogy and an unnecessary yet enjoyable part four, this latest instalment is a rather tardy warning about the encroaching evils of technology.
The focus of Toy Story 5 is on Jessie the cowgirl (voiced by Joan Cusack),...

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[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.]
GO PARK Aqua in Sai Sha has undergone a major transformation this summer by turning the waterfront spot into a complete land-and-sea destination packed with fresh activities for families, couples and adventure seekers alike. 
From beginner-friendly sailing and cultural workshops to luxury glamping and bespoke seaside celebrations, the 130,000-square-foot centre – part of Sun Hung Kai Properties’ wider Sai Sha development...

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David Hockney – the innovative and prolific British artist who died on June 11 at his home in London aged 88 – arrived in Los Angeles in 1964. Soon he would be celebrating its sun-drenched life and landscapes in colourful, wildly popular paintings.
Calling himself “an English Los Angeleno”, the painter immortalised the American city’s sparkling swimming pools, palm trees and beautiful young men.
“Los Angeles will always be thought of by many people worldwide through the images that David...

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To order a seafood paella for dinner in Valencia, Spain, is to make two mistakes at once in the eyes of locals, who are ever conscious of tradition.
First, neither seafood nor fish belongs in a paella. Second, paella is traditionally only served here at lunchtime, preferably on Sundays. Everyone eats together, using wooden spoons straight from the large pan. Paella is more than just a meal; it is a social event and an occasion.
Only a tourist would consider such a thing as eating paella in the...

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