Remote section of China’s Great Wall damaged by 20 years of mine waste dumping

South China Morning Post - Sep 27, 2026

While foreign leaders and their families walk the iconic restored sections of the Great Wall around Beijing, the ancient stones of a remote Ming-era stretch of the structure in northern central China have been sacrificed for cheaper dumping of coal-mining waste. For nearly 20 years, a section of the wall in Ningwu county, Shanxi province, was used as a short cut to dump slag, despite whistle-blowers repeatedly raising the alarm to officials, according to a report by Chinese state broadcaster...

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'The Ordinary Jackpot' turns lottery windfall into workplace catharsis, not escape

'The Ordinary Jackpot' turns lottery windfall into workplace catharsis, not escape

What would you do if you won the lottery? For many office workers, the answer would be to quit their job. The Tving’s new workplace drama "The Ordinary Jackpot" begins with that familiar dream, but quickly turns it into something much more realistic. Its protagonist wins big and shows up to work anyway, using his newfound money not to abandon his career, but to stop unfair treatment at his workplace. Based on a popular web novel of the same title, the 10-epidose series follows Gong Eun-tae (Lee Jun-hyuk), the youngest team leader at an apparel company. Gong earned his title through sheer diligence, but his fast promotion left him facing disdain from older colleagues. Tired of office politics and approaching burnout, his routine life takes an unexpected turn when he unthikingly purchases a lottery ticket and hits a jackpot of around 1.3 billion won ($960,000). The windfall is not enough to retire forever, but the money serves as a solid financial safety net. Rather than resigning, Gong uses the prize money as a psychological shield, walking back into the office the next morning with the

Korea-Japan Festival turns 20 in Tokyo with K-pop makeovers, hanbok

Korea-Japan Festival turns 20 in Tokyo with K-pop makeovers, hanbok

TOKYO — Hundreds of Japanese visitors lined up outside the Korean Cultural Center in Tokyo each morning from Friday through Sunday, eager to try on hanbok (Korean traditional attire), get K-pop-inspired makeovers and meet young Koreans face-to-face at the annual Korea-Japan Festival. Drawing visitors ranging from young adults to families, the three-day festival offered hands-on experiences designed to showcase both contemporary trends and traditional Korean culture. Visitors could speak directly with young volunteers from Korea and Japan, experience professional K-pop-style makeovers and take part in cultural activities. Organizers expect nearly 6,000 visitors across the three days of the festival. This year marked the festival's 20th anniversary, with the event having launched in 2005 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan. In a departure from previous years, the event moved from Hibiya Park to the Korean Cultural Center in Tokyo as organizers experimented with a new format. The indoor venue allowed the festival to place greater emphasis o

POW transfer, DMZ blast complicate Lee's peace initiative

POW transfer, DMZ blast complicate Lee's peace initiative

President Lee Jae Myung’s trip to the United Nations and Mexico, where he emphasized peace on the Korean Peninsula and renewed U.S.-North Korea dialogue, was overshadowed at home by controversy over the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war and a suspected land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Experts said the incidents drew attention to the challenges facing Lee’s peace initiative as Pyongyang maintains its hostile stance toward Seoul. They also questioned whether renewed U.S.-North Korea talks would adequately address South Korea’s security concerns. Nam Sung-wook, a professor at Sookmyung Women’s University, said North Korea would be unlikely to respond positively to peace overtures under normal circumstances, and that the incidents have likely added to the tension. “I don’t think North Korea would have shown much enthusiasm toward the Lee Jae Myung government even if these two incidents had not happened,” Nam said. “North Korea is already playing a bigger game with President Trump.” Nam said Pyongyang is more interested in negotiating directly

'The Assassin(s)' claims Chuseok box office crown as admissions top 1.3 mil.

'The Assassin(s)' claims Chuseok box office crown as admissions top 1.3 mil.

The Chuseok holiday box office has found its clear winner. Director Hur Jin-ho's historical thriller "The Assassin(s)" held the top spot for four consecutive days since its Sept. 23 release, drawing 432,341 admissions on Saturday alone to garner a total of over 1.3 million, according to data from the Korean Film Council. “The Assassin(s)” has also topped advance ticket sales for eight straight days as of Sunday morning. That streak began well before its theatrical premiere and has not been challenged by any other Chuseok title, including the casino crime sequel "Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub." Opening on the same day, the "Tazza" sequel attracted 663,140 viewers through Saturday to take a distant second place. Starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho, "The Assassin(s)" reimagines the investigation into the 1974 shooting that killed first lady Yuk Young-soo. The story follows courageous journalists and detectives who risk their careers and safety to expose the truth behind the attack. Crossing the 1 million admissions milestone just four days after release, the film is on track

Hong Kong men turn to plush ‘bag charms’ for self-expression, comfort

Hong Kong men turn to plush ‘bag charms’ for self-expression, comfort

Whether he is commuting to work or meeting clients, 31-year-old Hong Kong architect Bryan Hui always has a plush toy keychain of Chiikabu – a beetle-like creature from the popular Japanese anime Chiikawa – hanging from his black backpack. Beyond its cute appearance, Hui is drawn to Chiikabu’s backstory as a conflicted character who practises self-restraint out of loyalty to his friends. “I carry it with me because it makes me feel comforted and healed,” he said, adding that he owns nearly 50...

7 teens swept up in police crackdown on bicycle-related offences in Tseung Kwan O

7 teens swept up in police crackdown on bicycle-related offences in Tseung Kwan O

Hong Kong police have clamped down on bicycle-related offences in Tseung Kwan O, with seven teenagers facing prosecution for allegedly failing to display bike lights at night and cycling on pavements. In a social media post on Saturday, police in Tseung Kwan O district said officers had recently issued summonses to seven boys, aged 14 to 17, as part of an enforcement operation. The force said the seven teens were facing prosecution for allegedly failing to display a front white light and a rear...

‘Right now, it’s fine’: Trump brushes off questions about summit talk on Taiwan

‘Right now, it’s fine’: Trump brushes off questions about summit talk on Taiwan

US President Donald Trump has sought to play down exchanges with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Taiwan independence, saying on Saturday that they touched on the subject only briefly. “We didn’t talk about it too much. Right now, it’s fine. It’s just moving along,” Trump said. “We didn’t spend a lot of time talking about Taiwan. He understands very much how I feel.” During the summit in Washington last week, Xi pressed Trump to take an explicit position against Taiwan independence – a...

A Hong Kong professor’s sexist views have been laid bare. That’s good

A Hong Kong professor’s sexist views have been laid bare. That’s good

Love is a many-splendoured thing – except when seen through the lens of economists, apparently. Prominent economist Terence Chong Tai-leung, a Chinese University of Hong Kong associate professor, confirmed this in an address last week to the university’s New Asia College. In a speech titled “How to invest in your life?”, he basically told the female students at the event that they were wasting their time on academic achievements, since women must aim to marry for money. Don’t pursue a PhD, he...

Why Southeast Asia feels relief and caution after the Xi-Trump summit

Why Southeast Asia feels relief and caution after the Xi-Trump summit

Southeast Asia is welcoming the thaw in US-China ties continuing after the Xi-Trump summit, with analysts saying the region could feel less pressure alongside fewer open frictions between the two over the South China Sea. Yet, caution persists as the summit left deeper disputes unresolved. “Stable great-power relations – competitive but with sturdy guardrails – will create more legroom for third countries to navigate an increasingly complex world,” according to Lucio Blanco Pitlo III, a research...

Hong Kong delays AI copyright law to focus on guidelines first

Hong Kong delays AI copyright law to focus on guidelines first

Hong Kong authorities will delay a proposed legal amendment to protect copyrighted works from being used to train artificial intelligence (AI) models and will issue operational guidelines first, the South China Morning Post has learned. The Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2025, which aimed to introduce an “opt-out” mechanism for text and data mining to support AI technology development, was originally scheduled to be submitted to the Legislative Council in the first half of last year. The item was...

Hong Kong Stadium could host tennis events amid Victoria Park court upgrade: minister

Hong Kong Stadium could host tennis events amid Victoria Park court upgrade: minister

Hong Kong Stadium could serve as an interim home for major tennis tournaments during the redevelopment of Victoria Park’s centre court, the city’s sports minister has said, adding that the government will seek to attract higher-level events even before the new facility is ready. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said that authorities could reserve the stadium for tennis during certain periods each year and install temporary courts and other facilities. The plan...

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