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Wee Kek Koon
Having lived his whole life in the modern cities of Singapore and Hong Kong, Wee Kek Koon has an inexplicable fascination with the past. He is constantly amazed by how much he can mine from China's history for his weekly column in Post Magazine, which he has written since 2005.
When vegetable fats, especially sesame oil, replaced tallow and lard 1,500 years ago in China, people were able to ‘fry everything’, and did.
China did not have an official language in the modern sense before the 20th century, while Singapore’s is different to its national language.
When Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang banned, then burned books it caused a loss of knowledge for all of humanity. Now book bans are back.
The legacy of a psychotic Chinese king who flew into murderous rages when drunk led his successor to decree death for anyone caught drinking.
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Pandan chiffon cake is associated with Singapore, but pandan is popular all over Southeast Asia and seen in various foods and drinks.
Some historical gestures should never be revived. The yi greeting, once common in ancient China, is thankfully not one of them.
A social media post about sweaty commuters sparked intense debate in Singapore, yet in the old days people would go months without a bath.
Malaysia and Singapore are tiny compared to other Southeast Asian countries, let alone China, whose foods are ubiquitous around the world.
A pastor has called the Chinese New Year ritual of shouting good wishes while tossing salad ingredients high in the air ‘superstitious’.
Chinese brides used to wear black, then red, before the Western white gown became ubiquitous. Some push back now and don hanfu bridal wear.
Various forms of lottery have existed in China for centuries, as have attempts to ban them for reasons like the social problems they induce.
Chinese philosopher Kongzi, also known as Confucius, put no faith in deities, preferring to focus on the here and now.
An alleged attempt to bewitch a president is a reminder of a plotter’s bogus claim about witchcraft being used against a Chinese emperor.
Events during one period in Chinese history indicate that for many, dying for honour was far more desirable than living a disgraced life.
The idea that no one is above the law was mere aspiration in imperial China. Biden pardoning his son shows it to be so in United States too.
Political contributions are not new – 2,300 years ago a rich merchant helped the father of China’s first emperor gain power, and his son.
People from Kelantan in Malaysia go to Thailand for pleasure. Migrants enter the US from Mexico. Why leaders dream of walls to stop them.
The Yongzheng Emperor even put to death editors and writers linked to a report he had celebrated a festival that he had said he would not.
Wee Kek Koon had always known he was ‘not quite Chinese’ in terms of genetics and ancestry but his recent DNA test results still floored him.
In 1900 a scholar jumped in a Beijing well out of shame. A palace consort died in a Forbidden City well too. Was she ‘martyred’ or killed?
With the news that dinosaur fossils were found in Hong Kong, here is how China’s oracle bones changed our understanding of the Shang dynasty.
Accusations of cultural appropriation aimed at a Canadian brand’s boba tea don’t sit right in Asia, where ‘borrowing’ cuisines is normal.
In a case that shocked China 250 years ago, officials were punished for fraud involving donations in return for university places.
Yangshe Fu, Chinese history’s first recorded corrupt official, was killed after accepting a nobleman’s daughter as a bribe in a court case.
Chinese names were once pronounced according to a person’s local dialect. Thanks to standardisation and the pinyin system, this is changing.
Different faiths have coexisted more or less peacefully throughout Chinese history, with foreign religions accepted and later on Sinicised.
People with disabilities were celebrated for their achievements in China’s past. Paralympians today deserve to be better appreciated.
Eating Teochew mooncakes at Mid-Autumn Festival is a reminder of the Teochew people’s history of migration from China to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.
Mukbang (streaming oneself overeating) is a popular online trend, although people have been gorging to impress for at least 2,000 years
