Latest news with #SOUTHCHINAMORNINGPOST
The Star
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
China woman in Ukraine cares for US$140,000 Bengal tiger, shares daily life online
A pet influencer from China has gone viral for raising a Bengal tiger worth more than one million yuan (US$140,000) and attracting over 4 million followers on mainland social media. Gong is a young Chinese woman living in Ukraine with her boyfriend. They share a suburban villa with a white tiger, two serval wildcats, a black jaguar, and a Bernese Mountain Dog. The couple have a 2,000-square-metre garden and a pool for the animals to enjoy. In her videos, Gong says that because of the value of the big cat, they have named it 'Million Gong'. She even paid an extra US$9,000 to skip the queue to buy it. Local officials regularly check the animals' papers and living conditions. Gong said her boyfriend studied in Ukraine and bought property while living there. He also runs a rental business. The couple now work full-time as content creators so they can spend more time with their animals. Million Gong, a female born in April last year, now weighs around 70kg and could grow to 150kg as an adult. She currently lives inside the villa, though Gong plans to build her a special outdoor compound as she gets bigger. White tigers no longer exist in the wild, and there are only about 200 in captivity. In Chinese culture, they are seen as a sacred symbol of power and justice. The animal's monthly food bill is about 15,000 yuan (US$2,000). That includes kilograms of beef plus snacks like chicken, rabbit, lamb, and vitamins. She is toilet trained and goes to a designated spot, with another 1,200 yuan (US$170) spent monthly on disposable mats designed for urination and defecation indoors. Million Gong often wrecks furniture, adding to the cost of her upkeep. Her owner said she might consider spaying her if no mate turns up. Also, she once choked on beef from overeating, loves milk and chicken legs, hates baths and nail trims, and always grooms herself before bed. While Gong studies, Million Gong lies beside her, plays with her pens and gently licks her hand. Many netizens have fallen for what Gong calls her 'silly but adorable' tiger. One online observer said: 'My heart is melting because of Million Gong! She is nothing like the king of beasts, just a spoiled little kitty.' While another warned: 'No matter how cute she is now, be careful! Million Gong is still a carnivore.' 'Trust Gong and her boyfriend. They have the courage, knowledge, and enough money to raise a white tiger,' said a third. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
The Star
16 hours ago
- The Star
Murder suspect's girlfriend charged over abetting his escape from Hong Kong
The girlfriend of a murder suspect has been charged and remanded in custody in Hong Kong on suspicion of helping the alleged offender flee to mainland China by boat as police continue to search for the missing woman. Police also recovered a mobile phone believed to belong to the missing Vietnamese national in Ma Wan, a source confirmed on Friday, but efforts to uncover human remains have been unsuccessful so far. The suspect, Nguyen Minh Nghia, is believed to have fled Hong Kong after allegedly killing a 49-year-old compatriot who was reported missing last Saturday. The suspect's 25-year-old girlfriend, Vy Thi Lieu, appeared at Kowloon City Court on a count of assisting an offender with the intent to impede his apprehension or prosecution. A charge sheet available for media inspection showed the defendant was a recognisance form holder, which is often granted to asylum seekers and allows them to temporarily stay in the city but not to work, and that she lived in a subdivided flat in Sham Shui Po. It said the accused had helped Nguyen 'escape to [mainland] China by ship' on June 23 'with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution of that person', knowing that he had committed murder or other arrestable offences. The accused did not apply for bail and will be detained until the next hearing in August. The source said officers had earlier collected some evidence that was not human remains at a location near Hoi Fai Road in Tai Kok Tsui. Clothes thought to belong to the missing woman were also found, the insider added. Police suspected foul play in the case on Monday and decided to check a flat inside a building at 152 Castle Peak Road on Tuesday evening. Checks on surveillance footage in the area had revealed the male suspect leaving the building multiple times while carrying suspicious, heavy-looking bags, but the missing woman was never seen leaving the building after her entry. The suspect was also caught on surveillance cameras dumping these bags in alleys and multiple rubbish bins in the area. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
The Star
3 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Chinese cafe goes viral over coffee drink laced with cooked pig intestine
A cafe in southwestern China has been thrust into the limelight thanks to its newly launched coffee, which is made with cooked pork intestines. The unconventional drink sold in the coffee shop in Jiangyou, a small city in Sichuan province, includes latte mixed with cooked pork intestine liquid and chitterlings, The Cover reported. It sells for 32 yuan (US$4) per cup and has three levels of taste: entrance, mid and high. The higher the level, the stronger the intestine taste. 'Red-braised pork intestine is a popular cuisine in Jiangyou,' Zhang Yuchi, owner of the coffee shop, was quoted as saying. 'I thought of combining it with coffee to promote both my shop as well as this delicious food of our city.' They buy the cooked pork intestines from a famous restaurant in the city, then mix the intestine liquid into the latte, said Zhang. 'We add precisely 6 grams of intestine liquid into the coffee. It is an amount we decided on after rounds of tests. We want customers to taste the delicacy of intestines but we do not want to diminish the coffee flavour. We hope most people can accept it,' said Zhang. He said it has a salty and sweet taste, like that of 'salty cheese'. Since the drink went viral online in early June, the shop's sales have more than quadrupled, with 80 per cent of customers trying out the unusual drink. 'I am a fan of coffee. I saw someone recommending this type of intestine coffee, so I decided to give it a try,' a woman customer who travelled from Chengdu, Sichuan, told the media. Another customer, from northern China, said it tasted just fine. 'Many people in northern China do not eat pork intestines. But I think they can accept this type of coffee,' she said. Many people on mainland social media were fascinated by the story. 'It is not a bad idea. I want to try it,' one online observer said. But another person said: 'It is ridiculous. I am OK with both coffee and pork intestines. But not a combination of the two.' Creative coffee drinks often make headlines in China. A coffee shop in eastern Jiangxi province raised eyebrows by putting fried chilli and hot pepper powder in their lattes. A cafe in Yunnan province, southwestern China, also trended on social media by mixing deep-fried worms with coffee. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
The Star
5 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Premier urges China's Jiangsu to embrace ‘higher development expectations'
As Beijing looks to shore up China's economic growth amid mounting challenges, Premier Li Qiang has called on Jiangsu province, a key manufacturing hub on the country's east coast, to step up its efforts in technology, trade and consumption. During a three-day visit to the province from Monday, Li emphasised the importance of embracing innovative development, stimulating effective demand, fostering entrepreneurship, and deepening reform and opening up to support China's sustained economic growth. 'Jiangsu has a solid economic foundation and strong capabilities, but it also faces higher development expectations,' Li said, calling on the province's officials and residents to stay focused on economic growth and shoulder greater responsibility in meeting the challenges facing the broader economy, Xinhua reported on Wednesday. In the first quarter of this year, Jiangsu's gross domestic product rose 5.9 per cent year on year to 3.31 trillion yuan (US$460.5 billion), closely trailing top-ranked Guangdong's 3.35 trillion yuan, which was up 4.1 per cent. One of China's most advanced manufacturing provinces, Jiangsu has been tasked by Beijing with playing a leading role in stabilising growth amid sluggish domestic demand and growing external pressure from increased US tariffs. At a factory that makes machinery, Li highlighted the need to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence and clean energy technologies to upgrade traditional industries and keep pace with global manufacturing trends. At a home appliance manufacturer involved in a government-backed consumer goods trade-in scheme, Li encouraged the development of more high-quality, customised products to unlock consumer potential. 'China has a vast and growing market, and we welcome businesses from around the world to invest and operate here,' Li said, pledging more policy support and services to ensure a favourable environment for foreign companies. While inspecting the Jiangsu-Central Asia Centre, a regional service platform for the Belt and Road Initiative trade development strategy, the premier called for better use of China-Europe freight trains and cross-border e-commerce to deepen trade ties with Central Asia. Wrapping up his trip at the construction site for the 11.5 billion yuan Nanjing North Station project – which will be the provincial capital's largest railway station when it is completed – Li urged more use of advanced materials and technologies and better industrial planning to maximise its long-term impact. His remarks echoed comments made by President Xi Jinping in March during a meeting with deputies from Jiangsu at the annual meeting of China's top legislature. Xi urged the province to take on a leading role in innovation, regional cooperation and the pursuit of common prosperity. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
The Star
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Chinese man dons placard declaring he owns two buildings to attract partner
A man in southern China who went to a boat racing event and tried to attract a girlfriend by displaying a placard saying that he owned two buildings has trended on mainland social media. The online post has prompted more than 1,000 people to get in touch with the man. As people gathered to watch an event in Guangzhou, Guangdong province on May 31 to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, the man with the message around his neck drew much attention, Jimu News reported. 'Unmarried. Haizhu. Two buildings,' the placard read. Haizhu is a downtown district of Guangzhou. On the flipside of the card, the man displayed a QR code of his social media account so that people could contact him. The 35-year-old, surnamed Lin, says more than 1,000 people have been in touch since he went viral online. 'Many people applied to build contacts with me. But I only approved a few of them because I need to know more about them before chatting,' Lin told the media. He said he agreed to establish contact with some of them due to their 'funny' responses. One woman said that if she successfully contacted Lin her friend would treat her to dinner. Another woman said her boss who forwarded Lin's information cared a lot about her love life. A third woman simply said: 'You are famous in Europe now.' Lin said he has been single for three years following a break-up with his girlfriend. He made the marriage-seeking advertisement on the advice of a friend on the evening before the boat race. 'I did not expect to go viral on the internet. My life has been affected a bit by this incident. Strangers on the street talk about me when I pass by,' Lin said. 'I am just going to let it go. It is out of control. I will just be myself,' he added. Lin said that the two buildings he mentioned on the placard are registered in his mother's name, adding that he included the details to make his message more humorous. He denied online speculation that he was hoping to attract tenants, saying: 'Our properties have all been leased out.' Lin said he does not have criteria for his future partner in terms of age, education, financial background, or whether she is a native of Guangzhou. 'The important thing is that we can get along well and we are happy when we are together. Also, she must be family-oriented,' Lin said. Millions of people on mainland social media have been captivated by his story. 'It is hard for him to find true love in this way. People will date him only for money,' one internet user said. Another person said: 'He is not looking for a wife, but inviting bids for a project.' - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
