Society5 min
Suneung: The Day When Korea Holds Its Breath
The Suneung, South Korea's university entrance exam, is more than a test: it's a national event that determines destinies and reveals a society's obsessions.
Culture-first language learningFeatured Korea
Society5 min
Hagwon: Inside Korea's Private Academy Phenomenon
Hagwon, the ubiquitous private academies in South Korea, shape the daily lives of millions of students. A deep dive into a parallel education system, between excellence and excess.
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Cultural articles
Deep dives into the cultures of China, Japan and Korea.
Food
Naicha: how bubble tea became a generational obsession in China
From Taiwanese milk tea to the naicha phenomenon in mainland China: Heytea, Nayuki, three-hour queues and the sociology of a drink turned lifestyle.
Traditions
Hanfu: the spectacular return of traditional Chinese clothing
The hanfu movement in China: how millions of young Chinese have revived Han traditional dress, between cultural pride, social media and the fashion industry.
Society
996: the work system that is burning out China
Investigation into China's 996 system, where tech employees work from 9 AM to 9 PM, 6 days a week. Origins, backlash, the tang ping movement, and reforms.
History
Macau: where Portugal married China
Discover Macau, a former Portuguese trading post turned Special Administrative Region of China. Colonial architecture, Macanese cuisine, casinos and a unique cultural heritage.
Pop Culture
The five generations of K-pop: from Seo Taiji to NewJeans
A complete guide to the five generations of K-pop. From Seo Taiji and Boys to NewJeans, a look back at thirty years of Korean pop evolution: key artists, innovations and global impact.
Society
Guangchangwu: the Chinese grannies who make public squares dance
Discover guangchangwu, the phenomenon of collective dancing on public squares in China. Origins, controversies, social impact, and 100 million participants.
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ChineseSRS is live. Master HSK 1 to 6 with spaced repetition, grammar courses, graded readings and character study.
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Encyclopedia
Browse encyclopedia →Anime, manga, drama, gastronomy, traditions, personalities.
filmchine
Kung Fu Hustle
Hong Kong film directed by Stephen Chow in 2004, a wild action comedy set in 1940s Shanghai. A small-time crook tries to join the fearsome Axe Gang but discovers that the residents of a slum called Pig Sty Alley are actually concealed martial arts masters. An extravagant tribute to classic kung fu films, Looney Tunes cartoons, and Fred Astaire dance movies, the film was an international hit with over $102 million at the worldwide box office.
filmchine
Hero
Wuxia film directed by Zhang Yimou in 2002, in which a nameless warrior presents himself before the King of Qin, claiming to have eliminated his three most fearsome assassins. Each account offers a different version of events, illustrated by a distinct symbolic color palette (red, blue, white, green). A worldwide hit with over $177 million at the box office, the film is a visually dazzling meditation on sacrifice, power, and national unity.
filmchine
Fallen Angels
Hong Kong film directed by Wong Kar-wai in 1995, a neo-noir drama set in nocturnal Hong Kong. Five lonely characters live parallel stories of love and disconnection in a dazzling and alienating metropolis: a hitman and his partner who never meet, a mute ex-convict who forces passersby to use his improvised services. Aesthetically flamboyant with its distorted wide-angle photography and hypnotic soundtrack, the film captures the essence of Wong Kar-wai's cinema.
filmchine
Infernal Affairs
Hong Kong film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak in 2002, a crime thriller in which a cop infiltrates the triad while a triad mole infiltrates the police, each trying to unmask the other before being discovered. This gripping duel between two men trapped in their double identities has become a Hong Kong cinema classic and directly inspired Martin Scorsese's Hollywood remake The Departed, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2007.
filmjapon
Seven Samurai
Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa in 1954, in which a village of farmers recruits seven ronin samurai to protect them from bandits threatening to plunder their harvest. Over three hours long, this epic fresco is considered one of the greatest films in cinema history and has influenced countless works, notably John Sturges' The Magnificent Seven. The film established Kurosawa as the master of Japanese cinema and popularized the 'assembling the team' narrative structure.
filmjapon
Rashomon
Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa in 1950, in which four witnesses give radically contradictory versions of a murder and rape committed in a forest in medieval Japan. Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1951 and an Honorary Academy Award in 1952, the film invented the narrative concept known as the 'Rashomon effect' and revealed Japanese cinema to the Western world. It is unanimously considered one of the most influential films in cinema history.
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