Douglas Parkes

1 month ago | scmp.com | Douglas Parkes

Paella may seem an odd choice of signature dish at a Japanese restaurant but it perfectly reflects the journey of Censu’s founder, chef Shun Sato. Born and raised in Japan – where he developed a particular affection for his grandmother’s house in Sendai, which inspired the interior design at Censu – Sato leveraged his culinary career to travel the world.

2 months ago | scmp.com | Douglas Parkes

I was born in Hainan and grew up during the Cultural Revolution. My parents sent me back to their hometown to keep me away from the armed conflicts, fights and struggle sessions happening in the cities. I still remember a visit I made back to the city to see my mum during that time. She had been publicly accused in a struggle session and I saw the aftermath. They had cut her hair – first into a cross shape on her head, then with a flag shaved into it.

2 months ago | scmp.com | Douglas Parkes

An onstage discussion about film conservation seems an unlikely big-ticket draw in Hong Kong a week before Lunar New Year. And yet a large crowd has arrived an hour early, to stand outside in what passes for winter here, wrapped up in scarves outside M+, in the West Kowloon Cultural District. Nearby, skateboarders pop ollies and young girls practice K-pop dance routines. Tourists pass the queue bewildered by all the fuss.

Jan 14, 2025 | scmp.com | Douglas Parkes

The British culinary legacy in Hong Kong is an odd one. On the one hand, there’s an obvious and daily debt that stretches from the city’s cha chaan teng culture, with its milk tea and scrambled eggs on toast, to the lingering affection for afternoon tea and its assortment of sandwiches and other nibbles. But when it comes to bona fide British restaurants, there’s a conspicuous dearth. Magistracy Dining Room is unashamedly British.

Dec 10, 2024 | scmp.com | Douglas Parkes

If China’s rise is one of the biggest economic feats of the past half-century, Jia Zhangke is likely its most important chronicler. The Chinese filmmaker, now 54, has spent his career documenting the economic lift-off of his homeland, and the social changes that have taken place as a consequence. This approach has earned Jia numerous awards, most notably the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion in 2006 for Still Life.