Yao Ming, at 7 feet 6, became the first Chinese player inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame

pop & funWikipedia2002–2011 · Shanghai, China

Yao Ming, at 7 feet 6, became the first Chinese player inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame

the gist

Yao Ming was born in Shanghai in 1980 and played for the Shanghai Sharks before the Houston Rockets made him the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft. At 7 feet 6 inches, he was the tallest active player in the league in his final season. He was an eight-time All-Star and was named to the All-NBA Team five times. Injuries to his feet and ankles shortened his later years, and he retired in 2011. In 2016 he became the first Chinese national inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

so what

Yao's success opened a path for Chinese players and helped basketball grow into a major sport in China. He became a symbol of a China that was seen as both modern and confident. Today he leads the Chinese Basketball Association.

fun fact

Fans in the United States nicknamed him the Ming Dynasty, a play on his surname.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗