If you've ever been to a Hong Kong-style restaurant, you may have noticed the wide array of Western food choices on their menu. Hong Kong-style French toast. Image from Migrationology. French toast in a Cantonese style cafe? Chateaubriand steaks in a Chinese restaurant? Mille-feuilles next to Manchurian sachimas in Cantonese bakeries? What’s with the Western …
Continue reading Hong Kong Cuisine: At the Intersection of Tradition and Innovation
So many amazing films have come out of China, and many have made their way into my list of favourites. From kung-fu films and gangster flicks, to romantic melodramas and studies of everyday life, Chinese cinema has something for everyone. Here’s something to watch for whatever emotion you may be feeling: For a good, cathartic …
Allow me to introduce you to Hong Kong’s magnificent skyline: Hong Kong's skyline. Image by bady qb on Unsplash. Ah, the architectural prowess. The beauty of the fragrant harbour. Here’s a view of the skyline on the southwest side: Bel-Air Residence, Hong Kong. Image via CNN. Wait a minute, do those buildings have holes? The …
Continue reading Hong Kong’s Holey Skyline: Spirit Dragons or Aesthetics At Work?
When asked what ethnicity we are, many Hong Kongers, including myself, will say we’re Chinese, but when asked where we’re from, we say Hong Kong. Oh, so like, China, right? No. Hong Kong. We adopt an adamant view that, no, Hong Kong is different from China, and no, we’re not the same as all other …
Continue reading Hong Kong vs China: Identity Crises, Political Tensions, And Why It Matters
Snack options in Hong Kong are diverse and omnipresent — turn any corner and you’re bound to see either a Cantonese bakery, a street-hawker stall, or a cha chaan teng (Hong Kong style diners) peeking out from the streets of boutiques and storefronts. All three spots showcase different facets of Hong Kong dining, but bakeries …
Lexie Liu on The Rap of China. Image from iQiyi via Radii. Korean pop and Japanese anime have both made breakthroughs in Western media, but China, a country larger in both size and population than Korea and Japan combined, still lags behind in pop culture appeal. Surely, with such magnitude and potential for content output, there must be a …
Continue reading Think Chinese Pop Culture is Uncool? You’ll find China’s Cool in Hiding
As a rather conservative country, China is known to be against the idea of homosexuality. Homosexuality is labelled as a “negative influence”, and most Chinese strongly believe that society should not support homosexuality. But guess what? Homosexuality was once accepted in China. All my fellow Chinese out there might be thinking: haha, that’s impossible. And …
Continue reading From Liberal to Conservative and Back Again: Homophobia in China
If you come from an Asian family, you’ve probably attended your fair share of family gatherings, dinners, functions, etc. You’ve probably also experienced a situation like this at least once in your life: Mom: greet your family members. You: *panicking because you don’t know how to address any of them* uHM... via Giphy Can’t relate? …
little chinese things 