The New Golden Age of Hong Kong Film

Elizabeth KerrMarch 18, 2020

After years in the doldrums, Hong Kong's once-influential film industry is finally turning a corner and finding new artistic, social and political relevance...

CinemaCulture0 Comments460 views 017 min read

Black Soup and White Pudding: Hong Kong’s Original Dessert Duo

Zabrina LoMarch 10, 2020

Sesame sweet soup and steamed milk pudding remain Hongkongers’ favourites since sweet soup shops first appeared in the city. Here’s why....

CultureFood0 Comments402 views 08 min read

Neighbourhood Guide: Shek Tong Tsui is Full of Surprises

Zabrina LoFebruary 19, 2020

Often overlooked in favour of its more popular neighbours, the hilly streets of Shek Tong Tsui are packed with historical and cultural delights...

CultureDesignFoodHistoryInspring ItinerariesProduct DesignSmall Stories & Secret StoriesTraditionWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments1348 views 024 min read

Hong Kong in Vancouver – Part IV: A Canadian-Style Cha Chaan Teng Inside a Lumberyard

Christopher DewolfFebruary 4, 2020

The Northern Café has been open since 1949, but it took a family from Hong Kong to unearth its full potential...

CultureFoodInspring ItinerariesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments1041 views 06 min read

The Story of Kwun Yum, Hong Kong’s Mother Goddess

Tom BillingeJanuary 30, 2020

One goddess is worshipped above the rest: Kwun Yum, the Goddess of Mercy. But how did she achieve her exalted position?...

CultureTradition0 Comments5368 views 09 min read

Baked Together: The Long History of Chinese Bridal Pastries

Zabrina LoJanuary 22, 2020

A look inside a traditional Chinese bakery that makes wedding pastries with a very long history....

CultureFoodTradition0 Comments465 views 07 min read

Bamboo Theatres: A New Documentary Explores These Hong Kong Marvels

Elizabeth KerrJanuary 16, 2020

Documentarian Cheuk Cheung chronicles Chinese opera traditions, a passion that has led him to bamboo theatres. ...

ArchitectureArtCultureDesignPerforming ArtTradition0 Comments442 views 010 min read

Still Human: A Film About a Domestic Helper, a Paraplegic – and Human Dignity

Elizabeth KerrJanuary 9, 2020

Oliver Chan's highly anticipated debut feature brings together Hong Kong-based Filipina actress Crisel Consunji and local legend Anthony Wong....

CinemaCulturePeoplePortraits0 Comments2569 views 010 min read

Hong Kong’s Creamy Custard Buns Are Disappearing – But Why?

Zabrina LoDecember 10, 2019

How a wildly popular dim sum innovation has been supplanted by a more unctuous upstart. ...

CultureFood0 Comments4792 views 08 min read

Forgotten Hong Kong Icon: The Better ‘Ole, a Classic Pub 72 Years in the Making

Christopher DewolfDecember 4, 2019

A beloved Hong Kong pub has been in the same family for three generations....

A Little BreakCultureFoodPeoplePortraitsWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments2055 views 010 min read

Pop Cantonese: Husking Peanuts Like An Electric Lightbulb 電燈膽剝花生

Zabrina LoDecember 4, 2019

How electricity and a common snack became symbols of an unwanted intrusion on romance....

CultureLanguage0 Comments235 views 04 min read

Saam Hui Yaat: Inside a Tea House That Makes Dim Sum With Heart

Zabrina LoNovember 27, 2019

This neighbourhood institution hasn’t changed much since it opened 41 years ago – even as Hong Kong’s dim sum landscape has been reshaped by chain restaurants and industrial food....

CultureFood0 Comments978 views 110 min read

Out and Loud With Hong Kong Poetry

Zabrina LoNovember 20, 2019

Poet Jason Lee looks back at the growing relevance of English poetry in Hong Kong as Poetry OutLoud celebrated its 20th anniversary....

ArtBooksCulture0 Comments371 views 09 min read

Hong Kong’s First Gin Tastes Like Ginseng and Cinnamon

Christopher DewolfNovember 15, 2019

A visit inside Hong Kong's first distillery to open in more than 40 years, where Steven Newton is making gin, vodka, whisky and rum....

CultureFood0 Comments566 views 06 min read

Snake Soup: How a Cold-Blooded Reptile Became Hong Kong’s Winter Warmer

Zabrina LoNovember 6, 2019

From banquets to neighbourhood restaurants, snake soup keeps Hong Kong warm in the winter. But for how long?...

CultureFoodPeoplePortraitsWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments557 views 010 min read

The Hong Kong International Literary Festival – How Did It All Begin?

Zabrina LoNovember 2, 2019

The founders of the Hong Kong International Literary Festival tell the odd tale of how a pioneering event took root in Hong Kong....

BooksCultureLanguage0 Comments43 views 09 min read

Pop Cantonese: 裝假狗 – Installing a Fake Dog

Zabrina LoOctober 24, 2019

Ever wonder where some of the words we use everyday in Hong Kong lingo come from? Why are dogs associated with pretence and fakery?...

CultureLanguage0 Comments539 views 04 min read

Hong Kong’s Industrial History, Part IX: Locally-Brewed Beer

Christopher DewolfOctober 16, 2019

Hong Kong has been awash in beer since its very beginnings as a British colony. ...

CultureFood0 Comments1063 views 012 min read

Hong Kong’s History Is Kept Overseas: Wong Kan-tai Delves Into Archives

Christie LeeOctober 10, 2019

An acclaimed photographer wonders whether Hongkongers will ever be able to access the documents that define their own history....

Big StoriesBooksCultureHeritageHistory0 Comments949 views 010 min read

Char Siu and Cocktails: Can a New Generation Save Montreal’s Chinatown?

Christopher DewolfOctober 10, 2019

One of Canada's oldest Chinatowns is feeling the pinch of gentrification and redevelopment – but a wave of young entrepreneurs hopes they can keep the neighbourhood's spirit alive....

CultureFoodHeritageHistoryTradition0 Comments252 views 011 min read

Chop Suey Canada: Karen Tam is Turning Chinese Restaurants Into Art

Christopher DewolfOctober 3, 2019

How a Montreal artist has turned a childhood spent in her family's Chinese restaurant into a lifelong investigation of Chinese-Canadian spaces...

ArtCultureFoodTraditionVisual Art0 Comments582 views 07 min read

Jyutping or Yale? How to Write Cantonese in the Roman Alphabet

Christopher DewolfSeptember 26, 2019

Jyutping lets you accurately read and write Cantonese in Roman script. So why isn't it more popular?...

CultureLanguage0 Comments1154 views 011 min read

Dragons and Rabbits: Inside Hong Kong’s Lantern-Making Workshops

Billy PottsSeptember 18, 2019

We revisit two cryptozoological masters to see how they make lanterns for Mid-Autumn Festival...

CultureDesignInspring ItinerariesProduct DesignTraditionWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments596 views 010 min read

Filmmaker Heiward Mak on Gender, Sexuality and How Hong Kong Film is Changing

Elizabeth KerrSeptember 10, 2019

In a rare interview, writer and director Heiward Mak reflects on how Hongkongers are embracing smaller and more intimate movies....

CinemaCulture0 Comments757 views 012 min read

Hong Kong’s Clandestine Love Affair With Basketball

Tobias ZuserAugust 28, 2019

Overshadowed by rugby and football, Hong Kong's love for basketball has remained strong for over a century...

CultureSport0 Comments227 views 08 min read

Why Sugarcane Juice Is a Summertime Favourite in Hong Kong

Zabrina LoAugust 27, 2019

Central landmark Kung Lee has been making fresh sugarcane juice since 1948 – but it needs to adapt to keep up with the times...

A Little BreakCultureFoodPeoplePortraitsTraditionWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments853 views 08 min read