Mui Zyu: Looking Back to Make Music For the Future
Returning to Hong Kong gives Eva Liu a chance to perform her second show in the city as singer-songwriter Mui Zyu ...
Language
Pop Cantonese: 有米 — Are You Loaded With Rice?
What rice says about our attitudes towards wealth...
Pop Cantonese: Stewed Chinese Mushrooms, or Being Demoted — 燉冬菇
Stewed shiitake mushrooms are not only a delicious dish — they’re a metaphor for being demoted. But why?...
Pop Cantonese: No Leftovers for Latecomers — 無功者飯餸不留
In a Hong Kong Chinese family, here's why you should absolutely never be late to dinner...
Pop Cantonese: What’s Cooking Tonight? 今晚食乜餸？
When it comes to delicious home cooked food, some words just can't be translated]...
Pop Cantonese: Heartless Chicken — 無情雞
A subtle clue at a Chinese New Year dinner could mean you still have a job — or not...
Pop Cantonese: Fat Chicken Meal — 肥雞餐
How a peculiar type of chicken meal can take the pain away from being laid off...
Pop Cantonese: Siu Keung the Cockroach — 小強
Why are cockroaches often referred to as if they're human?...
Pop Cantonese: Speaking Chicken Intestines — 講雞腸
Why on earth would "chicken intestines" be used to describe English? The answer turns out to reveal a whole lot about Hong Kong...
Pop Cantonese: Between the Stove and Wall — 攝灶罅
What does a gap in the stove have to do with marriage prospects for young women?...
Pop Cantonese: More Salt Than Rice — 我食鹽多過你食米
How an absurd expression is used to reinforce the unquestioning authority of elders...
Pop Cantonese: Blocking the Earth from Spinning — 阻住個地球轉
How we describe the slowpokes who hold up everyone else...
Pop Cantonese: 竹升 – Bamboo Rise
Why are overseas-born Chinese often referred to pejoratively as bamboo poles?...
Hong Kong is Haunted by Ghost Signs
There’s a lot to learn from the old hand-painted signs that linger throughout the city...
Pop Cantonese: Hea, Chok and Chur
Three Cantonese words are so new, they don't even have equivalent Chinese characters...
Pop Cantonese: 收皮 – Collect Skin
What on earth does skin have to do with being annoying?...
Pop Cantonese: 呷醋 – Eat Vinegar
How far would you go to show your love?...
Pop Cantonese: 大掃除 – The Big Cleanup
Ever wonder where some of the words we use everyday in Hong Kong lingo come from? ...
Pop Cantonese: 戴綠帽 – Wearing A Green Hat
Sporting a green hat? Don't be surprised if you're greeted with a smirk...
Lap Sap Chung: The Monster That Kept Hong Kong Clean
Lap Sap Chung was meant to be a villain, and yet people adored him. Will his successors meet the same fate?...
Meet the Plumber King, Hong Kong’s Unexpected Graffiti Icon
For decades, a plumber has advertised his services by painting on the city's surfaces. We meet the man behind thousands of remarkably stylish advertisements....
Pop Cantonese: Big Wok 大鑊
There's more to the wok than you might expect....
Keeping Hakka Culture Alive, Part II: Hats and Songs
There's a link between the distinctive hats worn by Hakka women and the songs they sing in the fields – one a young enthusiast is trying to keep alive....
Pop Cantonese: 大頭蝦 – Big Head Prawn
Ever wonder where some of the words we use everyday in Hong Kong lingo come from? Prawns may be delicious, but you don’t want to be one....
Hong Kong’s King of Commercial Calligraphy
Forced out of his bastion in the State Theatre, Hong Kong's most influential signboard calligrapher isn't giving up....
Keeping Hakka Culture Alive, Part I: The Story of Hong Kong’s Mountain Pioneers
Hakka people are an integral part of Hong Kong history and heritage, but their culture and language is at risk of being lost. ...
After_: Calling for Submissions From Young Writers, Videographers and Photographers
The novel coronavirus pandemic has shaken Hong Kong and the world. What can we expect on the other side? Join our mentorship programme under the guidance of renown creatives...
Pop Cantonese: 點心 – Touching Heart
The heart-warming history of an emblematic series of Cantonese dishes. ...
Pop Cantonese: 心 – Heart
Ever wonder where some of the words we use everyday in Hong Kong lingo come from? The heart has many dimensions in Cantonese. Learn the origin of this versatile word....
Hong Kong Numerology: Nine for Eternity
You don’t need nine lives, but the number nine is useful for leading a long life....
On the Hunt for Hong Kong’s Old-Style Sweet Snack Shops
We trace the origins and timeless flavours of five old Hong Kong snacks....
Pop Cantonese: Husking Peanuts Like An Electric Lightbulb 電燈膽剝花生
How electricity and a common snack became symbols of an unwanted intrusion on romance....
Hong Kong Numerology: Lucky Number Eight
Four might be unlucky, but double it and you'll get the most auspicious number in the Chinese-speaking world....
Pop Cantonese: 生舊叉燒好過生你 – Better to Give Birth to Char Siu Than You
Ever wonder where some of the words we use every day in Hong Kong lingo come from? Here’s why some parents dream of giving birth to char siu....
The Hong Kong International Literary Festival – How Did It All Begin?
The founders of the Hong Kong International Literary Festival tell the odd tale of how a pioneering event took root in Hong Kong....
Pop Cantonese: 裝假狗 – Installing a Fake Dog
Ever wonder where some of the words we use everyday in Hong Kong lingo come from? Why are dogs associated with pretence and fakery?...
Hong Kong Numerology: Why Is Four So Unlucky?
Here's why you won't find the fourth floor in many Hong Kong buildings....
Jyutping or Yale? How to Write Cantonese in the Roman Alphabet
Jyutping lets you accurately read and write Cantonese in Roman script. So why isn't it more popular?...
Pop Cantonese: 炒魷魚 Stir-Fried Squid
What does Hong Kong’s favourite homemade dish have to do with being sacked?...
Forgotten Hong Kong Icon: Silky Smooth Tofu Pudding at Kung Wo
The owner of a historic tofu shop reflects on what makes cold tofu pudding such a classic dessert....