Language Archives - Zolima City Magazine

Hong Kong is Haunted by Ghost Signs

Billy PottsMay 20, 2022

There’s a lot to learn from the old hand-painted signs that linger throughout the city...

CultureDesignLanguageProduct DesignTradition0 Comments1625 views 19 min read

Pop Cantonese: Hea, Chok and Chur

Erica FongApril 6, 2022

Three Cantonese words are so new, they don't even have equivalent Chinese characters...

CultureLanguage0 Comments684 views 04 min read

Pop Cantonese: 收皮 – Collect Skin

Erica FongMarch 2, 2022

What on earth does skin have to do with being annoying?...

CultureLanguage0 Comments1171 views 02 min read

Pop Cantonese: 呷醋 – Eat Vinegar

Erica FongFebruary 9, 2022

How far would you go to show your love?...

CultureFoodLanguage0 Comments567 views 02 min read

Pop Cantonese: 大掃除 – The Big Cleanup

Gabriella ZanzanainiJanuary 27, 2022

Ever wonder where some of the words we use everyday in Hong Kong lingo come from? ...

CultureLanguageTradition0 Comments718 views 03 min read

Pop Cantonese: 戴綠帽 – Wearing A Green Hat

Erica FongJanuary 13, 2022

Sporting a green hat? Don't be surprised if you're greeted with a smirk...

CultureLanguageTradition0 Comments2392 views 03 min read

Lap Sap Chung: The Monster That Kept Hong Kong Clean

Ilaria Maria SalaSeptember 8, 2021

Lap Sap Chung was meant to be a villain, and yet people adored him. Will his successors meet the same fate?...

CultureDesignLanguage0 Comments1688 views 05 min read

Meet the Plumber King, Hong Kong’s Unexpected Graffiti Icon

Billy PottsJanuary 29, 2021

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....

CultureLanguagePeoplePortraitsUncategorized0 Comments6706 views 010 min read

Pop Cantonese: Big Wok 大鑊

Erica FongJanuary 14, 2021

There's more to the wok than you might expect....

CultureLanguage0 Comments937 views 02 min read

Keeping Hakka Culture Alive, Part II: Hats and Songs

Annemarie EvansJanuary 14, 2021

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....

CultureHeritageHistoryLanguagePeopleTradition0 Comments1188 views 09 min read

Pop Cantonese: 大頭蝦 – Big Head Prawn

Erica FongDecember 9, 2020

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....

CultureLanguage0 Comments1303 views 02 min read

Hong Kong’s King of Commercial Calligraphy: Au Yeung Cheung of King Wah Signboard

Billy PottsOctober 22, 2020

Forced out of his bastion in the State Theatre, Hong Kong's most influential signboard calligrapher isn't giving up....

CultureDesignLanguageProduct DesignTradition0 Comments1233 views 010 min read

Keeping Hakka Culture Alive, Part I: The Story of Hong Kong’s Mountain Pioneers

Annemarie EvansSeptember 15, 2020

Hakka people are an integral part of Hong Kong history and heritage, but their culture and language is at risk of being lost. ...

CultureHeritageHistoryInspring ItinerariesLanguageTraditionWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments2124 views 012 min read

After_: Calling for Submissions From Young Writers, Videographers and Photographers

Zolima CityMagJune 24, 2020

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...

ArtCultureDesignHistoryLanguagePeoplePhotographyUncategorizedVideo art0 Comments4172 views 02 min read

Pop Cantonese: 點心 – Touching Heart

Zolima CityMagMay 28, 2020

The heart-warming history of an emblematic series of Cantonese dishes. ...

CultureFoodLanguage0 Comments2297 views 06 min read

Pop Cantonese: 心 – Heart

Zolima CityMagApril 22, 2020

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....

CultureLanguage0 Comments1012 views 05 min read

Hong Kong Numerology: Nine for Eternity

Zabrina LoFebruary 4, 2020

You don’t need nine lives, but the number nine is useful for leading a long life....

CultureLanguageTradition0 Comments278 views 04 min read

On the Hunt for Hong Kong’s Old-Style Sweet Snack Shops

Zabrina LoJanuary 8, 2020

We trace the origins and timeless flavours of five old Hong Kong snacks....

A Little BreakCultureFoodLanguageWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments2877 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 Comments405 views 04 min read

Hong Kong Numerology: Lucky Number Eight

Rachel LeungNovember 20, 2019

Four might be unlucky, but double it and you'll get the most auspicious number in the Chinese-speaking world....

CultureLanguage0 Comments3706 views 03 min read

Pop Cantonese: 生舊叉燒好過生你 – Better to Give Birth to Char Siu Than You

Zabrina LoNovember 15, 2019

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....

CultureFoodLanguage0 Comments9474 views 04 min read

hong kong international literary festival 2019

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 Comments191 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 Comments995 views 04 min read

Hong Kong Numerology: Why Is Four So Unlucky?

Rachel LeungOctober 16, 2019

Here's why you won't find the fourth floor in many Hong Kong buildings....

CultureLanguage0 Comments2651 views 03 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 Comments2642 views 011 min read

Pop Cantonese: 炒魷魚 Stir-Fried Squid

Zabrina LoSeptember 19, 2019

What does Hong Kong’s favourite homemade dish have to do with being sacked?...

CultureLanguage0 Comments775 views 03 min read

Forgotten Hong Kong Icon: Silky Smooth Tofu Pudding at Kung Wo

Zabrina LoAugust 21, 2019

The owner of a historic tofu shop reflects on what makes cold tofu pudding such a classic dessert....

A Little BreakCultureFoodLanguagePeoplePortraitsWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments3853 views 08 min read

Forgotten Icon: How a Letterpress Workshop Keeps Hong Kong Heritage Alive

Cardin ChanJuly 3, 2019

After Hong Kong's printing industry went into decline, one shop owner decided to turn his family's business into a living museum....

CultureHeritageHistoryLanguageTradition0 Comments2002 views 09 min read

Pop Cantonese: 十下十下 – Ten Down Ten Down

Andrea LoJune 13, 2019

Ever wonder where some of the words we use everyday in Hong Kong lingo come from? What does a common Cantonese expression have to do with dog meat?...

CultureLanguage0 Comments1506 views 03 min read

Pop Cantonese: 九唔搭八 – Nine Not Following Eight

Andrea LoMay 29, 2019

Ever wonder where some of the words we use everyday in Hong Kong lingo come from?...

CultureLanguage0 Comments1537 views 03 min read

Reading the City’s Hidden Poetry—城市詩意—A New Series by Photographer Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze

Christopher DewolfMay 29, 2019

Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze continues his documentation of Hong Kong's urban landscape, this time with a poetic twist. ...

ArtCultureLanguagePhotographyVisual Art0 Comments739 views 06 min read

Pop Cantonese: 唔三唔四 – Not Three Not Four

Andrea LoApril 3, 2019

Ever wonder where some of the words we use everyday in Hong Kong lingo come from? ...

CultureLanguageTradition0 Comments2785 views 13 min read

Do You Speak Hong Kong English?

Christopher DewolfMarch 29, 2019

How Hong Kong's second language has evolved over the years. ...

CultureHistoryLanguage0 Comments18472 views 010 min read

Pop Cantonese: 熱氣/寒涼 – Heaty and Cool

Andrea LoFebruary 21, 2019

Ever wonder where some of the words we use everyday in Hong Kong lingo come from? ...

CultureFoodLanguageTradition0 Comments3227 views 03 min read

Pop Cantonese: 食死貓 – Eating a Dead Cat

Andrea LoJanuary 23, 2019

Ever wonder where some of the words we use everyday in Hong Kong lingo come from?...

CultureLanguage0 Comments3568 views 03 min read

The DFA Awards is Drawing a New Future for Hong Kong’s Young Designers

Amanda SheppardDecember 3, 2018

A new generation of designers is unleashed by the annual Design for Asia Awards...

DesignLanguageProduct Design0 Comments139 views 06 min read

Hong Kong Bites: Stinky Tofu – 臭豆腐

Andrea LoNovember 14, 2018

It’s pungent – that’s impossible to deny. But does it taste good? The story behind the notoriously stinky tofu...

CultureFoodLanguageTradition0 Comments5227 views 16 min read

Pop Cantonese: 朝行晚拆 – HK-Style Pop-Up

Andrea LoOctober 30, 2018

Ever wonder where some of the words we use everyday in Hong Kong lingo come from? Hong Kong’s adaptability is embedded in a phrase that refers to a local kind of pop-up culture....

CultureLanguage0 Comments816 views 04 min read