Tradition Archives - Zolima City Magazine

An Extraordinary Temple and a Master Builder: Hong Kong’s Lo Pan Festival

Tom BillingeJuly 2, 2020

This July, construction workers will gather at one of Hong Kong's most extraordinary temples – one of only two in the world dedicated to Lo Pan....

A Little BreakCultureHeritageHistoryTraditionWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments773 views 08 min read

Sunset Days for a Classic Hong Kong Dim Sum Parlour

Billy PottsJune 23, 2020

After nearly three decades, a renowned tea house finally calls it quits...

A Little BreakCultureFoodTraditionWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments1109 views 010 min read

Enter the Dragon Boat: A New Spirit Hits Hong Kong Waters

Cardin ChanJune 18, 2020

On the eve of Tuen Ng, a dragon boat club considers the spiritual and cultural meaning of these quintessential Hong Kong vessels. ...

CultureHeritageHistoryTradition0 Comments899 views 09 min read

Dragon Boats from the Past: A Festive Chapter from Gwulo’s New Book

Zolima CityMagJune 18, 2020

We present an excerpt from the latest book published by David Bellis, founder of the popular Hong Kong history website Gwulo....

CultureHeritageHistorySportTradition0 Comments400 views 06 min read

Lucky Embroidery: The Story Behind Hong Kong’s Intricate Kua Wedding Dresses

Billy PottsJune 11, 2020

Traditional brides in Hong Kong don't wear white – they wear a kua. We visit one of the last local workshops that makes these intricate gowns. ...

CultureDesignFashionTradition0 Comments1021 views 09 min read

Video: Watch How a Classic Alleyway Barbershop Survives Against the Odds

VideoMay 13, 2020

The snip of scissors and the buzz of clippers have resonated in a Wan Chai alley for more than half a century....

CulturePeoplePortraitsTradition0 Comments611 views 10 min read

Meet the Masters Behind Hong Kong’s Most Extraordinary Bamboo Theatre

Cardin ChanApril 16, 2020

Our heritage writer Cardin Chan joins a tight-knit crew of workers as they build an unusual theatre perched on the edge of a cliff on Po Toi....

ArchitectureArtCultureDesignHeritageHistoryPerforming ArtTradition0 Comments3280 views 016 min read

Tin Hau Festival: Celebrating the Birthday of Hong Kong’s Supreme Goddess

Tom BillingeApril 15, 2020

From a Fujianese fishing village to the streets of Hong Kong: the story behind Tin Hau, Hong Kong's most popular deity. ...

Big StoriesCultureHistoryTradition0 Comments2352 views 19 min read

Video: Watch the Tofu Masters at Kung Wo Make Silky Smooth Pudding

VideoApril 2, 2020

A neighbourhood shop in Hong Kong turns bean curd into crave-worthy delights...

A Little BreakCultureFoodPeopleTraditionWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments554 views 00 min read

Video: Watch How Saam Hui Yaat Makes Classic Dim Sum

VideoMarch 5, 2020

Saam Hui Yaat has been making dim sum by hand since 1978. Watch how it's done...

CultureFoodInterviewsPeopleTradition0 Comments694 views 00 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 Comments1862 views 024 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

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 Comments5817 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 Comments1023 views 07 min read

Why Mandarin Oranges Are So Popular for Chinese New Year

Zabrina LoJanuary 22, 2020

How can the petite fruit enhance your auspiciousness this Chinese New Year?...

CultureFoodTradition0 Comments1337 views 03 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 Comments1055 views 110 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 Comments301 views 011 min read

Farewell My Concubine Is Rekindling Hong Kong’s Interest in Cantonese Opera

Zabrina LoOctober 3, 2019

Can a radical new take on a classic opera attract new fans to Hong Kong's traditional form of entertainment?...

ArtCulturePerforming ArtTradition0 Comments322 views 09 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 Comments645 views 07 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 Comments646 views 010 min read

Forgotten Hong Kong Icon: Crafting Cantonese Opera Headdresses by Hand

Billy PottsSeptember 4, 2019

A veteran costume maker for Cantonese opera explains the intricacies of an under-appreciated craft...

CultureDesignFashionPeoplePortraitsTradition0 Comments791 views 09 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 Comments1100 views 08 min read

How Did Christianity Become So Influential in Hong Kong?

Christopher DewolfAugust 21, 2019

A foreign religion has come to play an outsized role in Hong Kong's civic life....

CultureHeritageHistoryTradition0 Comments2469 views 012 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 Comments936 views 09 min read

Hong Kong’s Industrial History, Part VI: Indigo

Christopher DewolfJune 27, 2019

Indigo dyeing is making a comeback decades after the artisanal industry died out....

CultureDesignFashionHeritageHistoryTraditionWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments538 views 06 min read

A Master Puppeteer Gives an Ancient Chinese Art a 21st-Century Update

Billy PottsMay 22, 2019

Wong Fai helped Chinese puppeteering thrive in 1970s Hong Kong – and now he is ushering in its 21st-century rebirth...

CulturePeoplePortraitsTradition0 Comments492 views 010 min read

The Immigrant Dragons, Part IV: Generations United in Bendigo

Billy PottsMay 8, 2019

Back home in Australia, the world's largest imperial dragon joins his predecessors – and so do the citizens of Bendigo, united by Chinese tradition....

CultureTradition0 Comments1031 views 08 min read

Serving the Gods: A Day With a Temple Keeper in Hong Kong

Cardin ChanApril 24, 2019

Tung Chung's Hau Wong Temple has stood for more than 250 years – and Hyelyong Tung has the important job of making sure it keeps going....

CultureHeritageHistoryPeoplePortraitsTradition0 Comments452 views 08 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 Comments1139 views 13 min read

Forgotten Hong Kong Icon: The Last Minibus Sign Maker

Billy PottsMarch 19, 2019

Hand-painted signs were once standard in the windows of Hong Kong's minibuses, but as with so many traditional trades, they are at risk of dying out....

DesignPeoplePortraitsProduct DesignTradition0 Comments2485 views 19 min read

Salt is Life: The History of Hong Kong’s Dried Seafood Trade, Part II

Zabrina LoMarch 6, 2019

One of Hong Kong’s last remaining handmade salted fish producers is fighting to preserve an iconic local industry....

CultureFoodTradition0 Comments1096 views 012 min read

Hong Kong’s Modern Heritage, Part II: Truth Lutheran Church

Christopher DewolfFebruary 27, 2019

A Space Age emblem of postwar expansion, the Truth Lutheran Church stands out as one of the few remaining works by an influential Hong Kong architect. ...

ArchitectureCultureDesignHeritageHistoryTradition0 Comments1703 views 07 min read

Neighbourhood Guide: The Underrated Charm of North Point

Christie LeeFebruary 27, 2019

Overshadowed by flashier Hong Kong neighbourhoods, North Point is filled with hidden treasures....

ArchitectureArtBooksCultureFoodHeritageHistoryInspring ItinerariesSmall Stories & Secret StoriesTraditionWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments7378 views 020 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 Comments1201 views 03 min read

Forgotten Hong Kong Icon: A Tonic Wine For What Ails You

Cardin ChanFebruary 19, 2019

Despite a surge of interest in local products, traditional handmade Chinese tonic wine is a fading art....

CultureFoodTradition0 Comments658 views 311 min read

A Sea Change in Flavours: The History of Hong Kong’s Dried Seafood Trade, Part I

Zabrina LoJanuary 30, 2019

A father-son duo has witnessed the changing tastes and traditions of Hong Kong's famous Dried Seafood Street. ...

CultureFoodInterviewsPeopleTradition0 Comments1249 views 012 min read

Green Tea and Politics: The Surprising History of Hong Kong’s Abandoned Tea Plantation

Christopher DewolfJanuary 15, 2019

Progressive politician Brook Bernacchi was the first Westerner to plant roots on Lantau, where he opened a school, gave jobs to ex-convicts and grew tea....