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 Comments964 views 09 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 Comments2032 views 09 min read

Pop Cantonese: 點心 – Touching Heart

Zolima CityMagMay 28, 2020

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

CultureFoodLanguage0 Comments1810 views 06 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 Comments2852 views 19 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 Comments1017 views 18 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

Video: Watch How Sudo Reiko Makes NUNO Textiles

Zolima CityMagDecember 10, 2019

Inside a fascinating new exhibition at CHAT....

ArtDesignFashionInspring ItinerariesProduct DesignWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments587 views 01 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 Comments1428 views 110 min read

Reiko Sudo at CHAT: Japanese Textile Ingenuity

Zolima CityMagNovember 27, 2019

A new exhibition explores how a textile artist has revived and reinvented Japan’s textile traditions...

ArtDesignFashionPeoplePortraitsProduct Design0 Comments1780 views 08 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 Comments2599 views 03 min read

Hong Kong by Foot: A New Generation of Tours is Immersed in Street Life

Christopher DewolfNovember 20, 2019

Walking tours are delving deep into Hong Kong's daily life and culture....

A Little BreakWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments901 views 08 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 Comments1628 views 03 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 Comments1176 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 Comments2092 views 08 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 Comments2636 views 08 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 Comments1147 views 09 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 Comments492 views 08 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 Comments3277 views 19 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 Comments1966 views 03 min read

Reading the Qipao: The Story Behind the Most Iconic Chinese Dress

Karen TsuiAugust 22, 2018

A dress that once defined fashion in China and Hong Kong, the qipao is making a comeback....

DesignFashion0 Comments10540 views 113 min read

Timepiece Diplomacy: Hong Kong Contributes to a Long European Tradition

SponsoredAugust 21, 2018

Western clock technology once charmed Chinese emperors – now Hong Kong watchmakers are taking their product global....

DesignProduct Design0 Comments672 views 08 min read

Forgotten Icon: The Disappearing Art of Dragon Boat Building

Gabriella ZanzanainiJune 13, 2018

Hong Kong's dragon boat festival is going strong – but the industry that once supplied it is fading into obscurity. ...

CultureSportTradition0 Comments2028 views 011 min read

The Immigrant Dragons – Part I: How Australia is Saving a Hong Kong Tradition

Billy PottsMay 23, 2018

The small Australian city of Bendigo is looking for a new dragon – so they've rallied the few remaining masters in Hong Kong....

CultureHeritageHistoryTradition0 Comments1873 views 011 min read

Behind the Screen Doors of Hong Kong’s Pawn Shops, Centuries of Tradition

Cardin Chan and Christopher DeWolfMay 3, 2018

Pawn shops are some of Hong Kong's most distinctive landmarks – but how do they work?...

HeritageHistoryUsual Suspects & Landmarks0 Comments6228 views 112 min read

The Jamia Mosque, an Unexpected Oasis in Central Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfApril 18, 2018

Inside the lush historic compound that is home to Hong Kong's oldest mosque – and a surprising community of squatters. ...

HistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUrbanism0 Comments7413 views 07 min read

A Taste of the Sea: How to Make Tai O’s Famous Shrimp Paste

Sin Ting YungNovember 28, 2017

Shrimp paste is a classic ingredient in Cantonese cuisine and Tai O's family shrimp paste factory makes some of the best....

CultureFoodTradition0 Comments1695 views 05 min read

L’ÉCOLE is Back With a Chance to Learn the Secrets of Fine Jewellery

SponsoredSeptember 4, 2017

Learn about the art and craftsmanship of fine jewellery at the latest edition of L'ÉCOLE....

DesignProduct Design0 Comments163 views 03 min read

Laura Cheung is Giving Japanese Obis New Life in Hong Kong

SponsoredAugust 24, 2017

Interior designer Laura Cheung incorporates a traditional Japanese craft into everyday Hong Kong life...

DesignInterior DesignInterviewsPeoplePerforming ArtProduct Design0 Comments881 views 210 min read

Crossing Borders Between Architecture and Jewellery: William Lim in Conversation With Nicolas Bos

Edith TerryAugust 15, 2017

As Van Cleef & Arpels brings L'ÉCOLE School of Jewelry Arts to Hong Kong, its CEO Nicolas Bos joins architect William Lim to explore the lines between architecture and jewellery....

ArchitectureArtDesignInterviewsPeopleProduct Design0 Comments414 views 016 min read

Alan Chan and Stanley Wong Explore Hong Kong’s Design DNA

Sarah KaracsAugust 9, 2017

Very Hong Kong Very Hong Kong digs into the roots of Hong Kong culture and design, laying the groundwork for a future biennale. ...

CinemaCultureDesignFashionProduct Design0 Comments1231 views 110 min read

Made in Hong Kong: A Pioneering Vacuum Flask Finds an Unexpected New Home

Sarah KaracsJune 28, 2017

Camel vacuum flasks have become an emblem of Hong Kong. Now the family-owned brand is expanding in an unusual direction by opening a hotel....

DesignHeritageHistoryProduct Design0 Comments2582 views 07 min read

The End of an Antique Era on Hollywood Road

Edith TerryJune 22, 2017

A legendary family of Hollywood Road antique dealers calls it quits, squeezed by rents and the decline of bricks-and-mortar retail....

HeritageHistoryUsual Suspects & Landmarks0 Comments6417 views 114 min read

Hong Kong Bites: Fantastic Peanut Sweets – Faa Saang Tong 花生糖

Sin Ting YungMay 24, 2017

Sweet, crunchy, chewy and full of energy, peanut candy is one of Hong Kong's favourite treats – and it has a surprisingly long history....

CultureFoodLanguage0 Comments1879 views 04 min read

From Xinjiang to Hong Kong, Uyghur Artist Aniwar Mamat Weaves His Own Path

Sarah KaracsNovember 4, 2016

Born near Kashgar, Aniwar Mamat has swapped paint for woolen felt in a collection of tapestries that offer a rare modern twist on traditional Uyghur craftsmanship....

ArtVisual Art0 Comments777 views 07 min read

What You’ll Be Eating This Chinese New Year in Hong Kong

Janice Leung HayesFebruary 3, 2016

Wherever Chinese people are, you can count on Chinese New Year being celebrated. Every region has its traditions and in Hong Kong, they’re quickly changing too. ...

CultureFoodLanguageTradition0 Comments1740 views 010 min read

Facing Death: The World’s Most Popular Festivals for the Dead

Zoe LiOctober 23, 2015

How do Chung Yeung, Halloween and All Saints' Day stack up?...

CultureTradition0 Comments531 views 09 min read