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Kylie Knott

There is something about Aiden Tsang’s Instagram reels that instantly puts you in a good mood.
The eight-year-old’s videos – a combination of innocence and cuteness, delivered with a huge cheeky smile – are the perfect antidote to much of the inane content flooding social media.
Born in Hong Kong, Tsang, who last year moved with his parents to the Western Australian capital of Perth, admits he is a little homesick.
He misses his extended family, his school friends and the city’s food, such as stir-fried beef chow fun and French toast, which are found in Hong Kong-style cafes known as cha chaan tengs. He also craves egg waffles.
But Tsang has found a creative way to stay connected to his home, thanks to his Instagram account @cantohkaiden, where he shares lessons on how to speak Cantonese.

“I saw some kids teaching English on Instagram and YouTube, and thought I’d like to try being a KOL [key opinion leader] and teach others too,” says Tsang via a video call from Perth. “Since Cantonese is my mother tongue, my dad thought we could teach Cantonese on Instagram while having fun at the same time.”
Tsang’s videos slot into that hard-to-fill space of being both entertaining and educational. He says they are for those who like or want to know more about Hong Kong culture or Cantonese.
Making them has been a family affair, with Tsang’s mother, Ruby, shooting the reels while his father, Benny, edits them. And they are striking a chord.
Set up in August, the account has already amassed almost 38,000 followers.
One post, where Aiden explains the different ways to say thank you in Cantonese, gained almost 50,000 likes and received a comment from Hong Kong-born American comedian and actor Jimmy O. Yang.
“This is the best,” commented O. Yang, who rose to fame in the HBO series Silicon Valley, followed by roles in Crazy Rich Asians and the Netflix comedy series Space Force.


In June, O. Yang, who has 2.7 million IG followers, was in Hong Kong to perform his first stand-up comedy shows in Asia.
Aiden says he did not know who Yang was at first until “dad told me he is a famous actor in Hollywood who came from Hong Kong. I was so surprised.”
Benny, too, was shocked. “I felt flattered to see Jimmy O. Yang and other Hong Kong celebrities leaving comments or liking our reels.”
And while the feedback has been welcome, Benny is fully aware of the dark side of social media and the need for parental controls to protect children from cyberbullying and online predators.
As the administrator of Aiden’s account, Benny plays the vital role of protector. He carefully reviews and filters all comments and has disabled the direct message function.
“I only show Aiden the positive and encouraging messages, and I make sure that he’s protected from any negative or offensive ones.”

He also refrains from telling his son how many Instagram followers he has, as well as the number of views, likes or comments his reels receive.
“I just want him to have fun making the reels and let him do the acting and things he enjoys,” he says.
Some things, however, he cannot protect against.
“Someone using Aiden’s pictures or videos is something we cannot control, but I just hope that people don’t do anything bad with them.”
While Aiden misses Hong Kong, the move to Australia has given him something that he did not have in his home city: the luxury of free time.
A 2019 survey found that almost every primary school child in Hong Kong spends more than an hour a day on homework, with some even spending four or more hours a day.
“When we were living in Hong Kong, we didn’t have time to do videos for social media because Aiden had homework every day, as well as lots of extracurricular activities,” says Benny. “But Australia is more of a life-balance country, so we have more personal time to do our own stuff.”
Aiden’s other big passion is playing the piano, something he has done since the age of four. He is now at grade seven.

He has competed on stage in Hong Kong and Australia, and he placed second at a competition a few weeks ago in Perth. The performance earned him a spot in a national event taking place next month in Melbourne.
“I sometimes get nervous making videos, but not for very long,” says Aiden, whose parents believe his confidence stems from playing piano on stage. “I do a lot of competitions in front of people, which helps me stay calm.”
His favourite classical composers include Mozart and Chopin. He is also a big fan of Lang Lang, the Chinese pianist who has performed with major orchestras around the world. Just like Lang Lang, Aiden would love to travel and play on the global stage.
He also likes the idea of becoming an actor when he grows up, but for now, he is happy doing kid stuff. And it is important work, as his videos help preserve cultural roots and identity.
Cantonese-speaking families, in particular those in diaspora communities, are crucial as they can pass the language down to future generations as a way to combat its decline.
Benny says it is important to preserve the Cantonese language and culture. Just this week, Aiden posted about the Mid-Autumn Festival, where he gives lessons about mooncakes and lanterns.
“Every language or dialect carries its own value and tradition, and each deserves to be respected and passed on,” Benny says. “If any language – not just Cantonese – were to disappear, it would truly be a sad loss.”

As for the reaction to Aiden’s videos, Benny says he is both surprised and grateful.
“I want to say thank you to those who like our videos and follow Aiden’s account. We hope to share the fun of Hong Kong culture and Cantonese with others,” he says.
Most of all, he hopes the videos make people happy.
“We hope Aiden’s smile can bring a little happiness and positive energy to everyone.”
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Aiden Tsang, who last year moved from Hong Kong to Australia, says he misses food found in Hong Kong’s cha chaan tengs. The eight-year-old is charming people on Instagram with his Cantonese lessons. Photo: Aiden Tsang

Tsang misses Hong Kong food such as egg waffles. Photo: Aiden Tsang

Aiden is making Cantonese lessons fun with his wholesome Instagram reels. Photo: Aiden Tsang 

Aiden’s other big passion is playing the piano, something he has done since the age of four. Photo: Aiden Tsang

One post, in which Aiden explains the different ways to say thank you in Cantonese, gained almost 50,000 likes and received a comment from Hong Kong comedian and actor Jimmy O. Yang. Photo: Instagram/cantohkaiden

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Lifestyle

Family & Relationships

Chinese culture

Aiden Tsang makes learning Cantonese fun with his cute Instagram videos that get likes from Jimmy O. Yang and other Hong Kong celebrities


Aiden Tsang makes learning Cantonese fun with his cute Instagram videos that get likes from Jimmy O. Yang and other Hong Kong celebrities.


Want to learn Cantonese? Take lessons from this 8-year-old, who has a fan in Jimmy O. Yang

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Aiden Tsang makes learning Cantonese fun with his cute Instagram videos that get likes from Jimmy O. Yang and other Hong Kong celebrities

Aiden Tsang makes learning Cantonese fun with his cute Instagram videos that get likes from Jimmy O. Yang and other Hong Kong celebrities