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Cantonese

Cantonese
Cantonese is a southern Chinese dialect, which is an integral part of Hong Kong’s identity and culture.
Lavitt Ko and Theo Ko are revitalising their family cha chaan teng in Tai Wai with milk tea raves and beatbox parties. Photo: Sam Tsang
Food and Drinks

From milk tea raves to night tea: how Hong Kong restaurants fight to survive

As the city’s Cantonese restaurants vanish at a rate of nearly one a week, a new generation of chefs and restaurateurs asks what can be saved – and what must change.

Food and Drinks

What is authentic Chaoshan cuisine? Depends on who you ask

Education in Hong Kong

Opinion | In Hong Kong, language policy can’t be separated from politics

Food and Drinks

What truly defines the melting pot that is Cantonese cuisine?

The region’s diverse food culture spans Cantonese, Chiu Chow and Hakka cuisines, each with unique traditions yet interconnected flavours.

Sea cucumber, tofu fish mousse and Mapo minced pork represent different cultural traditions all brought together in a single dish at Hong Kong Cuisine 1983. Photos: Handout
Education in Hong Kong

Hong Kong school withdraws graduation video guideline on Cantonese after backlash

Good Hope School has expressed regret and withdrawn guidance after a viral post alleged Cantonese was banned from graduation videos.

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Performing arts in Hong Kong

‘Far too slow’: Hong Kong theatre legend on boosting city’s performing arts

Fredric Mao has launched a new foundation to strengthen Hong Kong theatre as mainland China’s arts scene grows at ‘incredible speed’.

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Chinese overseas

Being Chinese | A Singaporean in Guangzhou wonders: why do I feel so at home here?

Guangzhou set me at ease in a way other cities didn’t. I began to understand what it means to be descended from early Chinese migrants.

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The city skyline rises over a canal in an urban village in Guangzhou, in southern China’s Guangdong province, on April 16. Photo: AFP
Social media

Want to learn Cantonese? These influencers are sparking a Canto revival

Influencers like Uncle Donnie, Andrew Bui and Mihi Matshingana are connecting a Cantonese-speaking diaspora and inspiring learning.

Singapore

Do Singapore ministers watch films? Joke raises hackles amid dialect debate

The culture minister’s quip about being too busy to go to the cinema has some critics jumping up from their seats.

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Hong Kong society

How to say ‘tomato sauce’ in Cantonese? Miss Hong Kong hopeful sparks debate

Clips of mainland contestants’ attempts to speak Cantonese go viral, triggering criticism and debate over cultural identity.

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Contestants for the Miss Hong Kong Pageant 2026. Photo: Handout
Food and Drinks

A food critic’s top Hong Kong restaurants for sushi, Cantonese and Chiu Chow

Entertainment journalist Eileen Cha, who grew up on Cantonese and Hunanese food, says she has a split personality palate.

Ho Ho Chak, which means “delicious” in the Teochew dialect, is a popular Chiu Chow restaurant in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui district.
Chinese culture

This Cantonese language course is 85% Mandarin speakers. Here’s why

Originally targeting heritage speakers, the University of British Columbia’s language programme is proving more popular among another group.

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Hong Kong property

How a European agent won one of Hong Kong’s most exclusive luxury flat listings

A Finnish national turned a two-week trip into a new career, and now manages high-end listings in one of the world’s top real estate markets.

Asia travel

The Chinese city where waffles, watchtowers and world history meet

Guangdong’s ‘hometown of overseas Chinese’ is where architecture and cuisine created by returning émigrés reveal how culture flows both ways.

The Tower of Heavenly Success with the Tan River in the background, in Majianglong, Taishan. Photo: Graeme Kennedy
Lunar New Year

Being Chinese | The great Chinese New Year divide and how I bridged it

After sitting through the Spring Festival Gala with mainland Chinese friends, I had to introduce them to a delightful ritual from Singapore.

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Children hold up calligraphy banners they have just received for Chinese New Year in Singapore on January 29, ahead of the holiday. Photo: Xinhua
My Life

He thought his life was a failure. Then he wrote it down.

The author of I Deliver Parcels in Beijing, a viral account of China’s gig economy, will appear at the Hong Kong International Literary Festival in March.

Food and Drinks

10 great Lunar New Year food and drink gifts available in Hong Kong

From chic hampers with abalone and nuts to local gin, these gifts are great for giving – and sharing – to ring in the Year of the Horse 2026.

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Education in Hong Kong

Will allowing more Hong Kong schools to use English be too testing for pupils?

After decades of debate, authorities and schools sector say time is right to adjust the language policy but some argue move is mainly political.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Hong Kong society

Letters | Vulnerable families in Hong Kong simply must master Cantonese

Readers discuss the transformative power of a trilingual skill set, public awareness of the shark fin problem, and how to increase public participation in recycling.

Chinese culture

7 horse-themed Chinese idioms to use during the Year of the Horse

Horses symbolise strength, speed and health in Chinese culture. Here are seven sayings based on the animal, with Cantonese pronunciations.

Chinese culture

Lunar New Year greetings in Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese and Hokkien

The Year of the Horse 2026 will be welcomed across China with blessings for money, health and more. Here are common ones and their meanings.

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A woman holds Lunar New Year decorations. Throughout China, greetings in various dialects will be exchanged to welcome the Year of the Horse. Here are some of them and their meanings. Photo: Shutterstock
On Our Radar

A Napa legend, a Cantonese feast and a very bold pairing

The Californian vineyard that stunned the wine world 50 years ago is being paired with Cantonese cuisine.

The Napa Valley’s Château Montelena is collaborating with Hong Kong restaurant Lai Ching Heen for a wine pairing dinner. Photo: courtesy Château Montelena
Hong Kong

7 stories from 2025 that made us feel good, including a Jimmy O. Yang interview

Need a feel-good boost? We revisit seven uplifting stories from the year, showcasing Hong Kong artists, adorable Cantonese teachers and more.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Wicked songs in Cantonese? New online series champions Hong Kong talent

Songs like ‘Popular’ and ‘What Is This Feeling’ have been painstakingly translated for the ‘Wicked in Canto’ series on YouTube and Instagram.

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Hong Kong society

Opinion | Simplified Chinese for tests? Rigid education system needs proper reform

School’s aim to provide a ‘more friendly assessment system’ is ironic, given Hong Kong’s failure to provide an inclusive environment for ethnic minority students.

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Shatin Government Primary School at Sun Tin Wai is seen on November 6. The government school issued a circular to parents saying pupils could use simplified characters in tests. Photo: Edmond So
Food and Drinks

Chinese restaurant owner Amy Poon gets steamy at her new London joint

With open flames banned in the 18th-century building overlooking the Thames that houses Poon’s at Somerset House, Poon had to get creative.

Steamed pork belly with shrimp paste is one of Poon’s favourite dishes, and is on the menu at Poon’s at Somerset House. Photo: Joe Woodhouse
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Why new documentary on Beyond’s Wong Ka-kui only tells part of the story

Because of You – Ka Kui, about the life of the Hong Kong frontman, is marred by the same issues that tore Beyond apart after his death.

Food and Drinks

What is Shandong cuisine? Chefs’ Hong Kong dinners bring out food’s best

Chef Wang Haoquan’s Shandong cuisine and Tsang Chiu-King’s Cantonese dishes were a match made in heaven at recent dinners in Hong Kong.

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