Hong Kong 香港
Regional differences in Cantonese vocabulary
Pop or soda? Trash can or rubbish bin? Lexical differences in the names of daily objects exist in regional varieties of Cantonese, just like in English. Most regional differences develop from tradition. Guangdong Cantonese uses vocabulary that most closely resembles Mandarin, while Hong Kong Cantonese uses another set of terms. Here are some examples: Air-conditioning [...]
Cantonese in Other Cultures – My Boss, My Hero
Today we will be looking at a Japanese drama called “My Boss, My Hero.” This drama is about a 27-year-old high school dropout/gang member named Makio. Makio strives to succeed his father and become the next boss leader of the gang. However, Makio is not very bright. Thus, his father forces him to pose as [...]
Second Language? Native Language? Cantonese?
Hello there, it has been a long while and I apologize for the very late update. It has come to my knowledge in regards to the existence of Cantonese as a language used by people in the 80′s – 90′s generations has become a “secondary language” or perhaps just “another language” meaning that people in [...]
Cantonese in Other Cultures – Jackie Chan Adventures
Cantonese in Other Cultures is a new segment that points out the existence of Cantonese in other cultures. Today we will be looking at Jackie Chan Adventures, a US cartoon series that aired on the WB from 2000-2005. This animated series revolves around the life of a fictionalized version of the Hong Kong superstar Jackie [...]
Jacky Cheung – Spotlight on a Legend
Hi everyone! As an avid follower of Hong Kong media, my main job here will be to express my opinions on the many aspects of the entertainment business. Since this is just a launch-off for my more-to-come rants, I shall start with a subject that everyone SHOULD know about! The famous “四大天王”, or more uncommonly [...]
Some Oldie’s Songs
I was listening to some oldies Cantonese songs from the 90′s on Youtube. Just thought I share some with you here. They’re all female songs in the 90′s, with one exception of non-Cantonese singer. Somehow, I think these songs transmit a special kind of sentimental feeling much better than the new canto-singers. I guess that’s what [...]
每當變幻時
最近，我看了一套兩年前暑假上演的戲。 http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/AEOCFyOONyM/ 戲名叫“每當變幻時”陳奕迅，楊千嬅領銜主演，話說他們都是在街市謀生的年青人，面對1997的轉變。他們十年的經歷，夾雜住香港這十年來發生過的事情。戲的高峰，他們的街市，隨着香港的進步，也要面臨淘汰。這套戲令我思考這些很實在的問題。 城市的繁榮是要它不停的renew，不停的改革才會得到進步。這點，我明白。街市是我們對上一輩的地方，甚麼“豬肉榮”的名字也是從街市來的。家庭主婦早上打完牌，湊小朋友放學前去街市買餸。日子耐了，和其他師奶談説家裏的事，和賣豬賣菜賣魚的老闆建立友誼，這些地道草根文化也是珍貴的。很可惜，城市的發展令企業商人推出超級市場這個地方。乾淨的地方加上實惠的價錢，十個印花送你一卷廁紙的心理策略，師奶很難不就範，街市的死亡是必然的。
Chopsticks Taboo: Don’t Stab Your Rice!
Today, let’s get into a little bit more of the culture in China. I have only seen this more with Cantonese people and I am not sure if Northern Chinese people follow the same practice. I am pretty sure you have heard about a lot of this regarding Japanese culture; it’s more or less very [...]
Qixi (Chatjik): Story of Chinese Valentine’s Day
I have to first apologize for missing such an important day in Chinese culture! According to the Chinese Lunar Calendar (農曆), today’s date is 蘭月初十 meaning the “10th day of the 7th month.” Therefore three days ago it was 蘭月初七 which likewise meant the “7th day of the 7th month.” The significance of this is [...]
Cantonese Singer Spotlight: G.E.M. Tang
Earlier I mentioned how many people have been starting to think that Hong Kong (香港) and or Cantonese (廣東話) music has dropped greatly in quality in the past few years. There are not that many good singers as there was before in and often times some people begin to believe the singers they have are [...]
