The Panama (1996) is a documentary film chronicling the Chan family of Victoria, B.C. One of the oldest Chinese families in Victoria, they owned and operated several restaurants, ending with the Panama Cafe on Government Street from around 1930 until 1967. Chan Dun, at the age of twelve, landed in Victoria in the 1880s, and [...]
When it came time for kindergarten, like all the other parents, my mother tearfully dropped me off, assuring me that I would have fun. “Are you from China?” the boy next to me whispered. A timid child, my eyes widened…but I didn’t speak. He turned away, and I was relieved that the encounter was over. [...]
In the first half of the 20th century, Japan extended its imperialist hegemony over China. During the Second World War, Japan occupied the eastern half of China. During China’s War of Resistance against Japan in WWII (193-1945), my mother and I faced many desperate times, but there [...]
The most brilliant Chinese woman writer was the topic of a highly interactive lecture at the University of Toronto on February 11, 2010. For 90 minutes, the Council Chamber at the Scarborough was not only filled with recitations of Li Qingzhao poetry, but also with well crafted, relaxed, and straightforward remarks by Professor Wei Djao. [...]
A recent panel presentation about Chinese Canadians by Tony Chan, Professor of Communications at University of Ontario Institute of Institute, and Ling Zhang, an award-winning novelist, was held recently at Cheng Yu Tang East Asian Library, University of Toronto. Dr. Helen Wu was the discussant.
More than 60 people from the community and [...]
Happiness, Good Health, Safety and Prosperity to our readers!
Chinese New Year begins on Sunday, February 14. It will be 庚寅年 gengyin year. More commonly it will be referred to as the Year of the Tiger. Here are Jerry King’s predictions for the Year of the Tiger from the Yijing (易經) Hexagrams (卦).
There are [...]
It’s a truism that Cuban food relies on black bean and rice. But there’s more to just that staple to gladden the palate and heighten the senses. At the Barcelo Solymar (meaning Sun and Sea) Resort in Varadero, one of the five restaurants available to guests is its Cuban Grill known as Sol y Arena [...]
I. Cicada sister still lies still,
Her cheeks the rhythmic sound required,
For me to sleep while she sucks against her cheeks
with tiny whispers and clicks.
I feel safer under these sheets trying,
To find some rest then I did when she wasn’t sleeping above me.
She holds her blankets to breathe,
The scents her soothing, gentle softness,
That bring her to [...]
The Chinese have a great tradition of keeping things for their descendants. Most families would have some kind of heirloom that has been handed down from generation to generation. Jewelry, rare books, paintings, scrolls of calligraphy, mementos from emperors, whether they are of monetary value or not, are priceless to their collectors and keepers.
Other cultures [...]
A recent vacation to China brought us face to face with a modern version of our heritage. The culture shock was palpable, especially for those of us who were uninitiated and unprepared. Such views as the throngs of people on every city block, the mix of old and modern, and the wealth of [...]
A dish of multicultural flavours: South Asian, Caribbean and Canadian!
You will need:
20 Chicken Feet
1 head of garlic or 3 tablespoons ground or minced garlic
1 Onion
3 tablespoons of Geeta’s seasoning (available in Asian and West Indian markets or the West Indian isle at many popular grocery stores)
3 tablespoons Curry Powder
1 large tomato (chopped)
1 Lemon or [...]
South of the Yucatan Peninsula and east of Guatemala is one of the best hole-in-the-wall joints for Chinese food north of the equator. An hour by water taxi from Belize City on a small island known as Caye Caulker is Chan’s Fast Food, a weather-beaten blue wooden plank shack with a hinged wooden panel propped [...]
Meiling Cao has provided us with a recipe for another delicious dish. And it is vegetarian too!
Combine and heat the following in a saucepan:
1 cup of water
2 pieces star anise spice
US$700 billion can buy you lots of things. Or, have you ever thought of that you would have that much money? If you were given $700 billion, what would you have done? The US government decided
The Panama (1996) is a documentary film chronicling the Chan family of Victoria, B.C. One of the oldest Chinese families in Victoria, they owned and operated several restaurants, ending with the Panama Cafe on Government Street from around 1930 until 1967. Chan Dun, at the age of twelve, landed in Victoria in the 1880s, and [...]
Lee Hon Ming
After shutting the shop doors and washing the smell of fatigue and salt fish from his body, Lee Hon Ming, known in the town of Old Harbour, Jamaica, as Charley Lee, would cast his mind back to the classic poetry he imbibed as a youth in China and continue to compose poems in [...]
In the first half of the 20th century, Japan extended its imperialist hegemony over China. During the Second World War, Japan occupied the eastern half of China. During China’s War of Resistance against Japan in WWII (193-1945), my mother and I faced many desperate times, but there [...]
Section from “Qingming Festival on the River” by Zhang Zeduan, Northern Song dynasty
A sensational exhibit at the China Pavilion of the Shanghai EXPO 2010 is the animated rendition of a Northern Song dynasty (960 – 1127 CE) painting “Qingming Festival on the River” (also translated as “Along the River during the Ching-ming Festival”) by Zhang [...]
There will be a grand celebration of the Hakka (Kejia 客家) origin of many Chinese on Sunday, 11th July, 2010, at the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto.*
The Hakka people are a branch of the Han Chinese who experienced several major migrations in their long history. They left the Yellow River region in northern [...]
As Canada engages the 21st century, the Chinese in Canada have finally emerged from the 19th century notion that they are still the children of Gold Mountain with its attendant artifacts of the Head Tax, exclusion mentality, and an urge to return to the motherland of China. The 2006 census indicated that that there were [...]
Images of U.S. President Barack Obama bending almost ninety degrees at the waist, hand extended in a handshake with Emperor Heisei of Japan plaster the news. Headlines scream their criticism at the American leader bowing down to another. God forbid the superpower of America should show any deference as it would be a sign of [...]
I have always identified myself as “Canadian” despite my Chinese heritage. Yet the Olympics in Beijing this summer brought out some deep buried
