#Hong Kong diaspora

[lostinmac]

An Autumn’s Tale (1987)

Dir. Mabel Cheung

[panicinthestudio]

How Beijing targets Chinese Canadians through foreign influence operations, March 3, 2023

Alliance Canada Hong Kong executive director Cherie Wong joined Power & Politics Friday to discuss how Beijing targets Chinese Canadians. Akshay Singh and Dennis Molinaro, two experts in foreign influence operations in Canada, also weigh in on the scale and goals of foreign interference activities in Canada.

CBC News

@allthecanadianpolitics

There is an important distinction being made here that the foreign interference from China seeks to be pervasive by co-opting individuals, institutions, and community groups. The interest and influence is party agnostic and sees us in the Chinese diaspora as an entry point: whether in support of certain electoral and policy outcomes, controlling what information gets propagated into the communities, appropriating issues like discrimination and increasing distrust in our own systems and institutions, or directly and indirectly targeting people of interest.

***

It has been strongly implied in the recent reporting about Chinese interference in Canada that it has been a failing (if not to the benefit) of the Liberal government and Trudeau, rather than systematic attempts to influence Canadian politics and economics for decades coupled with our country’s complete underestimation of China and the United Front.

In my own experience the Chinese-Canadian media and political consumption has undergone an extreme shift into partisanship with clear pro-China and anti-China camps rather than aligning into our political parties.

The faltering of Hong Kong-based press, media, political freedom, and  ties with Taiwan and the greater diaspora community has seriously depleted any sort of moderate and critical voices in English or Chinese coming directly from the region, with writers and journalists re-immigrating or retreating from public view. 

Cold War rhetoric and posturing over Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, as well as exposed espionage and foreign interference operations is opening new fault lines within and directed at diaspora while deepening the isolation of the domestic Chinese population. 

The pop cultural center has moved with the economic affluence into the Mainland, catered to and directly influenced by a network of state-run broadcasters and private corporations ultimately answerable to the Chinese government. It can be difficult to engage with any of it as entertainment let alone to keep up with news without expending a lot of energy consuming it critically.

Tangentially but also related, many of Hong Kong’s pro-democratic political figures (the Hong Kong 47) that interacted with the outside and independent press or engaged other countries in the aftermath of the 2019-2020 protests and subsequent political organizing have been effectively silenced, charged, and/or jailed. They are only now being formally sentenced under the highly controversial Hong Kong national security law.

The political reverberations led to a postponed and then uncontested election for their legislative and executive body without any substantive opposition, the closure of multiple news organizations, civic rights groups and unions, the local polling institute, and the effective silencing of editorial independence at their public broadcaster.

Self-censorship and the chilling affect is extremely strong by those regions directly affected as well as the diaspora communities, out of fear or apathetic hopelessness it is eroding our ability to speak, associate, or engage with these issues freely no matter where we are.

[teafiend]

This ending to “Comrade: Almost a Love Story” (1996) hits as hard as it did more than two decades ago. Hopeful and poignant, it was the perfect ending 👏🏽

The movie is so, so fabulous ⭐️

An oldie favourite, I am struck anew by how stunning and accomplished Maggie Cheung is 🌸🤩👏🏽

#甜蜜蜜

[sixohsixoheightfourtwo]

just re the british chinese food discourse - the british library has this great audio clip and transcript from Woon Wing Yip who came to the UK from Hong Kong in the 1950s - he started out in restaurants & later started a chain of supermarkets. here's their transcript -

Wing Yip discusses Chinese restaurants:

The Chinese restaurant - we came the right time, in the right place and do it right. That's why so many Chinese. Up to the middle sixties, after nine o'clock or in the evening, you go out for a meal, there are two places you go - either you buy fish and chips which closes at ten o'clock, half past ten, or you go into a hotel where the last order is half past nine. Or you could go to Wimpey cafeteria. The Chinese came along, opened a restaurant and we put a carpet down, we put a tablecloth down. Before that restaurant, you only got a carpet and a tablecloth and a waiter service only in hotels, which were beyond ordinary means, ordinary people's means and they close half past nine. And other than that, Wimpey, cup of tea, a bun or fish and chips. The Chinese bring the tablecloth, carpet, lower it and bring the fish restaurant up above it, right hit the niche market. Open eleven o'clock - the pub close half past ten, eleven. The last order in the pub is eleven, we open half past eleven so we hit it. At the right time, doing the right thing and do it right. And for the first time, the British had more money to spend, from middle sixties on. Right hit it on the nail.

...

In Yorkshire bread and butter - everyone come in and wanted bread and butter as well. They wanted curry chicken and rice and with bread and butter. Curry, something, bread and butter, mixed grill bread and butter, everything bread and butter. We had a little department attached to the tea and coffee side, got two English ladies that every day for two, three hours, doing bread and butters. You know, for two hours for lunchtime - everybody bread and butter. When the menu, we say 'curry chicken and chips, or rice'. To begin with a lot of people were like 'curry chicken, and chips', not rice - and bread and butter. The chef made the curry sauce, the chef buy the curry powders, and with the other few powders, get together spices, put the onions, orange peel everything, they boiled it for hours, mixed them. Very good.

What other things were on the menu?

Half Chinese, half English. Mixed grill, fillet steak, pork chop, omelettes. No Chinese restaurant outside London would not have English menu because they're still in the process of changing. That's why the Chinese do it right - we can not say in 50s, 60s and 70s, say you had had Chinese food. Say 4 people come in, if 3 of them want Chinese, 1 do Chinese, the second has omelette or salad or something. We do it right, we don't insist to say you have to have Chinese. Food is a culture, food is a culture - you cannot change people in one year. In those days, in those days in the 50s, I think a lot of people never had Chinese food before. They go in the Chinese restaurant because the other English restaurant close at half past nine, their last order, so they came out after half past nine they go to Chinese restaurant and they ask for mixed grill - in Yorkshire mixed grill is very popular.

Did people ever make negative comments about Chinese food at that time?

Oh yes, they say a lot of things, they say a lot - the main thing, we're standing outside, there's a menu, they say 'sweet and sour pork', everybody think, 'sweet and sour pork? Sweet and sour?' They are very sarcastic. They couldn't understand how can a thing be sweet and sour at the same time. Until they taste it - it is.

[chubbygaysunite]

If anyone from Hong Kong or speaks Cantonese sees this I would love it if You could reply and give me some notes on names I’ve chosen, and also if the familial terms I’ve found are correct!

Yeung Jyun-Fa — using the characters for ‘poplar’, ‘to wish’, and ‘flower’, I wanted to make a name that meant ‘the poplar wishing for/awaiting flowers’ as a nod to the story’s themes.

Yeung Tai-Song — using the characters for ‘poplar’, ‘to weep aloud/cry’, and ‘to kowtow’, I’m trying to make a name that means ‘the poplar weeps and kowtows’ as foreshadowing to the character’s arc.

Sai loh — I have been told this is a colloquial terms for ‘little brother’.

Sai mui — the same for ‘little sister’.

Sing-si — the term for the family name’s Chinese character.

Is this all correct?? And further more would these romanizations be appropriate approximations for a story written in english?

[cassphos]

people have a lot of opinions about hong kong and china but i don't think defending british imperialism is the hill you want to die on

[kaxen]

I keep getting Chinese spam texts and it's like joke's on you, I can't even read that!

[venus-light]

renaissance in the 21st century

[outragedtortilla]

So, I do not include any official pronunciation, but represent the Cantonese diaspora of imperfect, incorrect but widespread pronunciations, clownishly embarrassing noun replacements, for the Full Diaspora Experience.

Lucy dan

[panicinthestudio]

Former Hong Kong bookstore begins new chapter in upstate New York, July 30, 2024

From 2021 to 2022, Hong Kong experienced its biggest population drop since record-keeping began more than 60 years ago. Tens of thousands left because of strict COVID-19 policies and a crackdown on civil liberties by Beijing. Special correspondent Christopher Booker spent time with an American couple part of this exodus and reports on their journey for our arts and culture series, CANVAS. PBS NewsHour

[iron-sparrow]

Elftober 【第十二天】 Knowledge

Yeah, that's a cup of pearl milk tea in Yein's hand. I'm using today's prompt ✨KNOWLEDGE✨ as an excuse to drop some mad unsolicited facts about the popular Taiwanese beverage. What's the occasion? Some dumb racist motherfuckers going viral, particular in the English-speaking Asian social media sphere.

So anyway, pearl milk tea (珍珠奶茶) originated in Taiwan (ROC) back in the 1980s. Some of you likely hear bubble or boba milk tea more; the "bubble" refers to the literal bubbles (泡泡) that form when shaking the tea, while "boba" refers to the enlarged tapioca balls. Yes, "boba" is actually derived from Chinese slang for large breasts, coming from Hong Kong sex symbol Amy Yip.

You'll find plenty of trivia all over the Internet about tapioca milk tea, but I want to stress the importance of this drink as a cultural icon for an entire nation that has struggled for decades to be recognized by world governments as its own country.

In Taiwan, bubble tea has become not just a beverage, but an enduring icon of the culture and food history for the nation. In 2020, the date April 30 was officially declared as National Bubble Tea Day in Taiwan. That same year, the image of bubble tea was proposed as an alternative cover design for Taiwan's passport. According to Al Jazeera, bubble tea has become synonymous with Taiwan and is an important symbol of Taiwanese identity both domestically and internationally. Bubble tea is used to represent Taiwan in the context of the Milk Tea Alliance.

Ignore your own feelings about pearl milk tea for a moment to simply appreciate its cultural impact around the world and how much that means to the millions of Asians spread around the globe. Here is a drink that came out of a Chinese-speaking nation that's been so widely accepted in its most basic form, without having to be altered ten different ways to be more palatable and marketable toward locals. It's a big deal, really, especially given the Western world's longstanding xenophobia toward Chinese people and just about everything we do or eat or whatever. While Japanese and Korean cuisines have enjoyed elevated pop status (double-edged blade there), the information war against Chinese continues and affects how we are perceived versus other Far Eastern ethnicities.

And how many instances have we seen by now of White people attempting to "rebrand" Chinese food (and mahjong lol) by claiming to have discovered a healthier, cleaner way to make it? Further perpetuating the belief that Chinese food is unhealthy or dirty, which can't be separated from the enduring sentiment that we are vermin or a virus since immigration out of China to NA became a noticeable trend in the 1800s.

The latest racist nitwits attempting to colonize for profit is a couple who appeared on Dragon's Den (like Shark Tank but Canadian, for those who didn't know) trying to get backing for their Montreal-based company, Bobba. Yeah. They fucking called it "Bobba."

"Yes, I'm talking about bubble tea: that trendy, sugary drink you are queueing up for, and you are never quite sure about its content. Those days are over with Bobba."

With their whole chests, these people had the caucasity to pitch this company to a panel that included Simu Liu, who has always been very outspoken about struggles unique to the Asian diaspora.

When grilled by Liu over their disrespect toward the origin culture, the idiot with the leopard-print collar went on to say "it's not an ethnical product anymore," because he and his business partner threw in popping bobas and fruit teas and juices. Hey, newsflash, chucklefucks ⸺ popping boba pearls and fruit teas/juices are also staples for most modern Chinese tea shops.

Simu Liu was the only one of the three panelists to offer scrutiny, even pointing out that the products the couple offered did not mention anything about Taiwan, despite the one guy's attempts to win Liu over by saying they're working with a Taiwanese manufacturer.

The couple is being torn apart online for very good reason, and I'm an even bigger fan of Simu Liu after his very eloquent summation of why Bobba (ugh) and the way it's being pitched is so problematic.

To quote author and journalist Kat Lieu, who founded Subtle Asian Baking ⸺

It's not that selling boba or other Asian products is wrong, but the issue arises when they're marketed as superior or "better" while portraying the original product as inferior, strange, unhealthy, or dirty and make a profit. It's crucial not to erase the identity and culture from which these products originate. To the person who said I appropriate the French when I make madeleines, tell that to my colonized Vietnamese ancestors who were forced to bake baguette for their colonizers

Before you come at me about not liking the texture of boba pearls or the flavor of traditional milk tea or whatever, bear in mind most legit tea shops will offer a variety of drinks with different toppings. Look around, explore your options, and most importantly, do not support colonizers.

Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'm gonna go get me some fruit teas with diced kiwi and aiyu jelly.

Back to your regularly scheduled Elftober tomorrow.

ELFTOBER PROMPT LIST

[letsrevince]

an excellent read on 1000xRESIST (very spoiler heavy) about the Chinese diaspora, Hong Kong and generational trauma

[soapdish290]

I just played 1000xRESIST.

My first thought was "oh this has vaguely breathy voice acting with oodles of weight this is my shit" Shortly later I assumed "ooh I'm playing a smol gay girl from Hong Kong that's cool" This was followed by "oh no I'm actually playing a lightly terrible teen from Hong Kong, complex!" Then I began to understand "...I'm playing a clone who is witnessing the life of a lightly terrible teen?" "The teen has issues?" "There's a cycle of issues, oh no" "oh." "oh." "Oh!" Then it was "oh"s all the way down for about 12 more hours with a fair bit of weeping and sobbing and some very undignified noises

I'm trying to recommend this game but I'm fucking sucking at it because it's 10am and I've spent the last 16 straight hours playing the entirety of this game and every part of my body woke up during the credits and started screaming at me

And this is NOT a good state to be in as far as wording good enough to describe the themes in this fucking game. If you like:

Exploring the cycle of violence and abuse and the desolation caused therein

Exploring the end of the world

The last 2 episodes of Evangelion

Grief and Loss on scales personal and unimaginable

Explorations of immortality

What it means to experience Time and Memory non-linearly

Alternate ways of existing in a temporal space

Alien understandings of Life

Consequences

Love

Explorations of childhood

Coming of age stories

Stories about Asian Diaspora

or Sobbing and Crying

Then you should play this fucking game holy fucking balls I can't recommend it enough.

[sophiebaek]

Asian Sophie fancast! ✨

I literally drafted this post a week ago and with the news of the potential Sophie casting call I feel like it was a sign to share my thoughts 😊

—————————

This is all for fun and as Sophie’s arrival seems to be getting closer and more inevitable, so here are some of my Sophie fancasts! As a SEA woman I would love to see representation in the Bton universe and have always pictured Sophie as Asian. [EDIT] With the assumed confirmation that Sophie will be East Asian I’ve included actresses that I love and have been fancast of mine for some time; these actresses are all East Asian (chosen before the casting call) but I also want to call to attention the lack of non-East Asian representation we see at this time. Fancast are at the end!

This is a good time to bring up what Asian representation even looks like since the continent is so big! I will be referencing this Variety article.

So we’ve seen that Asian representation has had a “significant increase of Asian characters from 3% to 16% over the course of 2007 to 2022” and while that seems like a step in the right direction it’s clear that the entirety of Asia is still not represented in media.

The release of 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians saw the increase of Asian stories and characters; but only “90% of the most visible of Asian characters on streaming platforms were a light or medium complexion”. Right now Asian representation is mainly centered around East Asians, and while any representation is good it’s important to be knowledgeable that not all Asian people are descended from that area.

There is a large disparity on how we view the term “Asian”. There are so many ethnicities that are beautiful and deserve representation. A larger representation needs to be seen within the Asian diaspora and also mindfulness to avoid common tropes and stereotypes is extremely important.

Any ways, here are some of my favorite fancasts I have right now! Conveniently all of these actresses are mixed race and with the obvious fact that Lady Cowper’s name is Araminta, it’s assumed Sophie is somehow related to them (which is a choice I do not agree with if now that Sophie is casted as a POC).

Natasha Liu Bordizzo (29)

Known for: Ashoka, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, The Voyeurs

Ethnicity: Born in Australia, Chinese/Italian

Netflix connection: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, Wish Dragon, The Society

Obviously Natasha is busy with her Star Wars projects but she’s been a longtime Sophie face claim for me!

Havana Rose Liu (26)

Known for: Bottoms

Ethnicity: Born in the USA, Chinese/White

Netflix connection: The Chair

The whole time I was watching BOTTOMS I was just so mesmerized by her beauty! She has this ethereal gracefulness that really makes me think of Sophie!

Adeline Rudolph (29)

Known for: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Resident Evil

Ethnicity: Born in Hong Kong, Korean/German

Netflix connection: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Resident Evil

Adeline always caught my attention in CAOS and I wanted to see more of her! She also has quite a bit of projects lined up rn but I’ve loved using her in some edits!

[mah-o-daryaa]

ATLA Modern AU: Avatar Edition

This is going to be a slightly different post. I don't think people ever consider the past Avatars in an AU set in a modern setting. Where do you think they would come from, if they had IRL nationalities?

For sake of simplicity, let's say the AU takes place in the United States, since most ATLA Modern AU fics I've read take place there, mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area. We could also use NYC as the setting, since Republic City is roughly based on 1920's Manhattan. I think this task would be much easier if we consider the real-life influences for each of the four nations. I'll be using this post as a reference for these influences.

For example, the Air Nomads are based off of Tibetan Buddhists with some Nepalese and Bhutanese influences, so it would be pretty obvious to make Aang Tibetan in a Modern AU. The same would also go for Yangchen, although I would personally prefer Bhutanese or Sikkimese Yangchen because the Western Air Temple (I'm not talking about the episode) is inspired by Bhutanese cliffside temples. Another option would be making both Aang and Yangchen part of a Tibetan diaspora living in India. Kyoshi, being half-Air Nomad, would also be of Tibetan ancestry.

The Fire Nation is inspired by a combination of Chinese and Japanese cultures, while Ember Island being inspired by Southeast Asian, mostly Thai and Cambodian culture. In a Modern AU, I can see Roku being Thai, while Wan and Szeto would most likely be Chinese, Szeto is from Hong Kong/Macau. I also have a particular desire for Korean Wan, for no other reason than the fact that his VA, Steven Yeun, is Korean. I also wouldn't mind Wan being part of a Chinese diaspora from Malaysia or Singapore.

The Earth Kingdom, being the largest and most diverse of the four nations, is inspired by many Chinese dynasties, various ethnic minority groups in China, and even other Asian cultures altogether. However, we'll be paying attention to one specific cultural influence in Kyoshi's appearance: Heian/Edo Japan. She wears samurai gear and kabuki makeup. How in the name of the Moon Spirit am I not supposed to make Kyoshi Japanese (half-Japanese, anyway)? Kyoshi Island, formerly known as Yokoya, is literally ATLA's equivalent to Japan in the real world. There are even Ainu influences in Kyoshi Island, what with the clothing of the people in Suki's village.

The last nation is the Water Tribes, and the last two Avatars left are Kuruk and Korra. Now, the Water Tribes actually have a more diverse range of cultural influences than what we might expect. According to both @atlaculture and @kkachi95, the SWT is based on Inuit, Yupik and other First Nation peoples, with some Polynesian influences as well. The NWT, in addition to these influences, is also influenced by Mongolian and Siberian peoples. Since Kuruk is from the NWT, in a Modern AU, he would probably be Siberian, mostly Yakut, but I wouldn't mind Mongolian Kuruk either. For Korra, since she is half-NWT and half-SWT, I think she would be mixed like Kyoshi, except Korra would probably be half-Inuit, half-Yupik. I also want Kuruk and Korra to be part of a Mongolian or Central Asian diaspora living in Russia (I'll admit, I'm only saying this because I really want them to speak Russian), but that probably wouldn't work due to the differences in their cultures in-universe.

I have an idea for a Modern AU involving the Avatars, as well as their backstories for said AU, but that's for another time. For now, I turn this question over to you guys, and I want to know your thoughts on my nationality headcanons.