CNTO: Cantonese Language Courses
The University of British Columbia is the only Canadian university to offer a comprehensive, for-credit Cantonese language program.
For the most up-to-date information on the UBC Cantonese Language Program, please visit cantonese.arts.ubc.ca.
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Instructors
Raymond Pai is Lecturer of Cantonese at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. He teaches all levels of Cantonese courses and collaborates with the local community and organizations on various projects related to Cantonese and its culture. He received his MA in Linguistics and TESOL certificate from Brigham Young University. Having taught Chinese at the Defense Language Institute and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California, he also worked as a certified translator and interpreter in California, and currently is the Cantonese examiner for the University of Arizona. A native of Hong Kong, Raymond’s research and teaching interests include language learning motivation, language technology and testing, and psycholinguistics. He is also a performer in music and theatre both locally and on stages across the globe.
Zoe Lam is a sessional lecturer at UBC Asian Studies, where she teaches Basic Cantonese for Mandarin Speakers. She received her B.A. in Modern Languages and Intercultural Studies and M.Phil. in Linguistics from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and had taught a variety of language-related subjects at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Recently she received her Ph.D. in Linguistics at UBC, where she did research on Cantonese phonetics and heritage language maintenance in Canada. Her Ph.D. project investigates how heritage speakers of Cantonese in Canada perceive tones. As an advocate of knowledge mobilization, Zoe works closely with community members, and was the instructor of a Cantonese Saturday School held at the historic Mon Keang School in Vancouver Chinatown. She was invited to speak about her Cantonese-related academic and community work at local and international media outlets, including CBC Radio, Vancouver Sun, Metro News, Fairchild Radio, South China Morning Post, and Singtao Daily.
Liam Doherty is a sessional lecturer teaching in the Cantonese Language Program, with a background in Chinese as an Additional Language Education and a particular interest in digital literacy and multilingualism, translation, corpus linguistics, and the use of open data-driven digital tools to help better understand, learn, and teach languages. He has previously taught Chinese Grammar and Usage I & II in the Department of Asian Studies, as well as courses on Translation and Global Citizenship in the Department of Language and Literacy Education.
ASIA 323/HIST 377: History of Cantonese Worlds
This course traces the evolution and transformation of the multi-faceted Cantonese worlds, both in the context of the history of China and that of the Cantonese diaspora. The goal is to help students understand the worlds forged by those who have come to be identified as “Cantonese” and how such worlds have intersected or overlapped with other political, commercial, or cultural realms. This course traces the construction of “Cantonese” as a category or identity and examines how Cantonese languages, beliefs, and practices—in short, culture—could broaden or challenge our understanding of “Chinese-ness.” Our geographic focus will be on the Cantonese worlds of present-day South China, but attention will also be given to the Cantonese communities in the greater Pacific region.
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What are “Cantonese worlds”?
What is the significance of the “Cantonese worlds”?
Why are there so many dim sum restaurants?
What could students expect to learn?
In the media
卑詩大學新課程教授廣東人歷史 [OMNI Cantonese (BC)]
全球首設唐人世界課程 UBC 開班研究華南歷史 [Singtao Daily (Vancouver)]
Instructor (2022W)
Dr. Clement Tong is Visiting Assistant Professor of the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. He is currently a lecturer of Greek and Hebrew languages at the Vancouver School of Theology, and teaches a course on Hong Kong’s history and current events at the Kwantlen Polytechnic University. He is also the Global Mandarin Program Administrator at ACTS, and an adjunct professor of the Trinity Western University. Having worked as a certified translator in Canada for many years, he is interested in translation theories and practices as well as how they are related to the notions of identities and transcultural communication. He is the author of Revelation and Text: Story of the Chinese Bible (1807–1919), Authority and Breakthrough: Chinese Bible Translations in the Modern Time, and is involved in several Hong Kong-themed projects that have resulted in works including “The Hong Kong Week of 1967 and the Emergence of Hong Kong Identity Through Contradistinction” and “Translating Memories — The Fight over Pikachu in Hong Kong.” He is currently working on a project regarding the study and writing of the Cantonese language in 19th century China.
ASIA 324: Literature of Hong Kong
This course explores the literature of Hong Kong from the late 19th century up to the present. Its goals are to introduce to students the transformation and basic features of Hong Kong literature, the works of important writers, and to further their skills in literary appreciation and analysis. This course encourages students to critically consider how meaning is constructed in local, national and international contexts.
Information for 2021W:
This course introduces the literature of Hong Kong from the late-19th century to the 21st century, with a goal to explore how the stories of Hong Kong are narrated and mediated over time. Through the lens of different literary forms and genres not limited to poetry and fiction, we will address topics such as the negotiation of identities, the politics of representation, transmedial adaptation, urban (re-)imagination, socio-political and cultural transformation in colonial and post-handover Hong Kong.
By way of literary appreciation, textual analysis and discussions, the course offers a journey to critically examine different literary and cultural spaces in flux, with regard to the entangled history and the changing landscape of Hong Kong.
All reading materials are in English.
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Why study Hong Kong?
What is Hong Kong Literature?
What makes the course special?
What inspires you?
City Inscribed
Please check out “City Inscribed,” a series of public lectures and events organized by the UBC Hong Kong Studies Initiative in celebration of the launch of “Literature of Hong Kong” (ASIA 324) in 2017W.
Instructor (2022W)
Dr. Helena Wu is the author of The Handover After the Handover: Places, Things and Cultural Icons in Hong Kong (Liverpool University Press, 2020), in which she explores the manifestation of the local in colonial and post-handover Hong Kong. She has also published on the topics of Hong Kong cinema, culture, and media in Interventions: International Journal of Postcolonial Studies (2018), Chinese Martial Arts and Media Culture (2018), Hong Kong Keywords (2019), Global Media and China (2020), and Journal of Chinese Cinemas (2020).
ASIA325 (23W): “Award Ceremony for the Heroes of Hong Kong”
ASIA325 Hong Kong Cinema – Creative Project
“Award Ceremony for the Heroes of Hong Kong”: A Creative Response to A Better Tomorrow
By Marisa So, Kyra Tan, Mungo McLaggan, Xiangyuan Li, and Xianyi Chang
“The choice of an ‘Award Ceremony for the Heroes of Hong Kong’ as the central theme for our creative project presentation added a layer of theatricality and intrigue, capturing the essence of heroism celebrated in the film. The concept of honoring heroes in a formal setting not only pays homage to the characters in A Better Tomorrow but also invites the audience to reflect on the broader implications of heroism in real-world contexts…
The interactive voting poll for our classmates’ favorite hero further elevates the presentation by fostering active participation. This component taps into the subjective nature of heroism, allowing each class member to express their personal perspective on the characters in the film. This interactive element mirrors the nuanced exploration of heroism in A Better Tomorrow, where characters defy conventional archetypes, making the concept of a singular, universally agreed-upon hero more complex.
This voting poll resulted in an emphatic victory for Mark Lee as the most admired hero. The result is particularly significant when considering our discussion of bravery in Mark Lee’s character, with his depth of sacrifice, loyalty, and the intricate moral dilemmas he faces resonating deeply with the audience, highlighting the complex and varied aspects of heroism depicted in the film.” — Project Rationale
ASIA325 (23W): Storyboard and Scriptwriting
ASIA325 Hong Kong Cinema – Creative Project
Storyboard and Scriptwriting: A Creative Response to Chungking Express
By Veronica Wong, Winry Wei, and Shenru Yang
“Our creative project explores how the relationship between Faye and Cop 663 would evolve with the advancement of technologies and the changing cultural landscape experienced by the protagonist Faye, drawing inspiration from the open-ended nature of their story, which is unlike He Qiwu and the blonde-haired lady, who decided to move on to the next stage of their lives. […] Did the changes in the environment influence her relationship with 663? Does her return signify a potential “happily ever after”?
… The format of the project includes scripts and storyboards, with the written parts intended to be filmed and seamlessly integrated into the movie. The storyboard meticulously plans the storytelling process, incorporating various angles and settings to provide a tangible visualization of how the extended story could seamlessly integrate into the existing cinematic framework. This dual approach aims to enhance the overall viewing experience, creating a harmonious blend of old and new within the world of Chungking Express. Our script extension seeks to enrich the narrative by employing narratives that align with Wong Kar Wai’s style and cooperation with our own while delving into the distance and proximity elements in the movie, especially how romantic relationships are being developed in an urban setting in recent days and adding odds to the fragments presented in the movie.” — Project Rationale