🔔 Subscribe and ring the bell to get notified about my next RUclips videos! Explore my Malaysian side: ruclips.net/video/jJhv90DrYu8/видео.html Explore my grandparent's factory: ruclips.net/video/Aa9LwjLGnOI/видео.html Love reading all your personal stories. Keep on sharing!
It is hard to find people that try to retain Cantonese while growing up in a foreign country. Keep up the good work! Speaking Cantonese is more than just a language but an appreciation of your own culture.
He needs to order more dim sum, and make sure the restaurants bring out the good stuff. (Not the mediocre stuff they serve people who don't speak the language 😂)
Not a problem retaining the language as family speak that at home. Speaking and reading is not a problem, but you will eventually forget how to write if you don't practice.
I am a American born Chinese, family from HK. I regret not practicing and learning Cantonese when I was a kid. I continue to speak more cantonese as much as I can and watch HK movies and TVB dramas to learn more. I highly suggest keep speaking and don't give up speaking Cantonese. You will appreciate it.
I’m in Australia, just recently went there for a holiday visit my family relatives, currently my favorite city in all of China would like to go again one day and meet the stars.
@@MitchellBPYao FYI, don't equate HK with China. Don't call HK a city in China. Vast majority of HK people do not like China. You unintentionally offend a lot of HK people by saying what you just said
My children are borned in Australia, they can read , write n speak some Chinese,(Cantonese n Mandarin), Vietnamese (watching all those TV dramas ). English is their 1st language , of course.....It's very convenience for them to travel, talking to customers......(I sent them to languages school on Saturdays during school terms, fr: Grade 1 to year 12....).....they have tried very hard in studying all languages.....I am very pround of them..
Honestly it feels weird i understand cantonese very well but when it comes to speaking in cantonese my mind is BLANK, i can't even find a word in cantonese to express myself ... *Sigh*
samee and it honestly makes me really upset that when i was a child i spoke cantonese and mandarin very well but now i cant speak anything well. I visted my family in china and i felt really bad since i couldnt speak to my grandpa and family.
Although I’m not Asian, I can relate to your struggle between two cultures and losing your native language. I grew up in a white American culture socially but a Cuban culture at home and spending so much time at school and elsewhere I slowly started used my Spanish less and eventually it became harder for me to speak and I became more shy in my own language. I loved this video because I could relate and gave me hope
Same but my my dad is viet and my mom is cantonese but both of them spoke full english. I’m glad my grandparents still speak cantonese but I don’t have any close relatives that can speak viet. I feel like it’s too late for me to learn because I want to learn and use cantonese more.
Same, but my mum is Cantonese and my dad is Caucasian. I live in Australia and I have lost a lot of my cantonese but I have been trying to relearn and speak more! You keep up your Spanish!
I relate to this but I'm somali. My parents always spoke the language but I always spoke English back cuz of skl. I always feel embrassed and shy too when speaking to my grandma when she comes to visit. I never even been to Somalia and my mum hasn't gone back there in over 30 years cuz of the civil war and no family there. I hope when there is peace I can go there and get in touch with my roots.
This is currently happening to me with English replacing my Hebrew, and English has already basically replaced my Russian. I don't feel comfortable speaking Russian with relatives. I'm trying to prevent this from happening again and it's kind of working. I can feel myself slowly improving my hebrew.
Tbh it's really amazing for you to realise the importance of your heritage and try your best effort to speak in Cantonese. Your Cantonese is actually very good considering you didn't really grow in an environment with many Chinese-speaking people around you. Wachting your video, I feel like we are all in a one big family no matter where we are currently living right now. I was born and live in Hong Kong now.
You did a great job attempting Cantonese. I admire people who have an interest in Hong Kong culture and Cantonese language. A lot of people may have given up, but it is inspiring to see someone putting an effort to learn and be brave. I am Chinese-American and I do feel similar feelings.
It's amazing to see more and more Western-Chinese RUclipsrs. As a Dutch-Chinese myself, it's great to be able to relate. My level of Cantonese is just about the same!
My parents were immigrants from Hong Kong who grew up on the east coast of America. Growing up they did not speak Cantonese to me. Now, I'm taking lessons after I get out of work and it's so difficult. I thought it would be easier for me to pick up since I could practice with my parents but they continue to speak to me in English. I appreciate this video, please make more!
Right! I find that, on one end, our parents aren't just used to have Cantonese conversations with us, and on the other end, we are (at least I am) embarrassed to carry on the conversation longterm. Therefore, we always fall back to English. Only thing we can do is keep trying and insisting. Happy to hear you are putting effort into learning Chinese!
Victoria, good for you. You could volunteer in a Chinese church, help out at immigrant centers, pick up a part time job at student help centers in universities and make some friends. Join the Chinese Association in your home town if available. And yes, watch Cantonese shows. Tapes and translation software are also very helpful like PLECO.
It is always harder to learn another language after you grew up. This happens to many Chinese families that they were afraid to lose communication with their children by not speaking English. Good luck and hope to see your vlog someday! :)
Yes. When I was there I would buy the hot buns off the street near my hotel. They were cheap and better than eating at McDonald's which is always crowded.
Hi Jensen, I could tell that you have tried your very best in speaking Cantonese. Good work ! I m very glad that you love HK's culture so much and treat HK as one of your hometown. Cheers.
Trust me! Your Cantonese is excellent. I am so glad that you are passionate about learning Cantonese and maintaining our cultures. My kid even doesn't want to speak Cantonese, but Dim Sum.
Kopono actually, kids nowadays reject speaking Cantonese because it’s not cool enough for them. It should be a natural thing to learn if you eliminate English from your household.
@@animewatch4213 No, we shouldn't just let languages "die out" based on their utility. Cantonese is too idiosyncratic to turn away from for Mandarin; if it goes extinct, we'll lose yet another way of thought, expression, and identity. :(
You can force a kid to learn piano (since it's physical, and all of them appreciate their parents for it after), but you really can't force words out of a person. If you tried your best at persuading your kid with reasons about the benefits of obtaining a second language, you've done your best as a parent!
How about do a video about your mother side (Malaysian-Chinese), Malaysian Chinese culture are unique and different from China and it date backs century, trust me im a Malaysian Chinese.
Malaysian Chinese is more multilingual compare to any Chinese in the world. Malay, English and Mandarin languages are spoken on daily basis. Cantonese is widely spoken in capital of Malaysia i.e Kuala Lumpur. Some of them can speak Tamil, Hokkein and Hakka dialect as well. And as the results, Malaysia is famous for varieties foods. Hong Kong's Cantonese is just peanuts to Malaysian Chinese.
I traveled to Malaysia and visited my relatives there...and found them very unique! Walao eeeh~their Cantonese and Mandarin are different from other areas! most people are multilinguistist...so baannaai (sounds like that. means sai lei. awesome)
Hong Kong foods just like NY foods not authentic according to Bourdain and tastes like shit. Bourdain... You dumbo. You're right, HK foods just like not authentic at all.... Please don't cry. Just go out to the street and demand a demonstration. See who will support you. Lmao.
Respect from Canton/Guangzhou. It has been heartbreaking to see a lot of our young kids around me speaks only Mandarin and no Cantonese. Thank you for appreciating the Cantonese culture.
Dialects in every part of China still thrive but for me I was born outside of China and parents are from fujian China , they can speak the dialect and also could my cousins do , but I don’t . The dialect of shanghai an A plus citie have 90 percent of locals know the dialect and Cantonese in Guangzhou is still and will be thriving for the locals because that’s there mother tongue
I'm really glad I found this video on my recommended to watch list! I'm Chinese-American and have felt the same way about my experience living in San Francisco. While it's a huge city bursting with diversity and a HUGE Chinese background, there's really nothing that can replace going to Asia (China, Hong Kong, etc.) and often times, I feel misplaced with where I live, feeling like I'm not authentic enough as someone who's ethnically Chinese when with my parents for family dinners or when visiting family, during Chinese New Year. This felt like a truly relatable and authentic representation of what it's like growing up Chinese (with immigrant parents, as I also did) and growing up with either American, Canadian, etc. culture and this video has made me feel excited to see someone who decided they wanted to embrace their culture and really understand what it's like. It makes me feel excited for my own culture, despite the negative stereotypes and thoughts that I've put into my head over Chinese culture and more open to really experience it for myself.
So many relatable feels here! I'm Japanese American, and my family is completely integrated into American culture - nobody speaks Japanese in my family, and they have no interest in visiting Japan. All the Japanese I learned was from school, talking with exchange student friends, and watching videos. It was an incredible experience traveling to Japan for the first time and finding out that although I look like people there, fitting in was difficult because people were so turned off when I couldn't speak Japanese very well. Super relatable in terms of becoming a less dimensional person when switching languages... There's so much to say, but you just don't have the capacity to say it if you only know the basics; I've been working on expressing myself more by finding characters in shows who share similar views, personalities, or speech patterns that I would normally use in English, and really listening to how they say things and what vocabulary they use. Anyone reading this, feel free to reply - I'll definitely respond! (so many comments, I bet nobody will ever see it haha).
Similar story here but I'm an American Hongkonger. My mom raised me as a Westerner culturally and I never really learned Cantonese; I've picked up a little from listening to my relatives and from spending time in HK. But I've always struggled with my relationship to my Hong Kong heritage - it's something that I want to embrace but at the same time I get criticized for not really being "one of them" by other HKers because I can't speak the language.
I am an American of German descent. Because of persecution during the wars, Germans in America lost their cultural heritage. German language schools were closed by the government and hardly any Americans of German descent learned German at home (some in Texas only). Still, German cultural values were passed down, like the German work ethic. I ended up marrying a German and now I live in Germany, 1.5 hours from the birthplace of one of my great grandfathers. I experienced little culture shock. It's been the language barrier that's been the issue. Where I live few speak English and my German remains A1 so far. People reprove my husband for speaking English at home with me, but we'd have no relationship if he didn't! All I can talk about is food and the weather and whatnot. So I definitely can relate to how hard it is to be reduced to simplistic communication.
Definitely learning more Cantonese through this video! Keep it up! Would love to continue to watch more videos of you speaking Canto (entertaining way to expand my vocabulary! Haha)
Randomly stumbled across your video and loved it! Absolutely loved the way you portrayed Hong Kong through your filming and editing, so I had to comment! Your chinese is cute, keep practicing ☺️
I’m African American and Chinese, my mom is from Hong Kong and I’m visiting there this summer, I would sometimes favor my Chinese side rather than my African American one most because of what history has thought of that race but I hope to start appreciating both my cultures, thanks for the video!
@@curiousgeorge6921 ummhh you are definitely wrong. Her mother is Malaysian Chinese no doubt about it. Malaysia is a multi-racial country. Yes, the official religion is Islam but other races still have their own freewill to choose the God they wanna worship.
@@curiousgeorge6921 well you are right I supposed with the Chinese culture. But living in a country with multiple races actually changed a lot of the Malaysian Chinese culture. It's totally different from Chinese from the other places.
@@DeEuJinn sure but Chinese is Chinese... that's how she identifies for sure...and actually a good number ended up converting to islam because they liked the culture more than chinese one...
I speak cantonese fluently, I find it interesting how when you say smthn like 'ngo', the 'n' at the beginning is very noticeable! It makes you sound old haha. But nonetheless, very commendable effort! Your pronunciation is pretty good and I'm sure if you continue to speak Cantonese more you can eliminate the hesitation and pausing when you speak it.
I'm from America and all of my Cantonese speaking friends and I pronounce it like that too because that's what was taught to us in our Chinese school. Our textbooks would write the phonetics in the back for the words in the chapters and 我 was always written as "ngo5". People who speak Cantonese in HK are said to speak with "lazy" pronunciation because they don't say the "ng" part of the word.
@@kusazero Language changes, and it's not always bad. Call it lazy, but to me it's more for the easier communication. English itself has undergone many changes over the centuries. For example, we say 'an orange' now, but actually in the past the word was 'norange', so originally it was "a norange". I wouldn't say we're losing HK/Cantonese culture by omitting the 'ng', which I think is the most important role of language: to preserve a culture
This makes so much sense all of a sudden! I’m using textbooks and podcasts to learn Cantonese but when I say 我 in Hong Kong, my friends tell me to drop the n even though in the podcasts it has a very clear n sound at the start.
@@catw Completely untrue XD! Before the word was romanised, sure the Persian word for it was Narang. You can still see this root in the Spanish word "Naranja". However, English inherited the word from old french which used "Orenge/Pomme d'orenge (modern)". Unfortunately, the word Narang was changed before it managed to reach the English people. The 'A norange' thing was something that almost happened but definitely wasn't used in English. Granted, these kinds of words do exist in the English language, but unfortunately, not in this case. Other than that, I agree that some 正字音 isn't always necessary unless you're reading Tang or Song/Sung dynasty poems which have their roots in ancient Cantonese. I personally use Ngo and Nei for 我/你, but there are words like 鳥 where I'd just say Liu instead of Niu. Nonetheless, there are definitely words where it's vital that the speaker uses the correct consonant and tone and it's just important for the person to know.
Bro your production quality is PHENOMENAL, among a sea of absolute garbage travel vlogs, this was a really refreshing change of pace! we stan artistic taste and standards!
I just found your channel while trying to understand the current situation in HK, and am super impressed with your storytelling/film skills! As someone whose identity straddles two very different U.S. subcultures (Appalachian/Western) I can only imagine the gulf between worlds that you yourself have to bridge. There's a lot of travel vlogs out there, and a lot of cultural vlogs. But as you've discovered, you have your own unique experiences and your own distinct voice. Thanks for sharing it with us.
報my 税 😂 I’m different... born in Canada grew up in Hong Kong then lived in Canada and now back to Hong Kong again... I don’t really have a balance and we’re CBC!!!! Canadian Born Chinese!!!! Add oil!!!
This is the best vlog I’ve ever seen! I know you may have failed your challenge but this is the most Cantonese I’ve ever see you speak so that’s a win 😉
I saw this video on my home page, but it made me like it and subscribed you as I was checking it out! I loved the part of embracing two cultures and this video is just awesome! There are lots of people around me that are confused about their identity, especially in a western environment. Your video is very motivating and it brings positive mindset. Keep going and make more video like this!
our stories are so similar! I was also born in Canada to a Chinese family with a father from Hong Kong and a mother from Malaysia! I lost a lot of my Cantonese skills as I grew up and I feel disconnected from my culture in terms of knowledge at times. I relate so much with your experiences in speaking the language to native speakers like knowing enough to get by but not enough for a complex conversation. This is such a beautiful video, it reminded me about what I love about Hong Kong and also to keep practicing Cantonese when I can, keep up the great work!
Great video - you hit the ‘identity crisis’ aspect spot on! My sister and I just recently came back from Hong Kong (everytime we visit, we stay for 3 weeks at least) and it was a sensory experience as usual. Oh and we’re also from Vancouver! If you wanna study Chinese together, let’s do it! My mom is also from Malaysia and our dad is from Hong Kong - which part of Malaysia is your mom from?!
Much thanks, Jensen for sharing this glorious well-filmed vlog that speaks volumes. P.S. Your Cantonese is great, don't underestimate yourself, you're more than fine. 💜
Came here after you liked my pic on IG. I’m glad you did because I was able to see this excellent video! I really want to go to Hong Kong after seeing your experience. Great job. Looking forward to seeing more.
Great presentation. I’m from Lake Tahoe in California, and I live in Chiang Rai, Thailand. My Thai wife and I will be traveling to Hong Kong in September.
Absolutely loved every bit of the video, including your backstory and motivation for visiting the motherland. I’m also an American born chinese, but raised in the Chinese countryside for the first five years of my life. I haven’t been able to visit in over a decade but as soon as I graduate high school, it’s the first place I’m going!! Absolutely love the rich and diverse history of China. I’m gonna have to go back every summer for the rest of my life to experience just a part of it 😛 awesome work and please make more videos like these to help this new gen of asian Americans find pride and appreciation of their culture 🥰🥰
I am an ABC myself. Most of my family are in the states. I was lucky that my grandma raised me til i was 10. So I spoke nothing but Cantonese at home. I have the Cantonese accent down and am ok with normal conversations, but if the conversation gets a little complex, I have to use Chinglish. Unfortunately, most my cousins born in the states weren't as fortunate. Many can understand Cantonese but can't speak it. I loved watching TVB especially the wuxia dramas growing up which definitely helped.
That's what you call a vlog , which actually contains something meaningful, reflection, memory, and learning. Most vlogs out there are just time-wasting, I can't figure the meaning of their existence even at the very end. This one is gold, very nicely done.
From the point of view of a Hong Kong local, I think your Cantonese is ok already! It is one of the most difficult language to learn so don't stress yourself too much. Really like the video, it's like a mini documentary!
Wow this was fantastic! I love the way you edited this- it felt like a documentary & really personal at the same time. I loved what u guys discovered in chapter 3. Peace & love~
I’ve things interesting to tell. My friend was born in Vancouver in 1994, her parents are immigrants from Beijing, China. She grew up in a Chinese speaking environment, the community her family used to live has a lot of Chinese neighbors. Her Chinese is soooo good, and has no problem with reading, writing and speaking. Her English reading and writing are definitely the native's level, however, when she speaks English, you can still find a little bit Asian accent (that doesn't mean her English is not good, everyone can have different accents on their mother tongue somehow).
I really like the way you edit your vlog as well as each cultural aspect that you summarize yourself. I really look up to your professionalism on video shooting. There are many awesome scenarios really speaks for unique characteristics of Hong Kong. I am so related when you reflected your failure in speaking Cantonese to international students abroad who is me in the United States right now. Language indeed have become the barrier on expressing myself in many certain situations of life. But as I insist on learning everyday, I can sense that I am making progress. Now I am still making grammar mistakes and speaking a lot of broken English. But like you said, this is what makes my identify. I feel like that I should embrace it. So never mind your broken Cantonese, what's more important is that you are trying and still value that language much as your own culture heritage.
I thouroughly enjoy your video, your determination!! Let me share witn you my experiences as a immigrantnin Australia with my hushband , and a 2/12 year old son. I came from HK , went to a British high school, then off to US. Graduated with a Bachelor degree in Sociology. We use Cantonese language at home. So, my son ( who is 41 years old now,and is a lawyer) can speak Cantonese fluently ( I chose to stay home to care for my son .Cantonese is the only language I 've used when conversed with him.) Keep practicing Cantonese, you will get better, that is for sure !! God Bless.
I'm about to 'cry' just seeing this video. Had been living there for 4 years, and had to move around the globe constantly, HK to me is still one of the best place on earth, and very special in my heart. Cantonese is so cool, too bad I had no chance to learn the language during my time there. Great video Jensen.. Really appreciate your efforts to get connected with your root.
I really like the cinematography and editing. love the mix of macro shots, slow motion shots, overhead/drone shots. what camera and editing software did you use?
You can make the same challenge in Malaysia as well on your next video. There are a lot of Chinese who speak Cantonese in city like Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh.
Hello! Just came across your video and love the way how you filmed and edited this video. I’m also a Canadian-HongKonger and lives in Vancouver. Keep up the good work!!
Thank you for showing the world a more "real" side of Hong Kong (like when tourists craze over Lan Fong Yuen 蘭芳園 while we find the milk tea way too expensive), and help promote and preserve a part of Hong Kong's culture. (By the way I work at Tai Kwun part-time so I'm pretty sure you shot this vid months ago lmao) As both TRADITIONAL Chinese and English are our official languages, even my grandmother, who came to Hong Kong after WWII, may use some English words occasionally. This mixture of cultures is very unique, and it makes us Hong Kongers who we are today. We are currently going through a difficult time. We tried the peaceful way but it didn't work. We put apart our differences as pacifists and valiance believers to unite for the sake of our home as well as our next generations. We saw high school kids and an old man with cancer beaten with no mercy. We witnessed protesters on the street being surrounded with no way for them to leave and left to be violently treated. We've lost 4 of our people. Ya I know me typing such a long comment wouldn't help with the situation but thank you once again. For your video reminded me of the reason why we defend our once beautiful hometown.
I love it when a young person takes charge of learning their personal familial cultural origins and its language. I call this healthy pride, and it is very much needed by those born to immigrant families. I have much respect for you young man. Keep the videos coming, and I'm sure you make your family proud!!!!
nice video Jensen, I am vietnamese born in Paris and somehow, will never be 100% french - there will always be an invisible border- and actually, I feel much better when I am in Asia (not necessarily in VN), eventually I married a chinese girl :) which is a blessing because I feel more asian than french deep down, and now I've found my path somehow.
France makes it difficult to fit in that's why the Arabs there have a hard time fitting in unlike in North America. A man I worked with said he studied French in high school so when he got to Paris he was excited to practice his French. He thought he knew French until he ran into the French critics of his pronunciation. When I go to Thailand and use Thai the people there are happy to hear me make the effort. The French are finicky. I met an American lady on the international train leaving Paris for Switzerland. She told me she wanted to see the Eiffel Tower but no one would help her. Even the clerk at the metro station could not help her. She even put her hands up to show a tall tower to no avail. The funny thing is in French Eiffel Tower is Tour Eiffel so once you hear the tourist say "Eiffel" you could assume most likely they want to get to the Eiffel Tower. Also Tour sounds a bit like Tower. I told her sorry they were just being difficult with you. Maybe they changed their evil ways by now? That was in 1991.
@andre andree Do you speak Vietnamese at all? I'm a Vietnamese who grew up in Canada and I would say most Vietnamese here at least can understand the language and speak it a little if not fluent. All of us have some kind of relatives or friends who live in France and we've notice most of you who grew up in France don't speak Vietnamese at all. My mom's cousin who lives in Paris can understand Vietnamese because her family do speak it at home, but she can't speak it at all. When I visited them, I didn't hear my mom's cousin say a single word of Vietnamese. I came to Canada very young, had all my education in Canada yet I can understand and speak Vietnamese.
I used to have this cultural/identity internal struggle about being Mexican-American. I love reading/watching stories of people who have similar experiences. Awesome vid!
YOur blog hit a nerve. I did this after college one summer. 10 weeks. Went in like a noob, understood what people were saying to me in Cantonese, but my mouth couldn't form the words despite me knowing them in my head. That's what a lifetime of Chinglish does to you. However, slowly but surely, the words came and I got more proficient and comfortable speaking Cantonese. It was like a key opened a part of my brain. 20 years latter, I'm still able to speak, or at least feel comfortable and less ashamed. I have actually been able to use Cantonese in my job, along with Spanish I retained from high school. One of the best decisions I've made spending the summer in HK.
Im Samoan but my mother's great grandfather was a Guangzhou native who moved to Samoa as a working labourer. He spoke Cantonese and taught his own children (my mother's maternal grandfather and his brothers). My mother always said to me that my grandmother and her siblings were taught how to speak Cantonese also when they were little but eventually they forgot when the old man passed away. Im determined to learn Cantonese and go back to China to discover that lineage. Thank you for your video, it was well thought and made me feel more motivated to learn my Chinese heritage :)
Whaa I love the was you put this video together. It's filmed really well. The food looks so good!! But it was actually really eye-opening when you talked not being able to fully express yourself in Catonese, and the fact that this is probably a feeling a lot of immigrants feel in a new country. I find it incredibly sad because I feel like the connections you can make with people are limited in this way. It makes me want to learn more languages for sure just to communicate with people Id probably get along with if we could understand each other. Great video!!
If you come for a second time please lemme know! Imma show you around places that are not tourists hotspots but are really cool and popular among real locals. That beef brisket shop is okay but it's mainly a tourist trap, and honestly you could get the same harbour view (or even better) if you walk 15 minutes to a vantage point on a public path. Also you should visit the University of Hong Kong it's a very good fit to your original identity crisis, that century-old buildings are preserved next to modern glass chambers. Been to Van city once honestly liked there more, but I guess Hong Kong has its special sauce:) Peace out
I lived in Hong Kong for two years in the 90s, learning and speaking Cantonese daily in my missionary work. This was a great flashback to what it felt like to communicate with people, especially before I became proficient and eventually fluent. 20+ years later my Cantonese has dropped off quite a bit, but your video was very enjoyable to watch! I can relate to the inability to truly express complex ideas.
I ran across your trip to HK which happened many years ago, but i learned something from you, you had the courage to go there, experience it, salute to you,now I’m 60, but still learning, congratulations to a job will done!
I am Asian American and it was nice seeing this video, I could also relate and it was kind of healing to watch someone really trying to connect. Thanks for doing this!
The last time I went to China was 11 years ago. I live in England and now it is hard for me to speak Cantonese fluently 😩. I might go back to China next year and try this 😊 I could also speak mandarin just a little bit but Cantonese is my main language.
I hate it when a person orders a local food and picks out whatever's inside it and calls it disgusting. C'mon, have some respect on other people's food! It was made with labour that you probably have no idea about. Order something else!
Disregarding a food allergy, it won’t kill you to swallow a ‘gross’ food. That’s still bad manners and lack of practice eating food you’re not used to.
hello I'm currently an exchange student to UoW from Hong Kong. Your video is incredible and reminds me of my home. BTW high quality video and keep it up with your Cantonese!
DUDE. Thanks so much for this video cause I totally relate. The first time I went to Hong Kong I felt totally at home, but so far from it too. I walked into a shop to ask for a phone charger and after he asked me the first question, I realized I didn't know how to answer it fully in Cantonese. It was kind of embarrassing but eye-opening for me. Chinese was my first language, but as I started school with mostly English speakers it took over how much of it I really spoke. I've been away for the last two years and not speaking it as much as really made me realized how much of my roots I'm connected to. Now, I'm here like, "Mom, how do you cook this?" "Mom, what is that?" Like, actually trying to remember what the name of the things we get at dim sum are so I can actually order it myself. This is awesome. Much love for this video!
Thank you for this video Jensen! I was just feeling a type of way about being a Chinese-American and feeling so distant from my Chinese language and culture. I then decided to search "cantonese vlog" and I found YOUR VIDEO. I cannot express how much I can relate to this video and most importantly, you. I grew up speaking Chenglish. I ate all the delicious food but never learned the names of them. And I can definitely understand much more Chinese than I can speak. I felt that so much when you were talking about a restriction in personality and expression when speaking cantonese. It frustrates me and saddens me knowing my parents don't know my true personality because of that. I feel such a disconnect with my culture, but that's the reality of being a first generation Chinese-American. It is this in-between limbo of an identity we are left to figure out. Thank you for this video. I enjoyed it and appreciate it! :)
Hi Jensen, You doing so well - Im Vietnamese Chinese live in Denmark. My 3 kids don’t speak Chinese too - I have regretted so much that I never learned them, but it’s never to late. Keep on learning 👌
maaaaan, loved this video, thanks so much!!! it's crazy good. and i miss HK so much, HK people are the best! on our first day in HK a couple of years ago we randomly met a HK dude who grew up in Canada, too; eventually, got to explore HK with him and then he came to visit us in Seoul, super chill and cool. anyway, i am new to this channel, loving this creative content just wow thanks
Jensen! I'm Arab, I was born in Syria and moved to Canada when I was 4. I experience the same struggle when it comes to language, exactly what you and your friend were talking about. I went to Dubai to visit my aunt and cousins in December and it was really frustrating at some points. I can't express complex concepts, so I feel like I end up being a boring and general version of myself. Humour is also hard to express. I'm pretty fluent, I just have a basic vocabulary. It's hard to know how to improve. My reading level is so low, it's discouraging lol but I know I need to work on that in order to build up my vocabulary.
I visited Hong Kong in 2010, and while it was endlessly fascinating, wathcing your video reminded me of one funny little incident. I'm 6ft, from Alberta so not used to the moving amongst that many people. Yet, as if by magic, no matter how awkwardly I shambled about the sea of people in Hong Kong would part and flow around me as if by magic, and never once over two weeks did I bump into anyone ... except once. In the market I backed up into a large chinese guy who was backing into me, we turned, and both in the same breath came out with our "Sorry" and I recognized another Canadian.
Love your video and your effort in speaking Cantonese! You sounded so cute when you said 九點六 towards the end of the video @16:50 We usually say 九點半 lol Anyway good job!
LOL! he may look exactly a Chinese, eat Chinese food, but besides the obvious language is totally like reading Google translation, he couldn't even use the chopsticks correctly & politely, even I'm from M'sia, my grandpa would snap our fingers if we keep the chopsticks straight up in the bowl when not picking up food... and only westerners would leave the chopsticks slanting into the bowl like a spoon or a fork, we usually either lay them on top of the bowl horizontally or on the table when not holding them... so much more to learn to be a Chinese...
@@xyes I'm Indonesian Chinese, even though Chinese Languages, cultures and names banned here for a long time, I could still use chopsticks properly because my parents would be angry if I don't use it properly hahaha
I usually don't comment on youtube videos, but honestly, I relate to you so much! I'm also a Chinese-Canadian who lives in Vancouver. My Cantonese honestly sucks even though I went to Chinese school, but your video has really motivated me to start practicing my canto! Also I just subscribed :D
Holy Shit I relate to this video so hard. I was born in Australia, dad from Hong Kong and mom from Indonesia. Can speak the same level of Canto as you and feel the exact same way when I go on holiday to Hong Kong
same! born in australia, my mum from hong kong and my dad from malaysia - i've gone to malaysia many more times than i have to hong kong. i honestly didn't realise that so many feel the same way i do!
You did so well in making this video exploring your culture and identity. Love from hk locals and hope you’ll have fun in hk again after protests are over
🔔 Subscribe and ring the bell to get notified about my next RUclips videos!
Explore my Malaysian side: ruclips.net/video/jJhv90DrYu8/видео.html
Explore my grandparent's factory: ruclips.net/video/Aa9LwjLGnOI/видео.html
Love reading all your personal stories. Keep on sharing!
Jensen Tung you are so hot
I am from Hong Kong and I moved to Vancouver too!
难道这种共产主义政府的自由就是自由，就像中国皇帝那样是专政的。不，这是将一个皇帝换成另一个皇帝，只是称呼它为不同的名称作为秘密的盾牌，并使用另一种想法来创建它。自由是民主，生命和自由给我自由或给我死亡
这种共产主义政府的自由就是中国皇帝的专政自由。不，这是将一个皇帝替换为另一个皇帝，只是将其称为不同的名称作为秘密盾牌，并使用另一种想法来创建它。自由就是民主，生命和自由给我自由或给我死亡
I understand because I speak Cantonese, my WHOLE family live in China but I’m in America. My family speaks Cantonese.
It is hard to find people that try to retain Cantonese while growing up in a foreign country. Keep up the good work! Speaking Cantonese is more than just a language but an appreciation of your own culture.
You can find thousands of them on Malaysia
He needs to order more dim sum, and make sure the restaurants bring out the good stuff.
(Not the mediocre stuff they serve people who don't speak the language 😂)
@lassie Marie Vancouver or Toronto?
Exactly!
Not a problem retaining the language as family speak that at home. Speaking and reading is not a problem, but you will eventually forget how to write if you don't practice.
I am a American born Chinese, family from HK. I regret not practicing and learning Cantonese when I was a kid. I continue to speak more cantonese as much as I can and watch HK movies and TVB dramas to learn more. I highly suggest keep speaking and don't give up speaking Cantonese. You will appreciate it.
Add oil!!! Cantonese is a beautiful language.
I’m in Australia, just recently went there for a holiday visit my family relatives, currently my favorite city in all of China would like to go again one day and meet the stars.
You should learn Mandarin too.
@@MitchellBPYao FYI, don't equate HK with China. Don't call HK a city in China. Vast majority of HK people do not like China. You unintentionally offend a lot of HK people by saying what you just said
@@PaddyMan1988 Cantonese FTW
Amazing footage Jensen, great representation of Hong Kong; and your canto ain't half bad either :)
Do some crossover with uncle Bob!
Thanks for watching! My parents are big fans of you!
So many uncle bob fans here
its fuckin horrible mate
My children are borned in Australia, they can read , write n speak some Chinese,(Cantonese n Mandarin), Vietnamese (watching all those TV dramas ). English is their 1st language , of course.....It's very convenience for them to travel, talking to customers......(I sent them to languages school on Saturdays during school terms, fr: Grade 1 to year 12....).....they have tried very hard in studying all languages.....I am very pround of them..
As an ABC HongKonger who lives in NYC this is very eye opening. i have never seen this type of video before.
thank you.
SAME HERE
Get out of NYC. If you wanna stay in touch then leave and go back.
Honestly it feels weird i understand cantonese very well but when it comes to speaking in cantonese my mind is BLANK, i can't even find a word in cantonese to express myself ...
*Sigh*
Omg right
Same haha
i can relate :(
It's the same for me, I watch more cantonese TV growing up so I never really used it to speak
samee and it honestly makes me really upset that when i was a child i spoke cantonese and mandarin very well but now i cant speak anything well. I visted my family in china and i felt really bad since i couldnt speak to my grandpa and family.
This is really well filmed and entertaining :) keep practicing your canto!
Thanks guys! Hit me up if any of you are ever in Vancouver!
Hey CantoMando
this video deserves a big LIKE! for the dedication and the effort in editing, as well as the perfect balance between the amount of vlog and narrative,
Although I’m not Asian, I can relate to your struggle between two cultures and losing your native language. I grew up in a white American culture socially but a Cuban culture at home and spending so much time at school and elsewhere I slowly started used my Spanish less and eventually it became harder for me to speak and I became more shy in my own language. I loved this video because I could relate and gave me hope
Same but my my dad is viet and my mom is cantonese but both of them spoke full english. I’m glad my grandparents still speak cantonese but I don’t have any close relatives that can speak viet. I feel like it’s too late for me to learn because I want to learn and use cantonese more.
Same, but my mum is Cantonese and my dad is Caucasian. I live in Australia and I have lost a lot of my cantonese but I have been trying to relearn and speak more! You keep up your Spanish!
I relate to this but I'm somali. My parents always spoke the language but I always spoke English back cuz of skl. I always feel embrassed and shy too when speaking to my grandma when she comes to visit. I never even been to Somalia and my mum hasn't gone back there in over 30 years cuz of the civil war and no family there. I hope when there is peace I can go there and get in touch with my roots.
This is currently happening to me with English replacing my Hebrew, and English has already basically replaced my Russian. I don't feel comfortable speaking Russian with relatives.
I'm trying to prevent this from happening again and it's kind of working. I can feel myself slowly improving my hebrew.
Natalie Sosa You’re culture is the death of mine!
Tbh it's really amazing for you to realise the importance of your heritage and try your best effort to speak in Cantonese. Your Cantonese is actually very good considering you didn't really grow in an environment with many Chinese-speaking people around you. Wachting your video, I feel like we are all in a one big family no matter where we are currently living right now. I was born and live in Hong Kong now.
You did a great job attempting Cantonese. I admire people who have an interest in Hong Kong culture and Cantonese language. A lot of people may have given up, but it is inspiring to see someone putting an effort to learn and be brave. I am Chinese-American and I do feel similar feelings.
I am a Chinese person. Also known as a Hong Kong person
It's amazing to see more and more Western-Chinese RUclipsrs. As a Dutch-Chinese myself, it's great to be able to relate. My level of Cantonese is just about the same!
Ethan Zane not really, a lot of people from New Territories, HK emigrated to the Netherlands in the seventies.
Im dutch-chinese 2, and i can tell you there are a lot of cantonese speaking chinese in the netherlands!🤗
As dutch-chinese 3, I can assure you that there are tons of Cantonese speakers here. Just have to find them hahah
Same here 🙋🏻 Not that exotic hahah
Whois TheMan there are lots dutch chinese from indonesian background
My parents were immigrants from Hong Kong who grew up on the east coast of America. Growing up they did not speak Cantonese to me. Now, I'm taking lessons after I get out of work and it's so difficult. I thought it would be easier for me to pick up since I could practice with my parents but they continue to speak to me in English. I appreciate this video, please make more!
Right! I find that, on one end, our parents aren't just used to have Cantonese conversations with us, and on the other end, we are (at least I am) embarrassed to carry on the conversation longterm. Therefore, we always fall back to English. Only thing we can do is keep trying and insisting. Happy to hear you are putting effort into learning Chinese!
Impressed! Best way to learn Cantonese is to watch Cantonese TV shows/movies.
Victoria, good for you. You could volunteer in a Chinese church, help out at immigrant centers, pick up a part time job at student help centers in universities and make some friends. Join the Chinese Association in your home town if available. And yes, watch Cantonese shows. Tapes and translation software are also very helpful like PLECO.
It is always harder to learn another language after you grew up. This happens to many Chinese families that they were afraid to lose communication with their children by not speaking English. Good luck and hope to see your vlog someday! :)
Hong Kong is small but very interesting place with unexpected things
Yes. When I was there I would buy the hot buns off the street near my hotel. They were cheap and better than eating at McDonald's which is always crowded.
@@samthepoet107 yea McDonald's here isnt the best it's bought by CITIC group recently making it worse
was there for a month and it was starting to feel like home, fast!
Great that you’ve been rediscovering your roots. Hong Kong is one of my most favorite places in the world!
loved your vlogumentary! :) great footage too. thanks for sharing your personal experience of hongkong!
Hi Jensen, I could tell that you have tried your very best in speaking Cantonese. Good work ! I m very glad that you love HK's culture so much and treat HK as one of your hometown. Cheers.
Trust me! Your Cantonese is excellent. I am so glad that you are passionate about learning Cantonese and maintaining our cultures. My kid even doesn't want to speak Cantonese, but Dim Sum.
Kopono actually, kids nowadays reject speaking Cantonese because it’s not cool enough for them. It should be a natural thing to learn if you eliminate English from your household.
Teach them Mandarin, much more useful in the future. Cantonese is dying out.
@@animewatch4213 No, we shouldn't just let languages "die out" based on their utility. Cantonese is too idiosyncratic to turn away from for Mandarin; if it goes extinct, we'll lose yet another way of thought, expression, and identity. :(
You can force a kid to learn piano (since it's physical, and all of them appreciate their parents for it after), but you really can't force words out of a person. If you tried your best at persuading your kid with reasons about the benefits of obtaining a second language, you've done your best as a parent!
@Koponolearn some respect son.
How about do a video about your mother side (Malaysian-Chinese), Malaysian Chinese culture are unique and different from China and it date backs century, trust me im a Malaysian Chinese.
He would said "Whoa, this is a more rojak (complex) society than Hongkies..." lol
His mother really is Chinese Malaysian, so not much differences with chinese in general
Malaysian Chinese is more multilingual compare to any Chinese in the world.
Malay, English and Mandarin languages are spoken on daily basis.
Cantonese is widely spoken in capital of Malaysia i.e Kuala Lumpur.
Some of them can speak Tamil, Hokkein and Hakka dialect as well.
And as the results, Malaysia is famous for varieties foods.
Hong Kong's Cantonese is just peanuts to Malaysian Chinese.
I traveled to Malaysia and visited my relatives there...and found them very unique! Walao eeeh~their Cantonese and Mandarin are different from other areas! most people are multilinguistist...so baannaai (sounds like that. means sai lei. awesome)
Hong Kong foods just like NY foods not authentic according to Bourdain and tastes like shit.
Bourdain... You dumbo.
You're right, HK foods just like not authentic at all....
Please don't cry.
Just go out to the street and demand a demonstration.
See who will support you.
Lmao.
I live in Hong Kong and this video was really entertaining!!! It was super cool watching you speaking Cantonese and exploring HK 😂😂
Same
Love how you constructed the video with the different chapters and themes! It was a nice watch, keep it up :)
Respect from Canton/Guangzhou. It has been heartbreaking to see a lot of our young kids around me speaks only Mandarin and no Cantonese. Thank you for appreciating the Cantonese culture.
Is Cantonese dying in Mainland China? I'm Indonesian Chinese, from Hokkien family, but I like Cantonese too
@@Joooo89south
I’m so happy Cantonese can exist and thrive in Hong Kong
won't exist for much longer.
Well considering they discriminate against people who don't speak it (unless that person is White) so yeah of course
Not for long
Dialects in every part of China still thrive but for me I was born outside of China and parents are from fujian China , they can speak the dialect and also could my cousins do , but I don’t . The dialect of shanghai an A plus citie have 90 percent of locals know the dialect and Cantonese in Guangzhou is still and will be thriving for the locals because that’s there mother tongue
Aznbomb3r what you mean? Cantonese is far from dying
I'm really glad I found this video on my recommended to watch list!
I'm Chinese-American and have felt the same way about my experience living in San Francisco. While it's a huge city bursting with diversity and a HUGE Chinese background, there's really nothing that can replace going to Asia (China, Hong Kong, etc.) and often times, I feel misplaced with where I live, feeling like I'm not authentic enough as someone who's ethnically Chinese when with my parents for family dinners or when visiting family, during Chinese New Year.
This felt like a truly relatable and authentic representation of what it's like growing up Chinese (with immigrant parents, as I also did) and growing up with either American, Canadian, etc. culture and this video has made me feel excited to see someone who decided they wanted to embrace their culture and really understand what it's like.
It makes me feel excited for my own culture, despite the negative stereotypes and thoughts that I've put into my head over Chinese culture and more open to really experience it for myself.
So many relatable feels here! I'm Japanese American, and my family is completely integrated into American culture - nobody speaks Japanese in my family, and they have no interest in visiting Japan.
All the Japanese I learned was from school, talking with exchange student friends, and watching videos. It was an incredible experience traveling to Japan for the first time and finding out that although I look like people there, fitting in was difficult because people were so turned off when I couldn't speak Japanese very well.
Super relatable in terms of becoming a less dimensional person when switching languages... There's so much to say, but you just don't have the capacity to say it if you only know the basics; I've been working on expressing myself more by finding characters in shows who share similar views, personalities, or speech patterns that I would normally use in English, and really listening to how they say things and what vocabulary they use.
Anyone reading this, feel free to reply - I'll definitely respond! (so many comments, I bet nobody will ever see it haha).
I'm seeing this :) thanks for sharing your story!
@@jensentung Awesome, thanks for the reply! Really great job on this video btw, so well-constructed and kept me interested while telling the story :D
Similar story here but I'm an American Hongkonger. My mom raised me as a Westerner culturally and I never really learned Cantonese; I've picked up a little from listening to my relatives and from spending time in HK. But I've always struggled with my relationship to my Hong Kong heritage - it's something that I want to embrace but at the same time I get criticized for not really being "one of them" by other HKers because I can't speak the language.
I am an American of German descent. Because of persecution during the wars, Germans in America lost their cultural heritage. German language schools were closed by the government and hardly any Americans of German descent learned German at home (some in Texas only). Still, German cultural values were passed down, like the German work ethic. I ended up marrying a German and now I live in Germany, 1.5 hours from the birthplace of one of my great grandfathers. I experienced little culture shock. It's been the language barrier that's been the issue. Where I live few speak English and my German remains A1 so far. People reprove my husband for speaking English at home with me, but we'd have no relationship if he didn't! All I can talk about is food and the weather and whatnot. So I definitely can relate to how hard it is to be reduced to simplistic communication.
@@crtdnew , wunderbar. Hope you find your roots more.
Definitely learning more Cantonese through this video! Keep it up! Would love to continue to watch more videos of you speaking Canto (entertaining way to expand my vocabulary! Haha)
Randomly stumbled across your video and loved it! Absolutely loved the way you portrayed Hong Kong through your filming and editing, so I had to comment! Your chinese is cute, keep practicing ☺️
I’m African American and Chinese, my mom is from Hong Kong and I’m visiting there this summer, I would sometimes favor my Chinese side rather than my African American one most because of what history has thought of that race but I hope to start appreciating both my cultures, thanks for the video!
Thank you for sharing this. I'm glad you're starting to appreciate both sides of yourself. We can't be the best of ourselves without all of ourselves!
awesome
You should appreciate both, as you are both. Hating one side of yourself without reason isn't healthy at all.
love your cutting and shotting style of the video , keep going :D
hong kong took a big turn man all the protesting im lucky i went when it wasnt as bad as now 😔 but its so sad whats happening there
YEAAA CHINGLISH!! so happy someone finally undrstands it when you're torn between english and cantonese. beautiful XD
Malaysian Culture: "Am I a joke to you?"
Malaysia is muslim...his mom is a Chinese not really Malaysian
@@curiousgeorge6921 ummhh you are definitely wrong. Her mother is Malaysian Chinese no doubt about it. Malaysia is a multi-racial country. Yes, the official religion is Islam but other races still have their own freewill to choose the God they wanna worship.
@@DeEuJinn yeah but saying Malaysian culture is wrong..his mom has Chinese culture not Malaysian which is a muslim culture..
@@curiousgeorge6921 well you are right I supposed with the Chinese culture. But living in a country with multiple races actually changed a lot of the Malaysian Chinese culture. It's totally different from Chinese from the other places.
@@DeEuJinn sure but Chinese is Chinese... that's how she identifies for sure...and actually a good number ended up converting to islam because they liked the culture more than chinese one...
I speak cantonese fluently, I find it interesting how when you say smthn like 'ngo', the 'n' at the beginning is very noticeable! It makes you sound old haha.
But nonetheless, very commendable effort! Your pronunciation is pretty good and I'm sure if you continue to speak Cantonese more you can eliminate the hesitation and pausing when you speak it.
Ranen Po it’s because post 90s HK didn’t work on preserving the quality of the language, making HK’s entire generation pronouncing it wrongly.
I'm from America and all of my Cantonese speaking friends and I pronounce it like that too because that's what was taught to us in our Chinese school. Our textbooks would write the phonetics in the back for the words in the chapters and 我 was always written as "ngo5". People who speak Cantonese in HK are said to speak with "lazy" pronunciation because they don't say the "ng" part of the word.
@@kusazero Language changes, and it's not always bad. Call it lazy, but to me it's more for the easier communication. English itself has undergone many changes over the centuries. For example, we say 'an orange' now, but actually in the past the word was 'norange', so originally it was "a norange". I wouldn't say we're losing HK/Cantonese culture by omitting the 'ng', which I think is the most important role of language: to preserve a culture
This makes so much sense all of a sudden! I’m using textbooks and podcasts to learn Cantonese but when I say 我 in Hong Kong, my friends tell me to drop the n even though in the podcasts it has a very clear n sound at the start.
@@catw Completely untrue XD! Before the word was romanised, sure the Persian word for it was Narang. You can still see this root in the Spanish word "Naranja". However, English inherited the word from old french which used "Orenge/Pomme d'orenge (modern)". Unfortunately, the word Narang was changed before it managed to reach the English people. The 'A norange' thing was something that almost happened but definitely wasn't used in English. Granted, these kinds of words do exist in the English language, but unfortunately, not in this case.
Other than that, I agree that some 正字音 isn't always necessary unless you're reading Tang or Song/Sung dynasty poems which have their roots in ancient Cantonese. I personally use Ngo and Nei for 我/你, but there are words like 鳥 where I'd just say Liu instead of Niu. Nonetheless, there are definitely words where it's vital that the speaker uses the correct consonant and tone and it's just important for the person to know.
Bro your production quality is PHENOMENAL, among a sea of absolute garbage travel vlogs, this was a really refreshing change of pace! we stan artistic taste and standards!
I just found your channel while trying to understand the current situation in HK, and am super impressed with your storytelling/film skills! As someone whose identity straddles two very different U.S. subcultures (Appalachian/Western) I can only imagine the gulf between worlds that you yourself have to bridge. There's a lot of travel vlogs out there, and a lot of cultural vlogs. But as you've discovered, you have your own unique experiences and your own distinct voice. Thanks for sharing it with us.
報my 税 😂 I’m different... born in Canada grew up in Hong Kong then lived in Canada and now back to Hong Kong again... I don’t really have a balance and we’re CBC!!!! Canadian Born Chinese!!!! Add oil!!!
This is the best vlog I’ve ever seen! I know you may have failed your challenge but this is the most Cantonese I’ve ever see you speak so that’s a win 😉
Haha the only other time you hear me speak Cantonese is probably when I say "Ma" on the phone.
I saw this video on my home page, but it made me like it and subscribed you as I was checking it out! I loved the part of embracing two cultures and this video is just awesome! There are lots of people around me that are confused about their identity, especially in a western environment. Your video is very motivating and it brings positive mindset. Keep going and make more video like this!
our stories are so similar! I was also born in Canada to a Chinese family with a father from Hong Kong and a mother from Malaysia! I lost a lot of my Cantonese skills as I grew up and I feel disconnected from my culture in terms of knowledge at times. I relate so much with your experiences in speaking the language to native speakers like knowing enough to get by but not enough for a complex conversation. This is such a beautiful video, it reminded me about what I love about Hong Kong and also to keep practicing Cantonese when I can, keep up the great work!
Great video - you hit the ‘identity crisis’ aspect spot on! My sister and I just recently came back from Hong Kong (everytime we visit, we stay for 3 weeks at least) and it was a sensory experience as usual. Oh and we’re also from Vancouver! If you wanna study Chinese together, let’s do it! My mom is also from Malaysia and our dad is from Hong Kong - which part of Malaysia is your mom from?!
Much thanks, Jensen for sharing this glorious well-filmed vlog that speaks volumes.
P.S. Your Cantonese is great, don't underestimate yourself, you're more than fine. 💜
Came here after you liked my pic on IG. I’m glad you did because I was able to see this excellent video! I really want to go to Hong Kong after seeing your experience. Great job. Looking forward to seeing more.
hk is going through some hard times right now, i would recommend you come soon because this wonderful city is in danger of changing forever
Great presentation. I’m from Lake Tahoe in California, and I live in Chiang Rai, Thailand. My Thai wife and I will be traveling to Hong Kong in September.
Absolutely loved every bit of the video, including your backstory and motivation for visiting the motherland. I’m also an American born chinese, but raised in the Chinese countryside for the first five years of my life. I haven’t been able to visit in over a decade but as soon as I graduate high school, it’s the first place I’m going!! Absolutely love the rich and diverse history of China. I’m gonna have to go back every summer for the rest of my life to experience just a part of it 😛 awesome work and please make more videos like these to help this new gen of asian Americans find pride and appreciation of their culture 🥰🥰
I am an ABC myself. Most of my family are in the states. I was lucky that my grandma raised me til i was 10. So I spoke nothing but Cantonese at home.
I have the Cantonese accent down and am ok with normal conversations, but if the conversation gets a little complex, I have to use Chinglish.
Unfortunately, most my cousins born in the states weren't as fortunate. Many can understand Cantonese but can't speak it.
I loved watching TVB especially the wuxia dramas growing up which definitely helped.
Good for you!
Bruv are you me? Literally the same. My dad is from HK 🇭🇰 and my mum is also from Malaysia 🇲🇾 but they both met in the UK where I was born! 🙌🏼
That's what you call a vlog , which actually contains something meaningful, reflection, memory, and learning.
Most vlogs out there are just time-wasting, I can't figure the meaning of their existence even at the very end.
This one is gold, very nicely done.
This is what I call a comment! Thank you!
From the point of view of a Hong Kong local, I think your Cantonese is ok already! It is one of the most difficult language to learn so don't stress yourself too much. Really like the video, it's like a mini documentary!
He kinda sounded like he has been in international school for years
Dude, those city views that you filmed were amazing!
Thank you!
Wow this was fantastic! I love the way you edited this- it felt like a documentary & really personal at the same time. I loved what u guys discovered in chapter 3. Peace & love~
I’ve things interesting to tell. My friend was born in Vancouver in 1994, her parents are immigrants from Beijing, China. She grew up in a Chinese speaking environment, the community her family used to live has a lot of Chinese neighbors. Her Chinese is soooo good, and has no problem with reading, writing and speaking. Her English reading and writing are definitely the native's level, however, when she speaks English, you can still find a little bit Asian accent (that doesn't mean her English is not good, everyone can have different accents on their mother tongue somehow).
Chinese Australian
Man, I love your storyline!
I really like the way you edit your vlog as well as each cultural aspect that you summarize yourself. I really look up to your professionalism on video shooting. There are many awesome scenarios really speaks for unique characteristics of Hong Kong.
I am so related when you reflected your failure in speaking Cantonese to international students abroad who is me in the United States right now. Language indeed have become the barrier on expressing myself in many certain situations of life. But as I insist on learning everyday, I can sense that I am making progress. Now I am still making grammar mistakes and speaking a lot of broken English. But like you said, this is what makes my identify. I feel like that I should embrace it.
So never mind your broken Cantonese, what's more important is that you are trying and still value that language much as your own culture heritage.
I thouroughly enjoy your video, your determination!! Let me share witn you my experiences as a immigrantnin Australia with my hushband , and a 2/12 year old son.
I came from HK , went to a British high school, then off to US. Graduated with a Bachelor degree in Sociology.
We use Cantonese language at home. So, my son ( who is 41 years old now,and is a lawyer)
can speak Cantonese fluently ( I chose to stay home to care for my son .Cantonese is the only language I 've used when conversed with him.)
Keep practicing Cantonese, you will get better, that is for sure !!
God Bless.
Great Video! Your channel is so underrated.
That was some gorgeous footage man! Thank you!
I'm also trying to reconnect and re-learn Cantonese. You're doing amazing!
Great job! Keep practicing your cantonese!! Add oil💪
I'm about to 'cry' just seeing this video. Had been living there for 4 years, and had to move around the globe constantly, HK to me is still one of the best place on earth, and very special in my heart. Cantonese is so cool, too bad I had no chance to learn the language during my time there.
Great video Jensen.. Really appreciate your efforts to get connected with your root.
I really like the cinematography and editing. love the mix of macro shots, slow motion shots, overhead/drone shots. what camera and editing software did you use?
You can make the same challenge in Malaysia as well on your next video. There are a lot of Chinese who speak Cantonese in city like Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh.
Nahh nowadays many youngsters dont speak canto fluently
Raining Starz ok laa if kl/pj area many can speak wan.... Im considered in of them
Raining Starz yup sjkc school pretty much eliminated dialects for the younger generation.
i went to kebangsaan school. At home, spoke english to family and cantonese to grandparents. Im technically a banana since i cant speak mandarin haha
Hello! Just came across your video and love the way how you filmed and edited this video. I’m also a Canadian-HongKonger and lives in Vancouver. Keep up the good work!!
Thank you for showing the world a more "real" side of Hong Kong (like when tourists craze over Lan Fong Yuen 蘭芳園 while we find the milk tea way too expensive), and help promote and preserve a part of Hong Kong's culture. (By the way I work at Tai Kwun part-time so I'm pretty sure you shot this vid months ago lmao) As both TRADITIONAL Chinese and English are our official languages, even my grandmother, who came to Hong Kong after WWII, may use some English words occasionally. This mixture of cultures is very unique, and it makes us Hong Kongers who we are today.
We are currently going through a difficult time. We tried the peaceful way but it didn't work. We put apart our differences as pacifists and valiance believers to unite for the sake of our home as well as our next generations. We saw high school kids and an old man with cancer beaten with no mercy. We witnessed protesters on the street being surrounded with no way for them to leave and left to be violently treated. We've lost 4 of our people.
Ya I know me typing such a long comment wouldn't help with the situation but thank you once again. For your video reminded me of the reason why we defend our once beautiful hometown.
Well said, but violence is not going to work. Hope the younger generation will be more radical in what they are doing.
Lost 4 of ours 4 months ago, now we are only losing more but the government ain't doing shit
I love it when a young person takes charge of learning their personal familial cultural origins and its language. I call this healthy pride, and it is very much needed by those born to immigrant families. I have much respect for you young man. Keep the videos coming, and I'm sure you make your family proud!!!!
Insane video. enjoyed this so much
nice video Jensen, I am vietnamese born in Paris and somehow, will never be 100% french - there will always be an invisible border- and actually, I feel much better when I am in Asia (not necessarily in VN), eventually I married a chinese girl :) which is a blessing because I feel more asian than french deep down, and now I've found my path somehow.
Who would want to be French anyways?
France is nothing like North America, in terms of mentality. Some even say: "In France, you're French, or you're NOT"
France makes it difficult to fit in that's why the Arabs there have a hard time fitting in unlike in North America. A man I worked with said he studied French in high school so when he got to Paris he was excited to practice his French. He thought he knew French until he ran into the French critics of his pronunciation. When I go to Thailand and use Thai the people there are happy to hear me make the effort. The French are finicky. I met an American lady on the international train leaving Paris for Switzerland. She told me she wanted to see the Eiffel Tower but no one would help her. Even the clerk at the metro station could not help her. She even put her hands up to show a tall tower to no avail. The funny thing is in French Eiffel Tower is Tour Eiffel so once you hear the tourist say "Eiffel" you could assume most likely they want to get to the Eiffel Tower. Also Tour sounds a bit like Tower. I told her sorry they were just being difficult with you. Maybe they changed their evil ways by now? That was in 1991.
@@samthepoet107 No they haven't. The French are still arrogant and think they are God's gift to the world
@andre andree Do you speak Vietnamese at all? I'm a Vietnamese who grew up in Canada and I would say most Vietnamese here at least can understand the language and speak it a little if not fluent. All of us have some kind of relatives or friends who live in France and we've notice most of you who grew up in France don't speak Vietnamese at all. My mom's cousin who lives in Paris can understand Vietnamese because her family do speak it at home, but she can't speak it at all. When I visited them, I didn't hear my mom's cousin say a single word of Vietnamese. I came to Canada very young, had all my education in Canada yet I can understand and speak Vietnamese.
My plan is to move to Hong Kong or Taipei when I finish university, that part of the world is just so exciting
coronavirus :0
Taiwan is beautiful.
@Hakohito you think there's democracy in HK under British colonial law? Shut up and educate yourself.
Best vid yet! Can't wait for the next one Jensen "Bruce Lee" Tung!
100 reps of two finger push ups, all day every day
I used to have this cultural/identity internal struggle about being Mexican-American. I love reading/watching stories of people who have similar experiences. Awesome vid!
YOur blog hit a nerve. I did this after college one summer. 10 weeks. Went in like a noob, understood what people were saying to me in Cantonese, but my mouth couldn't form the words despite me knowing them in my head. That's what a lifetime of Chinglish does to you. However, slowly but surely, the words came and I got more proficient and comfortable speaking Cantonese. It was like a key opened a part of my brain. 20 years latter, I'm still able to speak, or at least feel comfortable and less ashamed. I have actually been able to use Cantonese in my job, along with Spanish I retained from high school. One of the best decisions I've made spending the summer in HK.
As a native Cantonese, I'll say your Cantonese is already a lot better than many ABCs I've met :p
Im Samoan but my mother's great grandfather was a Guangzhou native who moved to Samoa as a working labourer. He spoke Cantonese and taught his own children (my mother's maternal grandfather and his brothers). My mother always said to me that my grandmother and her siblings were taught how to speak Cantonese also when they were little but eventually they forgot when the old man passed away. Im determined to learn Cantonese and go back to China to discover that lineage. Thank you for your video, it was well thought and made me feel more motivated to learn my Chinese heritage :)
Whaa I love the was you put this video together. It's filmed really well. The food looks so good!! But it was actually really eye-opening when you talked not being able to fully express yourself in Catonese, and the fact that this is probably a feeling a lot of immigrants feel in a new country. I find it incredibly sad because I feel like the connections you can make with people are limited in this way. It makes me want to learn more languages for sure just to communicate with people Id probably get along with if we could understand each other.
Great video!!
gosh, I miss HK so much after watching this.. the food, the vibes of both old & new parts of the city..
Awesome story and a good job! I really enjoyed hearing your story and good cinematography
If you come for a second time please lemme know! Imma show you around places that are not tourists hotspots but are really cool and popular among real locals. That beef brisket shop is okay but it's mainly a tourist trap, and honestly you could get the same harbour view (or even better) if you walk 15 minutes to a vantage point on a public path. Also you should visit the University of Hong Kong it's a very good fit to your original identity crisis, that century-old buildings are preserved next to modern glass chambers. Been to Van city once honestly liked there more, but I guess Hong Kong has its special sauce:)
Peace out
I lived in Hong Kong for two years in the 90s, learning and speaking Cantonese daily in my missionary work. This was a great flashback to what it felt like to communicate with people, especially before I became proficient and eventually fluent. 20+ years later my Cantonese has dropped off quite a bit, but your video was very enjoyable to watch! I can relate to the inability to truly express complex ideas.
INSANE storytelling and DUDE ur NUNCHUK skillz doe 🔥
RIP Bruce Lee ✌️
I ran across your trip to HK which happened many years ago, but i learned something from you, you had the courage to go there, experience it, salute to you,now I’m 60, but still learning, congratulations to a job will done!
I am Asian American and it was nice seeing this video, I could also relate and it was kind of healing to watch someone really trying to connect. Thanks for doing this!
The last time I went to China was 11 years ago. I live in England and now it is hard for me to speak Cantonese fluently 😩. I might go back to China next year and try this 😊 I could also speak mandarin just a little bit but Cantonese is my main language.
I'm not even HK but I can understand most of his Canton, thanks to my HK housemates. Keep it up!
taisan?
I hate it when a person orders a local food and picks out whatever's inside it and calls it disgusting. C'mon, have some respect on other people's food! It was made with labour that you probably have no idea about. Order something else!
Yeah, Sean is a SPOILED CANADIAN.
The IRONY IS: Sean is Chinese.
thats just terrible manners regardless of lack of cultural knowledge
Disregarding a food allergy, it won’t kill you to swallow a ‘gross’ food. That’s still bad manners and lack of practice eating food you’re not used to.
Y’all losers are complaining about bad manners on a youtube video
This 100%
hello I'm currently an exchange student to UoW from Hong Kong. Your video is incredible and reminds me of my home. BTW high quality video and keep it up with your Cantonese!
DUDE. Thanks so much for this video cause I totally relate. The first time I went to Hong Kong I felt totally at home, but so far from it too. I walked into a shop to ask for a phone charger and after he asked me the first question, I realized I didn't know how to answer it fully in Cantonese. It was kind of embarrassing but eye-opening for me. Chinese was my first language, but as I started school with mostly English speakers it took over how much of it I really spoke. I've been away for the last two years and not speaking it as much as really made me realized how much of my roots I'm connected to. Now, I'm here like, "Mom, how do you cook this?" "Mom, what is that?" Like, actually trying to remember what the name of the things we get at dim sum are so I can actually order it myself.
This is awesome. Much love for this video!
when you understand everything he’s saying in cantonese 🤣🥴
Mandy Yang lmao same here lol
Same here
I'm not even Canto and I still understand a lot of what he's saying
Exactly 😂
Same xd
Thank you for this video Jensen!
I was just feeling a type of way about being a Chinese-American and feeling so distant from my Chinese language and culture. I then decided to search "cantonese vlog" and I found YOUR VIDEO. I cannot express how much I can relate to this video and most importantly, you.
I grew up speaking Chenglish. I ate all the delicious food but never learned the names of them. And I can definitely understand much more Chinese than I can speak.
I felt that so much when you were talking about a restriction in personality and expression when speaking cantonese. It frustrates me and saddens me knowing my parents don't know my true personality because of that. I feel such a disconnect with my culture, but that's the reality of being a first generation Chinese-American. It is this in-between limbo of an identity we are left to figure out.
Thank you for this video. I enjoyed it and appreciate it! :)
KEEP SPEAKING CANTONESE IN RUclips . YOU CAN DO IT DUDE
Hi Jensen,
You doing so well - Im Vietnamese Chinese live in Denmark. My 3 kids don’t speak Chinese too - I have regretted so much that I never learned them, but it’s never to late.
Keep on learning 👌
maaaaan, loved this video, thanks so much!!! it's crazy good. and i miss HK so much, HK people are the best! on our first day in HK a couple of years ago we randomly met a HK dude who grew up in Canada, too; eventually, got to explore HK with him and then he came to visit us in Seoul, super chill and cool. anyway, i am new to this channel, loving this creative content just wow thanks
Jensen! I'm Arab, I was born in Syria and moved to Canada when I was 4. I experience the same struggle when it comes to language, exactly what you and your friend were talking about. I went to Dubai to visit my aunt and cousins in December and it was really frustrating at some points. I can't express complex concepts, so I feel like I end up being a boring and general version of myself. Humour is also hard to express. I'm pretty fluent, I just have a basic vocabulary. It's hard to know how to improve. My reading level is so low, it's discouraging lol but I know I need to work on that in order to build up my vocabulary.
I visited Hong Kong in 2010, and while it was endlessly fascinating, wathcing your video reminded me of one funny little incident. I'm 6ft, from Alberta so not used to the moving amongst that many people. Yet, as if by magic, no matter how awkwardly I shambled about the sea of people in Hong Kong would part and flow around me as if by magic, and never once over two weeks did I bump into anyone ... except once. In the market I backed up into a large chinese guy who was backing into me, we turned, and both in the same breath came out with our "Sorry" and I recognized another Canadian.
This is such a Canadian story, love it!
Love your video and your effort in speaking Cantonese!
You sounded so cute when you said 九點六 towards the end of the video @16:50
We usually say 九點半 lol
Anyway good job!
LOL! he may look exactly a Chinese, eat Chinese food, but besides the obvious language is totally like reading Google translation, he couldn't even use the chopsticks correctly & politely, even I'm from M'sia, my grandpa would snap our fingers if we keep the chopsticks straight up in the bowl when not picking up food... and only westerners would leave the chopsticks slanting into the bowl like a spoon or a fork, we usually either lay them on top of the bowl horizontally or on the table when not holding them... so much more to learn to be a Chinese...
@@xyes I'm Indonesian Chinese, even though Chinese Languages, cultures and names banned here for a long time, I could still use chopsticks properly because my parents would be angry if I don't use it properly hahaha
I usually don't comment on youtube videos, but honestly, I relate to you so much! I'm also a Chinese-Canadian who lives in Vancouver. My Cantonese honestly sucks even though I went to Chinese school, but your video has really motivated me to start practicing my canto! Also I just subscribed :D
Awesome video. Wonderful place and the food looks so nice. Great work.
I’m not Chinese but this video was AMAZING
Holy Shit I relate to this video so hard. I was born in Australia, dad from Hong Kong and mom from Indonesia. Can speak the same level of Canto as you and feel the exact same way when I go on holiday to Hong Kong
same! born in australia, my mum from hong kong and my dad from malaysia - i've gone to malaysia many more times than i have to hong kong. i honestly didn't realise that so many feel the same way i do!
oh my God you are an amazing storyteller.
You did so well in making this video exploring your culture and identity. Love from hk locals and hope you’ll have fun in hk again after protests are over
Good way for people who wants to teach and study Cantonese, this helps me to improve my way to teach, thanks.