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In 1784, the first merchant ship of the newly established United States of America – Empress of China – set sail from New York to Canton (Guangzhou) of...
Located at the Pearl River (珠江) (Cantonese: zyu1 gong1, Mandarin: zhujiang) in south China, Canton 廣州 (currently romanized as Guangzhou) has been...
For most of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) and the early period of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), China adopted a series of policies collectively referred...
Although the Ming dynasty of China (1368–1644) shut the door on establishing foreign relations in the 16th century, informal exchanges, particularly private...
It is often acknowledged that Jorge Álvares was the first Portuguese to have landed in China. In 1513, his ships arrived in a place known as Tamão, whose...
The featured image is the receipt from a shop in Penang for an order of rock sugar. Rock sugar 冰糖 (Cantonese: bing1 tong4) is a kind of crystalized sugar...
When Granville Sharp (1824–1899) arrived in India, he joined the Commercial Bank of India. On 2 November 1858, he married Matilda Lincolne Sharp (1829–1893)...
After the landing of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama in Calicut (now Kozhikode), India in 1498 and upon his return to Lisbon with news of future...
The early 20th century was the golden era of postcards. Not only did travelers buy postcards as souvenirs, but strangers also exchanged postcards in order...
The modern world is not unfamiliar with different types of mixing – mix-and-match in fashion, crossover in music, fusion in food… you name it. However,...
An aspect of Chinese lives that Western writers of the 19th and 20th century often described was gambling. During his service in Singapore, J.D. Vaughan...
The third day of the Chinese New Year is also known as 赤口 (Cantonese: cek3 hou2). Traditionally, it is believed that quarrelling will easily occur on this...
Situated in southern China, the Pearl River (Zhujiang 珠江) is the third longest river in China. Life and customs along the river were so enchanting that...
“Hong Kong prospère sous le signe de la cumshaw et le sourire des sing-song girls” (Hong Kong thrives under the sign of the cumshaw and the smile of the...
The Victoria Harbour has been a well-known attraction of Hong Kong. The skyline of the Hong Kong side, from past to present, is an everlasting motif of...
Not having a chance to feel the “spicy breezes” of Ceylon? Maskee, try Singapore – a country that is also full of diversity and spicy food. Four official...
Before tea became the main industry of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), it was that attraction of spices that drove the Portuguese and Dutch to occupy the island....
In 2017, milk tea was declared as an item of “intangible cultural heritage” of Hong Kong. Hong Kong-style milk tea (港式奶茶 gong2 sik1 naai5 caa4) is a tea...
Tea has become one of the popular beverages in Europe since the 17th century. Even coffee houses sold tea from China. The trade card above was produced...
The English East India Company (EIC), also known as the “Governor and Company of Merchants in London, trading into the East Indies,” was founded on 31...
The postcard above was sent in 1907 from Singapore to the Custom House of Shanghai via Hong Kong. The Custom House, called 江海北關 in Chinese, in operation...
Someone who is “on active service” participates in military action as a member of the armed force, like the sender of the above mail. The sender must have...
A quick reminder of the various meanings of “Chop” – a seal, a stamp, a trademark, a permit, an order, or an official document. The word could also combine...
Kopi is a popular drink in Singapore and Malaysia. However, visitors may find it mind-blowing when it comes to ordering the drink because there are different...
Before we travel to a different place, one of the first things we do is to check up on the currencies of our destinations. Today, this can be done quickly...
Strolling along the narrow streets in Canton city in the olden days, the first thing that caught your attention must be the signboards hanging outside...
Titled “A coolie of Hongkong”, this postcard presented an unusually stylish and calm posture of a coolie. The sender of the postcard explained the coolie’s...
“Boy, go catchee two piecey tea.” – This is perhaps the best way to describe this photograph.
The Chinese man standing in the middle, though looked...
The letter above, dated 1973, was sent from Macau to Canada. At the end of the letter, Christine told the recipient that: “Since my Amah left after 15...
At the back of the photo above was written “Frank Arthur & servants. 3 years old!” Have you ever wondered who these Indians were? To answer this question,...
In the last article chin-chin joss, it has been mentioned that joss (or josh) was a form derived from Portuguese deus meaning ‘God’. In the pidgin spoken...
Compiled by Henry Yule and Arthur Coke Burnell, the Hobson-Jobson Being a Glossary of Anglo-Indian Colloquial Words and Phrases and of Kindred Terms (first...
Yang-king-pang 洋涇浜 (Yangjingbang in Chinese Pinyin) used to be a tributary of the Huangppu River in Shanghai. It was a narrow creek that separated the...
This advertisement for a porcelain shop was printed in a travel guide A Pictorial Handbook to Canton (1905). The “Factory” was an interesting place back...
The image above is a poster of the film Tai-pan, adapted from James Clavell’s 1966 novel of the same title. The novel was set after the conclusion of the...
A unique class developed under the context of China trade, the compradores truly embraced the spirits of “middlemen”. They stood between the foreigners...
The signing of the Treaty of Nanking in 1842 after the end of the First Opium War (1839-1842) resulted in the opening of more treaty ports for foreign...
In Hong Kong, Caucasian men are known as gweilo (鬼佬 gwaai2 lou2) literally ‘ghost man’. Caucasians women are called gweimui (鬼妹 gwaai2 mui1)or gweipo (鬼婆...
The Portuguese gained rights to settle and trade in Macau in 1557. The Dutch, a constant rivalry of the Portuguese, attempted to invade Macau in 1622....
The image shows a cover celebrating the 150th anniversary (1789-1939) of Hawaiʻi and Chinese interaction.
For the past 200 years, Chinese has become...
Hawaiʻi is made up of a group of islands located in the central Pacific Ocean. The state capital and the largest city, Honolulu, is situated on O‘ahu....
This postcard was sent from Honolulu, Hawai‘i to Hong Kong in 1888. The writer, Phillips, told the recipient that he had safely arrived in Honolulu. The...
When the idea of writing message on a card without an envelope was first proposed, people were quite suspicious of this kind of communication. There were...