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One of the periods that had long lasting global impact was the Industrial Revolution, occurring between the 18th and early 20th century spearheaded by...
When asked the reason for the painted eyes on the bow of a junk, a Chinese would likely respond: “No got eye how can see?” Moreover, “no can see, how can...
恭gung1喜hei2發faat3財coi4！That’s what the featured image says – 恭喜發財 a wish for prosperity and wealth. The Chinese New Year is the time of the year when families...
Water covers approximately 70% of the surface of the globe, which means that the lives of a large number of people are in different ways related to the...
The Age of Discovery, from the 15th to 17th century, created unprecedented opportunities for people of different cultures to interact. Curiosity, wealth,...
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...
When a foreign word takes root in new soil, the life of the word takes its course and continues to evolve in the new environment. The word chop is a good...
Kopi is a popular beverage in Singapore and Malaysia. On menus of restaurants, you will find that it can be mixed with other ingredients like...
Before taking a vacation to explore a different culture, one thing we do is check the exchange rates between the local and foreign currencies. Today, it...
Before the First Opium War (1839–1842), Westerners’ activities were confined to provincial city of Guangdong province–Canton (now Guangzhou). As described...
Titled “A coolie of Hongkong”, the featured postcard portrays a rather unusual representation of coolies – unhassled and calm. On the back of the postcard,...
If a caption is needed for the featured image above, it would be: “Boy, go catchee two piecey tea.” Where is the “boy”? It is the man standing in the...
Female domestic workers occupy an important role in the family. During the rule of the East India Company and the British government, the female servants...
The featured photography shows two Europeans and a group of South Asians. At the back of the photograph is: “Frank Arthur & servants. 3 years old!”...
In the last post (12. Chin-chin joss), the object of chin-chin ‘worship’ can be a joss, that is, in Chinese tradition a god, goddess, or deity.The word...
The Hobson-Jobson Being a Glossary of Anglo-Indian Colloquial Words and Phrases and of Kindred Terms (1886) is an essential collection of words of Asian...
Shanghai entered the international stage after being designated as one of the treaty ports in the Treaty of Nanking (1842). The internationalization of...
In the 18th century, Europeans and their employees worked in a “Factory”, not to produce goods but to engage in different commercial activities. The featured...
The compradores were the right-hand men of the taipans, and the taipans were the heads of the companies. The featured image above is a poster of the film...
A unique social class that emerged in the context of China trade was the compradores. Their education, manner, and lifestyle truly embraced the spirits...
As China opened up its market for foreign trade, the flow of people, money, ideas, and technologies from around the world expanded exponentially. The signing...
The foreignness of people and things often results in curiosity, suspicion, and hostility. Such feelings are sometimes reflected in language as people...
To the Hokkien-speaking Chinese, the term 紅hung4毛mou4 is familiar as it is traditionally used to refer to the Dutch and later Europeans. Hokkien (福fuk1建gin6話waa2)...
Previously, we saw a postcard posted from Honolulu to Hong Kong dated 1888 (see 3. Chin-chin). As shown below, the beginning of the message was a usual...
Hawaiʻi comprises a group of islands located in the central Pacific Ocean. The state capital and the largest city, Honolulu, is on O‘ahu. It is believed...
Courtesy is important in social interactions. Therefore, the first Chinese Pidgin English expression introduced here is chin-chin, an expression of salutation....
Postcards are the most representative type of printed ephemera. When the idea of writing a message on a card without an envelope was proposed, people were...