For the live audience and the thousands tuning in from their living rooms around the world, time seemed to stand still as a deep, velvety voice filled the room and stirred the souls of everyone listening. The lyrics of an Alan Tam classic were being sung with a storied richness that felt like the warm glow of love that was longed for. An unlikely silhouette emerged and Jackie Li stepped into the light to greet the judges.
Read MoreDominic Lam once painted himself head-to-toe in red, transforming into the God of Spicy Food for a Toronto TV segment. The producers were nervous. Lam was a respected host and a veteran actor from Hong Kong. Was this really how he wanted to be seen? Lam didn’t hesitate. “If it makes people connect, I’ll do it,” he says. “That’s what matters.”
For more than 50 years, Lam has moved between professions and continents without hesitation. He’s been a police officer, television host, actor, radio personality and community builder, always learning as he goes and rarely choosing the obvious path.
Read MoreAs a child, Eugene Chan spent Saturday nights wedged between relatives and neighbours in bustling Chinese restaurants north of Toronto, plates clattering, chopsticks flashing, laughter cresting above the din. Yet, even in the warmth of community, he noticed an absence. “Why,” he wondered, “are these places always full, but never with a single westerner?” The question lingered for years. It’s now the driving force behind Accencis Group, the company Chan founded to help Asian-led brands break new ground, connecting with audiences across Canada and into new markets.
Read More“Food was always at the centre of my family,” says Braden Chong, executive chef at MIMI Chinese and Sunnys Chinese, two acclaimed restaurants in Toronto. “I loved eating. I was curious about how it was cooked and why I liked it so much.”
Born in 1994, Chong grew up in a Chinese-Canadian household as the youngest of three brothers. His grandparents immigrated from the Guangzhou region to Canada in the 1950s, bringing with them the flavours and traditions of southern China.
Read MoreHer curiosity is boundless, as is her appetite. So it’s jarring to hear that Mijune Pak had trouble keeping food down while travelling through Dubai, Oman, Qatar, and the Maldives earlier this year. “Za’atar. Cumin. Normally, I love all that stuff,” she says, making a face at the memory. But normal wasn’t her state at the time: she was in her first trimester, expecting her first child. Those scents simply weren’t agreeing with her.
Read MoreIn a world where music transcends language, Lang Lang is a global ambassador, carrying the soul of Chinese heritage to the world’s grandest stages. With a Steinway piano at the command of his fingers and audiences across continents rising in standing ovation, he continues to redefine what it means to be an artist — not only by mastering his craft, but by embodying the power of cultural connection.
Read MoreOn a video call from his Vancouver office, Joo Kim Tiah sits with the city’s skyline behind him, a skyline he’s about to transform with what may be his most defining project yet.
The real estate developer’s vision: a $2.8-billion development that would rise from two downtown blocks, an architectural statement that will become Vancouver’s most ambitious mixed-use complex to date.
Read More“I love being a dragon,” Liann Zhang says when the subject of the Chinese zodiac comes up. “It’s this random mystical beast in the middle of it all. I feel very powerful.”
Dragons, she adds, are brave and up for adventure, qualities that suit anyone writing a novel. Zhang just did. At just 23, she’s already seeing her debut thriller, Julie Chan is Dead, become one of the buzziest Canadian novels of the year, thanks in part to its setting in the murky world of influencers. The title is a tease; the story is even sharper.
Read MoreDuring a break from her flight schedule in 2008, Skye Chan spotted a television advertisement for Miss Hong Kong pageant entrants. Most flight attendants might have dismissed the idea immediately. Chan had built her reputation on efficiency and professionalism, not the polished glamour typically associated with beauty competitions.
Yet something about the opportunity intrigued her. At twenty-three, Chan knew the eligibility cutoff of twenty-four made this her only opportunity to apply, so she downloaded the form and asked her mother to be her nominee. “You never know until you take a step forward,” she says.
Chan had no illusions about her chances.
Read MoreOn screen, Huang sat in a softly lit room at home, framed by an intricately carved wooden cabinet, its surface etched with ancient figures and traditional buildings. She smiled, glanced back at the cabinet and let the moment linger.
Off camera, one can imagine that cabinet, rich with the charm of Chinese design, has witnessed many changing seasons since her arrival in Toronto from Shanghai nearly a decade ago. It seems to speak for itself: solid, silent and carrying its own history into a new country where Huang has built a new life.
Read MoreGinalina, the stage name of Vancouver-based musician Gina Lam, weaves a tapestry of sound that bridges cultures and generations. Her latest album, All The Earth Speaks, released last fall, is a testament to her artistic vision—a fusion of traditional Chinese and Taiwanese folk music with contemporary Western influences.
Read MoreAs one of the most influential figures in Canadian banking and the game-changing founder of the Chinese Canadian Youth Athletics Association (CCYAA), Kuo was unraveling the many layers of his multi-faceted identity during our interview for this magazine article. His wife and in-laws are from Hong Kong, his father was originally from China and moved to Taiwan, his mother is Taiwanese, and Kuo himself works here as an all-in Canadian. This unique combination has positioned him well to interact with people from various Chinese backgrounds, blending the East and the West.
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