On May 3, 2026, the UBC Cantonese Language Program continued its tradition of community engagement at the annual Vancouver Hong Kong Fair, held this year at The Shipyards in North Vancouver.
This annual celebration, organized by the volunteer collective Hong Kong House, stands as the largest Hong Kong-themed festival in North America, dedicated to preserving heritage and fostering connections within the diaspora. The UBC Cantonese Language Program has been an active participant since the fair’s inception in 2022, and this year’s event marks another milestone for the program to further its mission of language advocacy beyond the university.
The 2026 Vancouver Hong Kong Fair at The Shipyards drew thousands of visitors, bringing together the Hong Kong diaspora and local cultural enthusiasts for North America’s largest annual celebration of Hong Kong heritage.
With eighty vendors filling the venue, the fair provided a vibrant atmosphere for cultural exchange and commerce. This year, the program collaborated with Chinatown Wonders to host a joint booth. The stall featured an array of program merchandise alongside popular apparel from Chinatown Wonders, most notably t-shirts adorned with humorous Cantonese phrases that resonated deeply with the visitors. As a significant gesture of support for the program’s educational goals, part of the proceeds from these sales will be donated directly to the UBC Cantonese Language Program to fund future student initiatives and community events.
Poster designed by Kate Wong
A core component of the program’s involvement was the Cantonese Teaching Roundtable, which featured three interactive sessions designed to bridge academic expertise with community needs.
Lecturer Dr. Zoe Lam opened the series with a workshop titled Typeduck Bootcamp, where she demonstrated how a Romanization-based method to type Cantonese enables users to receive instant feedback, enhance reading proficiency, and foster phonological awareness.
This was followed by Cantonese instructor Celia Sze’s session titled Cantonese Transmission: Home, School, and Community, which explored the complex interplay between family practices, school environments, and community support in sustaining the language across generations.
Finally, Raymond Pai, Acting Director of the UBC Cantonese Language Program, led a discussion on Cantonese Assessment: Becoming an Examiner, where he shared his personal journey of navigating a career in language education and language testing. As an experienced trainer of examiners, he brought practical insights into professional oral proficiency frameworks and the qualification requirements for becoming an examiner in internationally recognized proficiency tests.
Cantonese instructors engaged visitors in much-needed conversations about Cantonese education in a Canadian context. (Photo courtesy of Raymond Pai)
These roundtable sessions served as a vital platform for knowledge mobilization, allowing the public to engage in meaningful dialogue about the linguistic future of the diaspora. By participating in such a high-profile event, the UBC Cantonese Program continues to ensure that the Cantonese language remains a vibrant and evolving part of Vancouver’s multicultural landscape.
