On Saturday, May 14, 2022, the first-ever Vancouver Hong Kong Fair was hosted by HK House at SFU Harbour Centre in Downtown Vancouver. Due to overwhelming enthusiasm from the community, the venue was packed with thousands of event attendees, organizers, vendors, and volunteers alike. As a part of their ongoing community outreach efforts, the UBC Cantonese Language Program hosted a booth with games and prizes to showcase Cantonese language learning to community members.
The volunteer team of the day!
Taking place during Asian Heritage Month, the event sought to celebrate Hong Kong culture for newcomers and the diaspora community located in the city. The fair featured not only Hong Kong-related artisans, associations, products, and crafts, but also included events such as stand-up and talk shows by YouTube influencers, artistic events, film screenings, fan club gatherings, and more.
Raymond teaches a Jyutping crash course to event attendees
The day of the event, Acting Program Director of the Cantonese Language Program Raymond Pai and instructor Dr. Zoe Lam engaged with visitors by hosting several Jyutping (Cantonese romanization) crash courses. A volunteer team, which consisted of current and former Cantonese program assistants and alumni, introduced the program’s course offerings and related community events. Throughout the day, the booth also saw many alumni and TAs, UBC faculty and staff, and met community supporters and other Cantonese enthusiasts.
A big thank you to everyone who visited the Cantonese Language Program’s booth at the Fair! Stay tuned for their many upcoming community events.
