This year marks the 10th anniversary of the UBC Cantonese Language Program. To celebrate this milestone and look in retrospect, lecturer Dr. Zoe Lam sat down with two students who have journeyed from beginners of Cantonese to outstanding teaching assistants: Yuwen Luo, a fourth-year Computer Science undergraduate student, and Leo Zhaoxu Liao, a recent bachelor graduate in History and International Relations.
Teaching assistants Yuwen Luo (left) and Leo Liao (right) are both Mandarin speakers who have achieved advanced Cantonese proficiency after only a few years of studying
Zoe: Thank you, Yuwen and Leo, for your hard work as teaching assistants last term! Your Cantonese is so fluent that sometimes I forget you were once a beginner. What inspired you to take your first Cantonese course at UBC, and what encouraged you to continue your learning journey?
Yuwen: Although I am from Chongqing, China, I have always been interested in Cantonese TV series and Cantonese songs. This curiosity about the language led me to take my first course, CNTO 311 Basic Cantonese for Mandarin Speakers, back in 2019 when I was pursuing my first degree. The more I learned, the more my confidence and interest in the language grew. Consequently, I continued with CNTO 401 and 403 Intermediate Cantonese I and II, and CNTO 451 Advanced Cantonese Through Popular Culture. They significantly deepened my appreciation for Hong Kong culture and helped me better understand linguistic nuances in various cultural contexts.
Zoe: It’s amazing that you have taken all levels of Cantonese courses. I remember in one of your group projects, you and your classmates produced a Cantonese rap song about Chongqing’s interesting cityscape. It’s so well done that I still show it to my current students proudly to illustrate what an A+ project looks like. How did you come up with this idea?
Yuwen: One of my group members was also from Chongqing, and since we had learned the topic of transportation in class, we thought it would be a fun and relevant theme. Chongqing’s transportation is quite unique due to its mountainous geography, and we were also familiar with a rap song in the Chongqing dialect. These inspired us to create our own version using Cantonese. It was a great way to connect our personal backgrounds with what we had learned in class.
Yuwen and her classmates produced a Cantonese rap song for their CNTO 401 group project
Zoe: Speaking of personal background, Leo, what is your connection to Cantonese?
Leo: I was born and raised in Shenzhen in Guangdong, China, where young people like me are finding it increasingly difficult to learn Cantonese in a Mandarin-dominant environment. So, I was looking for a chance to systematically hone my Cantonese skills. Like Yuwen, I started with CNTO 311, where I was attracted by the class atmosphere—my TAs, fellow classmates, and instructors were very supportive. Naturally, I continued with CNTO 401 & 403 in my third year. Apart from regular classes, extracurricular activities like the Cantonese Fun Night left me with unforgettable memories, too.
Zoe: Right, I remember you were one of the Masters of Ceremonies of the event! Can you tell us more about this experience?
Leo: I cooperated with the other MCs to write the script, making sure it sounded natural and authentic in Cantonese. At the event itself, I had to handle a series of unexpected situations and think on my feet with my partners. This experience offered me a valuable chance to speak Cantonese on stage in a public space, which boosted my courage and fostered my expressive abilities in Cantonese.
Leo (first row, first from the right) was one of the Masters of Ceremonies of the 2023 Cantonese Fun Night
Zoe: That’s exactly why we hired you to be a TA. Your confidence has set a good example for students. Yuwen, you have been my TA since 2023. Did you find your experience as a learner useful when you were teaching weekly tutorials, where students broke into small groups to do oral practice?
Yuwen: My experience as a learner has been incredibly helpful as a TA. Since I’ve gone through a similar learning process, I understand the common struggles students face. I can share tips that target Mandarin speakers, as I know which parts might be confusing or easy to mix up. Some students would come up to me after class to ask follow-up questions. It made me happy to see their curiosity and enthusiasm. Later on, I even noticed that some of them used those expressions in their assignments and exams, which was really encouraging and rewarding to see. Overall, it was very meaningful to give back to the program that had supported me throughout my own learning journey and to support other students who are on the same path I once took.
Leo: I couldn’t agree more. I found that teaching Cantonese has in turn improved my Cantonese! This echoes with a saying by Zixia (a student of Confucius), that teaching and learning facilitate and enhance each other. Serving as a TA has given me numerous opportunities to interact with students from diverse backgrounds. I have learned to listen to their struggles and needs with empathy. Language teaching isn’t mechanical reading from a textbook or assembly line work. Instead, it should be personalized and diversified, adjusting to each student’s different circumstances with bespoke strategies.
Zoe: It’s clear that being a TA contributes to your personal growth, Leo. I know you will be pursuing a Juris Doctor degree at the University of Hong Kong. Congratulations!
Leo: Thank you! My career aspiration is to become a barrister or solicitor advocate focusing on cross-border dispute resolution and public international law in Hong Kong. Cantonese is, therefore, a vital tool for me to communicate with my clients, prosecutors, and judges. My Cantonese learning and teaching experience at UBC has empowered me to notice details that might be ignored by an English- or Mandarin-speaking attorney when tackling local cases.
Zoe: As a teacher, I couldn’t be happier to see that Cantonese plays an important role in your professional pursuits. I’m sure you will be a great attorney! Lastly, I have a question for both of you. Having successfully progressed in your Cantonese studies, what learning tips would you offer to students who are just starting their journey?
Yuwen: Watching Cantonese media like YouTube channels or TV drama series is super helpful for building vocabulary and listening skills. And definitely don’t be afraid to make mistakes, try to speak as much as you can. It really helps build your confidence and fluency over time.
Leo: I couldn’t agree more. I find that some students are too worried about their accent. In fact, even native speakers from Guangdong, Macau, and Hong Kong have diverse accents. If the listener can understand you, you should be confident in your Cantonese ability. Besides, I recommend switching your mode of thinking to Cantonese, and avoid translating words in your head so as to improve your ability to process Cantonese quickly. One way to achieve this is to incorporate extensive real-life scenarios into your study of grammar, vocabulary, and Jyutping Romanization to contextualize the knowledge.
Zoe: Great advice! Thank you, Yuwen and Leo, for sharing your experiences and insights. Your dedication is truly commendable and has set a wonderful example for other students in the UBC Cantonese Language Program. I hope you will continue your learning journey after graduation, and I wish you all the best in your endeavours!
