Lesley Chiang: A Journey of Resilience and Advocacy 姜麗文：星光延續

Lesley Chiang's career trajectory reflects her diverse talents and multicultural background. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver, this Canadian actress and singer-songwriter has made waves in both the music and film industries while becoming a vocal advocate for mental health awareness.

“I grew up in Vancouver, and it's always such a big part of me and it's something I'm really proud of to be Chinese Canadian,” she says. This multicultural upbringing provided her with a unique perspective that infuses her work.

Karen Mak: Building Through Passion 麥嘉慧：以激情塑造奢侈品店設計的世界

The traits you carry through life can lead you down various paths, whether familiar or foreign. Comfort may guide you along the well-trodden route, while whimsy might take you somewhere new. Passion, on the other hand, will always propel you far and wide, on bright thoroughfares and dark laneways alike. It will help you navigate the sea of self-doubt and traverse the path of confidence. Passion will challenge you and lift you when you fall. Such is the essence of Karen Mak, whose life is driven by passion.

Johnnie To: Master of Hong Kong Cinema 杜琪峯：香港電影不死

In the pantheon of Hong Kong cinema, Johnnie To Kei-fung stands as a colossus. With a career spanning over five decades, To has evolved from a commercial success to an internationally acclaimed auteur, leaving an indelible mark on the industry alongside contemporaries such as Wong Kar-wai, Tsui Hark, and John Woo.

Multicultural Maestro: Jeffrey Remedios Orchestrates the Future of Recorded Music 多元文化音樂大師

In Universal Music Canada’s innovative headquarters in Toronto’s Liberty Village, Jeffrey Remedios oversees a creative hub that opened its doors in 2022, marking a new chapter for the company in the post-pandemic era. The space, designed to foster collaboration, imagination and innovation, features state-of-the-art recording studios, a performance venue and open-concept office areas bathed in natural light.

Krystal Koo: Building Communities and Big Ideas on the Foundation of Culture 古菁藍: 建構理想生活圈

Krystal Koo’s journey of integrating her diverse worlds came to a head at the May 2023 UNMET Gala, which she co-chaired on behalf of the WoodGreen Foundation and its clients’ unmet needs. Held at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, the event played on the celeb-stacked Met Gala that Anna Wintour throws annually at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The theme, Come as You Are, gave her guests—representing the cream of Toronto society drawn from the younger generation of Westons, Rogers, Websters, and Bitoves—the opportunity to showcase their heritage. Koo, who is Chinese, chose to wear a stunning white cheongsam by Zuhair Murad paired with a billowing Kelly-green cape by Greta Constantine.

Personal StoriesFête ChinoiseFebruary 20, 2025Asian representaton, chinese canadianComment

Transcending Boundaries: The Visionary Artistry of William Yong 楊漢源: 舞出新視野

In the rarefied realm of Canadian dance, few artists have forged as unconventional and boundary-obliterating a path as William Yong. The award-winning Chinese-Canadian choreographer and multimedia artist, who immigrated from Hong Kong to Toronto in the 1990s to reunite with his family after a decade in London, has melded his multicultural roots with an unbridled creative spirit, pioneering daringly innovative, interdisciplinary works that shatter artistic conventions. From his early experimental films and productions merging dance with technology to touring the world as an in-demand performer, Yong has continually pushed the limits of dance expression.

Daisy Li: Skate Onward 李昕盷：破冰女孩

“We imagine the jump, the spin or the trick so we can analyze all the movements, with the specific parts of our body throughout the jump, to make sure it turns out well. It is important to have a focused mindset.” This is how Daisy Li, a promising 13-year-old Chinese figure skater from Prince Edward Island, explains how she approaches a jump during a competition. It’s how she, quite literally, finds momentum.

Personal StoriesFête ChinoiseMay 24, 2024Asian representaton, chinese canadian, Chinese Canadian, SportsComment

Joseph Fung: Investing in the Future 馮尚賢：活出使命

Growing up in Vancouver, Fung never took his privileged upbringing for granted. Early on, he knew that he wanted to chart his own path, to work for the benefit of others, and eventually contribute something of his own to the family business. Although not official, resilience and enterprise are what come to mind as family mottos; personal resilience being his own core principle.

Lisa Ing Marinelli: Finding Momentum Through Fashion 放膽塑造真我：吳佩瑜

A corporate lawyer and fashion influencer who puts together looks showcased and sold on her own ShopLTK online boutique, Lisa Marinelli is a firm believer that women really can have it all. “So often women put themselves in a box, limiting themselves about what or how they can be,” she says, speaking from her home in London, England. “But I want to demonstrate that women can have a family and still make money and ascend through corporate structures. They can be multifaceted and express themselves in ways they want to be heard.” She’s living proof of that.

Personal StoriesFête ChinoiseMay 3, 2024fashion, Fashion, Digital Content CreatorComment

Margaret Chung: Highlighting the 'Mom' in Momentum 鍾麗淇：生命就是勇往直前

Most people know Margaret Chung as the Toronto-born actress who made her endearing debut in 1997 in the drama series Detective Investigation Files III as character 李思龍. At the time, she was a fresh face who won audiences over whenever she spoke Cantonese with her friendly Chinese-Canadian accent. So how did she then become the face of advocacy for families in Hong Kong with children with special needs?

Personal StoriesFête ChinoiseApril 26, 2024actor, chinese canadian, Chinese CanadianComment

Tiana Shern: Motivating Others Through Dance 沈頌祈: 舞出新節拍

Meet Tiana Shern, a TikTok dance sensation with over a million international followers — and counting. Born and raised in Markham, Ont., the 26-year-old Chinese Canadian started her dancing career relatively late in life. But her passion for and dedication to mixed-style hip-hop choreography have since taken her far. Based in Toronto, Shern frequently travels to Vancouver and Los Angeles to work with local dancers while honing her own dance skills through continuous training. For her, dance isn’t just a popular social trend. It’s a powerful form of interpersonal communication that brings people together, regardless of cultural background or body type.

Yoyo Sham: Unleashing the Inner Voice 岑寧兒：尋找音樂的形狀

A singer-songwriter whose passion for music is as infectious as her down-to-earth personality, Yoyo Sham is a talent on the move. When she sings the above lyric from Come What May, a Cantonese song written for her by manager Chan Wing Him, she’s not just performing. She’s giving soulful expression to her own reality as a culturally nomadic artist. As the jazz/pop/folk singer said herself in a conversation I had with her following her appearance at this past year’s Fête Chinoise Lunar New Year Gala in Toronto, she has been shaped by her constant travels around the world. Sham sings in Cantonese, English and Mandarin, languages reflecting her musical and life journey so far.