{"id":831,"date":"2022-09-24T00:00:32","date_gmt":"2022-09-24T00:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hkcc.org.uk\/?p=831"},"modified":"2024-04-01T10:25:46","modified_gmt":"2024-04-01T10:25:46","slug":"yuen-yueng-%e3%80%8a%e9%b4%9b%e9%b4%a6%e3%80%8b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hkcc.org.uk\/?p=831","title":{"rendered":"Yuen Yueng \u300a\u9d1b\u9d26\u300b"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Yuen Yueng<\/h1>\n

\u300a\u9d1b\u9d26\u300b<\/h3>\n

September 24, 2022 by B<\/h6>\n
EN<\/a> \u4e2d\u6587<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Photo from Memories To Choke On, Drinks To Wash Them Down (2019)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“Order a cup of yuenyueng, and reminisce the good old days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This line from \u201cLetter\u201d, a Cantonese song by Yoyo Sham, must ring a bell among many Hongkongers. Listening to this song as expats away from home, the messages on parting and nostalgia tear at our heartstrings even more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lyricist Chan Wing Him brings \u201cYuenyeung\u201d into the song for its rhyming sound and tone with \u201cNostalgia\u201d in Cantonese. But most importantly, yuenyeung has always been a popular beverage in Hong Kong food culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaving behind our hometown to settle in unfamiliar territories, we came to realise how a sip of authentic Yuenyeung can bring back heart-warming memories and feelings of home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, how much do we know about the story behind this traditional Hong Kong drink?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it may be hard to trace the origins of yuenyeung – Hong Kong\u2019s traditional beverage, some say that it was invented by hard labouring dockers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the early 19th century, British Hong Kong was transitioning from a small fishing village into a shipping port. Cranes were not common back then, so a lot of dockers were needed at piers to unload goods from ships. During their breaktime, the dockers would mix bitter and stimulating coffee with tea, producing a drink that quenches thirst, replenishes energy and keeps them awake. This coffee-and-tea beverage soon became popularly known as \u201cyuenyeung\u201d, and was deemed to be a drink representative of the grassroots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuenyeung is normally three parts of coffee and seven parts of milk tea. Coffee and tea differ in their flavours, but mix well together. For this, yuenyeung is seen as a symbol of Hong Kong culture, which is a fusion of eastern and western influences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those of us starting over in a new country, it\u2019s not easy to re-adapt to a new culture and way of living. But this is also an opportunity to re-examine and understand ourselves. May we all be able to live the spirit of yuenyeung: maintaining our individuality while integrating into our new lives in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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