Blue Dragon

made by boiling rice with savoury ingredients such as pork or thousand-year egg. Usually eaten for breakfast but can be eaten as a meal or snack any time of the day.
    Connaught Road: Main thoroughfare through the middle of Central District in Hong Kong, running parallel to the waterfront and with five lanes each side.
    Cross-Harbour Tunnel: Tunnel that carries both cars and MTR trains from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon under the Harbour.
    Cultural Revolution: A turbulent period of recent Chinese history (1966–75) during which gangs of young people called Red Guards overthrew ‘old ways of thinking’ and destroyed many ancient cultural icons.
    Dai pai dong (Cantonese): Small open-air restaurant.
    Daisho: A set of katana, wakizashi, and sometimes a tanto (small dagger), all matching bladed weapons used by samurai in ancient times.
    Dan tian: Energy centre, a source of energy within the body. The central dan tian is roughly located in the solar plexus.
    Daujie (Cantonese): ‘Thank you’, used exclusively when a gift is given.
    Dim sum (Cantonese): Small dumplings in bamboo steamers served at yum cha. Usually each dumpling is less than three centimetres across and four are found in each steamer. There are a number of different types, and standard types of dim sum are served at every yum cha.
    Discovery Bay: Residential enclave on Lantau Island, quite some distance from the rush of Hong Kong Island and only reachable by ferry.
    Dojo (Japanese): Martial arts training school.
    Eight Immortals: A group of iconic Immortals from Taoist mythology, each one representing a human condition. Stories of their exploits are part of popular Chinese culture.
    Er Lang: The Second Heavenly General, second-in-charge of the running of Heavenly affairs. Usually depicted as a young man with three eyes and accompanied by his faithful dog.
    Fortune sticks: A set of bamboo sticks in a bamboo holder. The questioner kneels in front of the altar and shakes the holder until one stick rises above the rest and falls out. This stick has a number that is translated into the fortune by temple staff.
    Fung shui (or feng shui): The Chinese system of geomancy that links the environment to the fate of those living in it. A house with good internal and external fung shui assures its residents of good luck in their life.
    Gay-lo (Cantonese slang): gay, homosexual.
    Ge ge (Putonghua): Big brother.
    Guangdong: The province of China directly across the border from Hong Kong.
    Guangzhou: The capital city of Guangdong Province, about an hour away by road from Hong Kong. A large bustling commercial city rivalling Hong Kong in size and activity.
    Gundam (Japanese): Large humanoid robot armour popular in Japanese cartoons.
    Gung hei fat choy (Cantonese): Happy New Year.
    Gwun Gong (or Guan Gong): A southern Chinese Taoist deity; a local General who attained Immortality and is venerated for his strengths of loyalty and justice and his ability to destroy demons.
    H’suantian Shangdi (Cantonese): Xuan Tian Shang Di in the Wade-Giles method of writing Cantonese words.
    Har gow: Dim sum served at yum cha; a steamed dumpling with a thin skin of rice flour dough containing prawns.
    Hei sun (Cantonese): Arise.
    Ho ak (Cantonese): Okay.
    Ho fan (Cantonese): Flat white noodles made from rice; can be either boiled in soup or stir-fried.
    Hong Kong Jockey Club: a private Hong Kong institution that runs and handles all of the horseracing and legal gambling in Hong Kong. There can be billions of Hong Kong dollars in bets on a single race meeting.
    Hutong (Putonghua): Traditional square Chinese house, built around a central courtyard.
    ICAC: Independent Commission Against Corruption; an independent government agency focused on tracking down corruption in Hong Kong.
    Jade Emperor: The supreme ruler of the Taoist Celestial Government.
    Journey to the West: A classic of Chinese literature written during the Ming Dynasty by Wu Cheng’En. The story of the Monkey King’s journey to India with a Buddhist priest to collect scriptures and return them to China.
    Kata (Japanese): A martial arts ‘set’; a series of moves to practise the use of a weapon or hand-to-hand skills.
    Katana: Japanese sword.
    KCR: A separate above-ground train network that connects with the MTR and travels to the border with Mainland China. Used to travel to towns in the New Territories.
    Kitchen God: A domestic deity who watches over the activities of the family and reports annually to the Jade Emperor.
    Koi