A pilot study of the co-creation experience in traditional Cantonese teahouses in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT

The dying out of traditional foodways calls for urgent attention from local culinary sources to sustain cultural identity. This study aims to examine how the remaining traditional Cantonese teahouses have survived in modern society and how they have an irreplaceable value in the minds of the locals. In addition, the study examines how the Cantonese teahouses draw the attention of tourists as a symbolic cultural attraction in Hong Kong. Using a qualitative approach, 2 experienced managers and 10 customers (including locals and tourists) were interviewed. The findings suggest that the co-creation experience of traditional Cantonese teahouses is irreplaceable as it represents the local culture in Hong Kong. Such culinary culture also provides a unique and memorable food experience in the minds of both locals and tourists for various reasons such as customer interaction, yum cha culture, and the local lifestyle.

KEYWORDS:

• Traditional Cantonese teahouse
• food experience
• co-creation experience
• yum cha
• Hong Kong
• culinary heritage
• intangible culture

ORCID

Zhaoyu Chen http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8023-0516

Acknowledgements

This researcher would like to express the deepest gratitude to the managers, Mr Jeffrey Wong and Mr Lam and all other anonymous respondents to their help to the interview. And also thank Dr Lee Ho Yin for assistance with the manuscript and Ms Elizabeth Agyeiwaah for comments that greatly improved the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributor

Zhaoyu Chen graduated from her Bachelor's degree in Heritage Management at Institute for Tourism Studies, Macau in 2012. She proceeded to complete a Master's degree in the Division of Architectural Conservation Programmes (ACP Division) in The University of Hong Kong (HKU). She had internship experience in both UNESCO Bangkok and UNESCO Beijing. Upon graduation from HKU, she became a Programme Coordinator in ACP Division in HKU. Ms Chen joined the School of Hotel and Tourism Management in The Hong Kong Polytechnic University as a PhD student in the summer of 2015. Her research interests are cultural tourism, heritage, and conservation.