It wasn’t until Jonathan Ma began l

It wasn’t until Jonathan Ma began learning Cantonese intensively that he realised how crucial it was for understanding Hong Kong culture.

Ma, a 33-year-old English teacher, was born locally but moved to the United Kingdom when he was a child. Although he grew up travelling between the two territories and speaking basic Cantonese, he never received formal education in the language – until he moved to Hong Kong and decided to enrol in private courses two years ago.

The impetus behind his decision was simple: he wanted to stay in the city in the long run, and integrate himself into the community.