In April 2023, a Cantonese song about dim sum went viral on Instagram. The song was written by UK-based teacher Dorothy Lee, and received over 2.5 million views and more than 110,000 likes.
Lee, known as Locy Lee on Spotify and YouTube, uses music to teach children Cantonese. The Chinese dialect is notoriously difficult to master when compared to Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and some other Asian languages – a single character can be pronounced using nine different tones, each giving it a different meaning.
Not only that, the syntax of spoken and written Cantonese differs, with the latter being similar to the traditional Chinese of Taiwan and the written Mandarin used in mainland China.
“To me, there is no other language like Cantonese.
“It’s full of quirky terms and adjectives that aren’t found in many other Asian languages,” she says.
Cantonese’s future is uncertain – meet those preserving it in creative ways
Cantonese’s future is uncertain – meet those preserving it in creative ways
“I was already teaching children piano to make extra money when I was studying, and it was only natural to keep going since I decided to stay,” Lee says.
A lot of Lee’s students sought her out because she was from Hong Kong. “A lot of the kids were born in the UK and their parents asked if I could teach them in Cantonese,” she recalls. “The lessons eventually evolved to teaching Cantonese with song. It was a natural progression.”
“I find this method works best for children between the ages of three and six. When they get older, they’re a bit more shy and self-conscious when it comes to singing in a different language,” she says.
“We hadn’t gone out for a long time and I missed having yum cha on the weekends,” she recalls. “I also had to think up topics to keep my students engaged. You cannot just go through coursework when you’re trying to keep their attention online.”
In the original YouTube video that Lee recorded for her students in 2020, she sits at her dining table with several dim sum dishes.
For example, a char siu bao is “soft lum lum”, a spring roll is “crispy bok bok” and so on.
She eventually recorded the song with one of her own students singing and posted it to Instagram. “We did it in my own studio on our home equipment. I just wanted an extra avenue for my students to access the songs,” Lee says.
While teachers and students alike bemoaned the limitations of online classes, Lee has found the opposite to be true.
“The kids who attend my classes tend to prefer it and it saves me a tonne of commute compared to when I was a freelance music teacher. I can conduct classes with multiple children who enjoy singing and learning together in my own home.”
With this new-found freedom, Lee has been able to start a family with her partner, giving birth to their daughter earlier this year. The online classes have expanded Lee’s reach and afforded her the mobility to relocate to Devon in southwest England, providing her young family with more space and access to nature.
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Why arrogant Hong Kong people were the problem, not my colourful Cantonese
Lee’s students now come from Germany, Belgium, US, Canada and Australia, as well as the UK. “This is something that I can only do online,” she says.
The video and others she recorded were intended only for viewing by her students but, unbeknown to Lee, her song was touching the hearts of dim sum lovers around the world. Many responded by recording their own videos using her song while eating their favourite comfort food and uploading them to the social media platform.
In April this year, the song was animated by artist Kar Wong and posted to Instagram, where it became a viral hit.
After its success, Wong and Lee got in touch and decided they would work together on future songs. Views for Lee’s other songs have slowly been ticking up. “The pumpkin song is also quite popular,” she says.