Turkey
Synopsis: Istanbul’s China Restaurant is the oldest Chinese restaurant in Turkey. Its founder, Wang Zhengshan, fled China with his family…
Cheuk Kwan (page 2)
A Passage to India
Mumbai, India March 24, 2003 My local sound guy Ajay is picking me up at the airport. He had worked…
Fantasia Chinesca
Havana, Cuba June 15, 2002 Havana seemed like it was doomed not to happen. Cheuk had been corresponding with the…
Busted in Holy Land
Tel Aviv, Israel January 21, 2001 We’re back in Israel for our second shoot and it’s our last night here.…
Rice Bowl Diaries Preface
By Cheuk Kwan I first heard of Kwoi from Daisy Lee, for whom he had shot a couple of her…
La Cage Aux Folles
Mumbai, India March 25, 2003 The first person we meet at Ling’s is Johnny Chi, a charismatic and flaming queen…
Father’s Day
Havana, Cuba June 16, 2002 Today is Father’s Day and also my dad’s birthday. It’s been a little over a…
Like a Wong Kar-wai Film
Port Louis, Mauritius March 18, 2001 Twelve hours later, swinging London seems a world away. Everything here is lush and…
Opening Shot
Saskatoon, Canada January 10, 2000 First day of the odyssey and my first shoot with Cheuk. Not sure what to…
Fresh Live Fish
Mumbai, India March 26, 2003 We are waiting to meet Nini Ling at the Crawford Market. It’s an ungodly hour…
Time Standing Still
Havana, Cuba June 17, 2002 Is it the set from Jackie Chan’s “Shanghai Noon” or is it Jet Li’s “Once…
Eat Your Heart Out, Chris Doyle
Cape Town, South Africa March 21, 2001 The Sea Point area of Cape Town reads like a wish-you-were-here postcard… reminiscent…
My Uncle Jim
Outlook, Saskatchewan, Canada January 12, 2000 It’s a typical day for Jim at the café. He’s up at the crack…
My 47th Birthday
Kolkata, India March 28, 2003 We arrive on my 47th birthday in Calcutta. This is the Yeh family empire, our…
Ghosts of Our Ancestor’s Past
Havana, Cuba June 18, 2002 My cozzin Luis tells us his father is buried in the Cimeterio Chino and offers…
Apartheid Legacy
Mitchell’s Plain, South Africa March 22, 2001 In North America if the rental place runs out of econo compacts, they…
The Sermon
Golan Heights, Israel January 29, 2000 We arrive in Tel Aviv in the midst of a rainstorm. The dark and…
Hotel Valentino
Darjeeling, India March 30, 2003 By the time we reach Darjeeling, my ideals of a dreamy Shangri-la is totally shattered.…
El Chino del Carnaval
Havana, Cuba June 19, 2002 Alejandro introduces us to his buddy. He tells us Fermin was the Mambo King of…
Echoes of Apartheid
Cape Town, South Africa March 24, 2001 This morning we take Onkuen & Maylee to the Maitland Cemetery where Onkuen’s…