Cha Chaan Teng 茶 餐 廳
Conclusion
In conclusion, Cha Chaan Teng serves as an excellent case study to illustrate the identity and culture of Hong Kong. It exemplifies the localization of culture and the exportation of cultural elements, both through its food offerings and café design. This cultural exportation holds great significance for the society and identity of the Hong Kong people, where the East and West converge. Leung Ping-Kwan's food poetry eloquently portrays the essence of Hong Kong's tea-coffee culture:
Pour the tea
Into a cup of coffee, will the aroma of one
Interfere with, wash out the other?
若果把奶茶
混進另一杯咖啡? 那濃烈的飲料
可是壓倒性的, 抹煞了對方?
——Leung Ping-Kwan
Using the typical drink (coffee-milk tea) from Cha Chaan Teng as a metaphor, the poem expresses a subtle concern about the possible loss of Hong Kong's unique hybrid cultural identity after its return to the Chinese government. From the poet's perspective, Cha Chaan Teng symbolizes Hong Kong's identity as a city that upholds diversity, freedom, and creativity.