Cantonese tea restaurants serving fusion fare that mixes Eastern and Western cooking. They were established in Hong Kong when the then British-run territory welcomed refugees from mainland China. Lan Fong Yuen, one of the city's oldest, has been open since 1952. Typical offerings include fried toast with condensed milk, buns with crispy pork, cha chou (tooth-achingly sweet tea with condensed milk) and yunyeung (a mix of tea and instant coffee). The cafés came to symbolise Hong Kong's cultural blend of East and West.
After Hong Kong's national-security law was passed in the summer of 2020, an estimated 500,000 people left the territory. Some cha chaan teng were branded "yellow" businesses—sympathetic to pro-democracy activists—and faced difficulties with lease renewals. Many closed, though there are still thought to be around 6,000 in Hong Kong.
Hong Kongers who left took their love of cha chaan teng with them. New joints have opened in America, Australia, Britain, Canada and Taiwan. Seven opened in Burwood, a suburb of Sydney. Art Basel opened a cha chaan teng pop-up in Paris in 2024; similar stalls followed at fairs in Miami and Hong Kong.
There was a new library in the Civic Centre. It was so new it didn't even have librarians. It had Assistant Information Officers.