When Miss Chinese Vancouver 2025 was crowned, the UBC Cantonese Language Program had an extra reason to celebrate. This year’s pageant winner, Sophia Yin, is not only a proud alumna but also a former Teaching Assistant (TA) who mastered the language right here on campus. In a recent sit-down interview with our Work Learn student Andy Yeung, Sophia reflected on how her time in UBC’s Cantonese courses sparked her cultural curiosity, built her confidence on stage, and set the foundation for her exciting next chapter.  

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 Andy: Congratulations again, Sophia, on being crowned Miss Chinese Vancouver 2025! You’ve mentioned before that your passion for Cantonese led you to complete all of your eligible UBC’s Cantonese courses. Looking back, what first sparked your interest in learning Cantonese? 

Sophia: When I was little, my dad always played songs by (Hong Kong music band) Beyond in the car, and I found Cantopop songs so catchy! Later, my friends recommended some classic TVB drama series to me. I loved how people communicated in Cantonese on screen, and that made me want to take learning the language seriously. 

Andy: Did you have any formal Cantonese training before coming to UBC? 

Sophia: No, I couldn’t speak Cantonese at all before coming to UBC! 

Andy: As a non-native speaker who eventually became a TA for the Basic Cantonese for Mandarin Speakers course, how did your own journey as a learner help you connect with and support your students? 

Sophia: As a non-native speaker of Cantonese, I could share very practical tips with my students. For example, I knew which words were more difficult for non-native speakers to pronounce, so I taught them mnemonics, like using the phrase “Hong Kong beef brisket noodles” (“hoeng1 gong2 ge3 ngau4 naam5 min6 “香港嘅牛腩麵”) to easily memorize the six tones in Cantonese! Most importantly, I helped build their confidence. I wasn’t a native speaker either, but through steady learning, I achieved fluency and even became a TA. As long as you’re willing to speak, you will definitely improve. 

Andy: You’ve mentioned that studying Cantonese deepened your understanding of Hong Kong culture and brought you close friends and mentors. How did those experiences support you during Miss Chinese Vancouver? 

Sophia: Learning Cantonese allowed me to approach interviews and conversations during the pageant with a much more natural and relaxed mindset. The pageant was a fantastic platform because it gave me real-world opportunities to apply the Cantonese language and culture I learned in class. Moving from sitting in a classroom, to serving as a TA, to conducting media interviews in Cantonese was a huge personal breakthrough for me.  

Andy: Speaking of breakthroughs, during the pageant finale, you blended traditional arts like sword dance and calligraphy. How do you feel performing arts and language work together when sharing culture on stage? 

Sophia: They complement each other. Performing arts create a vivid visual image and express emotion, while language helps the audience understand the deeper story. For the finale, I wrote the characters “巾幗” (“gan1 gwok3”, a classical Chinese term for “woman”) on stage while reciting poetry. The combination allowed the audience to not only watch the sword dance and calligraphy, but also feel Mulan’s heroic spirit. Combining art and language makes the performance much more complete. 

Andy: As a non-native Cantonese speaker representing Miss Chinese Vancouver, you’re a great inspiration to our students. What advice would you give to those who might feel self-conscious about speaking Cantonese? 

Sophia: First, don’t be shy, you have to open your mouth and speak! If you have Cantonese-speaking friends, try chatting with them in Cantonese. When you go out for dim sum, try ordering in Cantonese! Language learning isn’t a short-term sprint; it’s a long-term journey. I improved step by step and nobody speaks perfectly right from the start. 

Andy: Applications for Fairchild TV’s Miss Chinese Vancouver Pageant 2026 are closing soon. What would you say to UBC students who are considering taking that leap to apply? 

Sophia: The pageant isn’t just a competition; it gave me immense confidence to handle whatever challenges come my way in life. You also receive a lot of free training in public speaking, camera etiquette, and catwalk, skills you might not normally have access to. If you’re interested in performing or media work, don’t hesitate. Apply for Miss Chinese Vancouver 2026! You might discover a whole new side of yourself. 

Andy: Is there anything else you’d like to share with students learning Cantonese? 

Sophia: Learning a new language opens so many opportunities! In Vancouver, where there’s a large Cantonese-speaking community, knowing the language makes daily life, like dining out or shopping, much easier and more fun. Also, I’ll be moving to Hong Kong soon to pursue my master’s degree in journalism, and knowing Cantonese will make living in Hong Kong much smoother. 

Andy: Beyond your master’s studies in Hong Kong, do you have any plans for future on-screen work or public appearances? 

Sophia: During my master’s program in journalism, I hope to have opportunities to broadcast news at school. And of course, for the Miss Chinese Vancouver 2026 finale this December, I’ll be coming back to Vancouver to crown the next winner! 

Andy: We look forward to seeing you on screen again soon. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today! 

Sophia: Thank you!  

 

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 2025 溫哥華華裔小姐殷千葉分享大學粵語學習之旅 

當殷千葉 Sophia Yin 榮膺 2025 溫哥華華裔小姐冠軍時，卑詩大學粵語課程都多咗一個值得慶祝嘅理由。Sophia 不但係粵語課程舊生，更曾擔任粵語課程嘅教學助理（Teaching Assistant, TA），而佢一口流利粵語，正係喺校園一步一步學返嚟嘅。 

最近，Sophia 接受我哋 Work Learn 課程助理學生 Andy Yeung 專訪，回顧自己修讀卑大 粵語課程嘅經歷。佢分享咗呢段學習旅程如何燃起佢探索自身文化嘅好奇心、增強佢踏上舞台嘅自信，並為人生精彩嘅下一章奠下基礎。 

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Andy: 你好，Sophia！多謝你今日百忙之中抽空嚟接受呢個訪問！咁亦都恭喜你成為咗二零二五年嘅溫哥華華裔小姐。 

我想訪問一下，可能你之前喺其他參選溫哥華華裔小姐嘅時候都有提到，因為對粵語嘅熱愛，所以修讀晒UBC所有可以報讀嘅粵語課程。依家睇返，其實最初係咩契機啟發咗你學習粵語嘅興趣呢？ 

Sophia: 係咁樣嘅，因爲我細細個嗰時，我爸爸佢成日都喺車度放（香港樂隊） Beyond 嘅歌，咁嗰時我自己就係覺得好多廣東歌真係朗朗上口。咁大個咗之後呢，又有好多朋友仔去推介我睇好多TVB嘅經典劇集。咁我自己就好鍾意佢入邊，大家用廣東話去交流嗰種感覺咯，就令到我更加想要去認真學廣東話。 

Andy: 我想問下，其實喺入咗卑詩大學之前，你有冇正式學習過粵語呢？ 

Sophia: 冇啊，我入UBC之前我係冇學識講廣東話嘅。 

Andy: 作為一個非廣東話嘅母語者，後來擔任咗卑詩大學華語學生初級粵語課程嘅教學助理，你自己嘅學習經歷點樣幫助到你更容易同學生連結同支持、輔導佢哋呢？ 

Sophia: 我覺得作為一個非母語者嘅 TA 啦，咁我自己真係可以將我嘅一啲好 Practical 嘅誒 Tips 俾到我嘅學生。譬如，我可以知道邊啲字嘅發音對於非母語者嚟講嘅話會難少少，同埋可以教佢哋一啲口訣啦，譬如話「香港嘅牛腩面」去簡單啲咁記住廣東話入邊嘅六個聲調啦。咁仲有一點，我覺得好重要嘅就係，俾咗佢哋一啲自信心啦，因爲我自己都唔係母語者，但係因爲經歷咗一段時間嘅學習我都可以去到一個比較流利，甚至可以做TA嘅程度。所以只要你肯開口講，我覺得一定都會進步嘅。 

Andy: 你都講過，學習粵語加深咗你對香港文化的理解，亦都結識咗一班好老師同好朋友。呢啲經歷同收穫，喺你參加溫哥華裔小姐期間畀咗你點樣嘅支持呢？ 

Sophia: 我覺得學識咗廣東話之後再去參加溫哥華裔小姐，就真係令到我可以用更加自然同埋從容嘅態度去用廣東話同人哋交流，又或者係用廣東話做訪問啦。咁我覺得華姐呢個平臺真係好好，因爲佢俾咗好多機會可以真正將我學識到嘅廣東話去運用出嚟。由之前即係坐喺個課室嗰度學廣東話，再到做TA，再到最尾可以用廣東話去接受訪問，對於我嚟講，其實都係一個好大嘅突破。 

Andy: 咁講到突破呢，其實喺總決賽嗰陣，你將劍舞同書法呢一種傳統藝術去結合，你覺得喺舞臺上分享文化嘅時候，表演藝術同語言係點樣可以去互動同配合呢？ 

Sophia: 我覺得兩者係相輔相成嘅，咁舞臺表演藝術可以令到觀眾更加好嘅去睇到成個畫面或者動作，可以更加好嘅去傳達你自己想要去表達嘅情緒。咁我覺得語言嘅話，就可以幫助觀眾去更加好嘅去理解你究竟想要表達啲乜嘢，譬如話，我喺總決賽嗰時我自己寫低「巾幗」呢兩個字咁，再加埋我嘅詩歌朗誦，就可以令到觀衆唔單止睇到劍舞同書法，更加可以感受得到花木蘭佢身上嗰種氣勢同埋精神。咁所以我覺得兩個配合起嚟都係令到成個舞臺效果可以全面少少。 

Andy: 作為華裔小姐嘅競選當中，代表溫哥華華裔小姐裡面非粵語母語者，你對好多學生嚟講都係一個好大嘅鼓舞嚟嘅。但係對於嗰啲如果粵語方面未夠自信嘅學生，你會俾啲咩意見同鼓勵佢哋呢？ 

Sophia: 我覺得首先就係唔好怕醜，就係你一定要開口講，咁如果你身邊有講廣東話嘅朋友都可以試下用廣東話同佢哋傾偈啦，咁仲有自己出去飲茶嗰時都可以試下用廣東話去落單啦。咁我覺得語言學習佢唔係一個短期嘅過程，佢係一個長期嘅學習，所以我自己其實都係一步一步咁樣去慢慢進步嘅，冇人一開始就可以講得咁完美。 

Andy: 最後啦，仲有一條問題。就係新時代電視嘅溫哥華華裔小姐嘅招募就嚟截止啦，咁對於諗緊要唔要勇敢地跨出咗一步去報名嘅卑大學生，你有乜咩想同佢哋講呢？ 

Sophia: 我覺得華姐佢唔單止係一個比賽，佢俾咗我好大嘅自信，咁之後係人生路上無論遇到啲咩困難都有自信心去將佢哋處理好。咁我覺得華姐，參加呢個比賽期間會提供你好多免費嘅訓練，譬如 public speaking 或者鏡頭應對、Catwalk，呢啲都係一啲平時你可能接觸唔到嘅經驗，所以我覺得如果對於表演、幕前工作有興趣嘅女仔，如果你有小小心喐，咁就唔好再繼續猶豫，就即刻報名參加溫哥華華裔小姐競選 2026。可能你會發現一個唔一樣嘅自己。 

Andy: 咁最後其實你有冇啲咩想補充？或者同其他想學習粵語嘅同學講嘅呢？ 

Sophia: 想同同學講嘅，咁我覺得其實真係學識一個新嘅語言。我覺得係對於之後搵工都好，特別係溫哥華，有好多講廣東話嘅人士啦，咁如果你識講廣東話嘅話呢，出街食飯、行街都係方便啲啦。仲有呢，因為我之後我會喺香港繼續讀我嘅 Master 啦。咁我覺得識講廣東話嘅話咧，喺香港生活都會方便啲。 

Me: 咁你嚟緊去到香港讀master之外，會唔會再有其他嘅一啲工作？例如幕前嘅演出，或者幕前嘅一啲工作會有繼續去同觀眾接觸到呢？ 

Sophia: 喺讀書呢段期間，我諗嘅話，因為我嗰個program係新聞學啦，咁可能都會有啲機會可以喺學系去報新聞啦。咁我哋溫哥華華裔小姐2026 喺今年嘅十二月總決賽，咁到時我都會翻嚟溫哥華去爲下一屆嘅佳麗去頒獎啦。  

Me: 係囉，好期待之後亦都可以喺螢幕上再見到你啦。多謝你今日接受我哋嘅訪問。

Sophia: 好，多謝！ 

Texts: Andy Yeung

Photos: Fairchild TV, Raymond Pai, Sophia Yin