“How long have you lived here?”
I can’t count how many times I’ve been asked that question.
Every time I meet someone new in Montreal—my hometown, my roots, the place I’ve called home for the majority of my life—it still surprises me.
“I was born and raised here in Montreal. Why?” I often reply.
One particular conversation sticks with me.
The person responded,
“Oh, because your French is very good. I’m glad you can speak French. You don’t have to go back to where you came from. Unlike that other person who can’t speak French… We don’t need people here who won’t speak our language in Quebec!”
That moment stung.
Because I do speak French. I speak English. I speak Cantonese. And yet, somehow, I still don’t belong.
I’ve seen firsthand how harshly some Francophones treat Anglophones who can’t speak French here in Quebec. I've seen people get shamed, mocked, even cursed out—called names simply because they couldn’t speak the “right” language.
And on the flip side?
I’ve had Anglophones praise my English, telling me they “wouldn’t have guessed” I was Chinese.
Yes, I’m ethnically Chinese. Cantonese was my first language—we spoke it at home. But when I started school, I had to learn English and French at the same time.
As a kid, I would mix all three languages—sometimes in one sentence. English, French, Cantonese: a mashup I like to call FrenChinglish.
This was my survival. This was my way of fitting in. This was my reality.
But as I got older, another layer unfolded.
Family members would often say, “You don’t know any Chinese,” or “Your Chinese isn’t that good.”
Then, when I’d start speaking fluently back in Cantonese, they’d stare in shock.
“Wow! Your Chinese is so clear. So precise!”
In those moments, I’d quietly ask myself:
“Am I not Chinese enough?”
“Am I not Quebecois enough?”
“Am I not enough…for anyone?”
At KNg Dynasty, we believe every identity has value. Every language, every story, every cultural collision matters. You don't have to choose between one identity or the other. You are already enough—just as you are.
We wear our heritage with pride.
We lead with fire and finesse.
We are the Dynasty. And your story has a place in it.
Your Dynasty Awaits.
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