VANCOUVER — TVB host Wong Cho Lam winds up his travel series “Blue Friends Travel” on Thursday with a Vancouver special that explores Hong Kong heritage and the Chinese community’s lasting impact on Canada. The episode mixes food, music history and a personal love story that gave Wong’s own marriage a rocky start.
A Search for Hong Kong Footprints
In the season finale, Wong visits local eateries for classic Hong Kong comfort food — generously stuffed buns, old-school sago pudding and authentic diner-style satay beef noodles. He also highlights the deeper presence of Chinese and Hong Kong culture in Vancouver, including a stop at a heritage-designated Cantonese-language school and a Chinese Canadian museum filled with artifacts.
The museum’s collection features fan-donated items and life-size replicas of concert outfits worn by Hong Kong music legends. Manuscripts by composers Joseph Koo and James Wong, as well as lyricist Peter Lai, are on display, offering rare insight into Cantopop’s golden age.
Wong noted that Anita Mui, who made significant charitable contributions in Canada, is honored with an official “Anita Mui Day” in Toronto. Meanwhile, fans of the late singer-actor Leslie Cheung placed a memorial bench at Stanley Park, one of his favorite Vancouver spots, with a plaque expressing their lasting affection.
A Three-Year Pact
The episode also revisits the tense moments before Wong married his wife, former Miss Chinese International winner Leila Li. Because Li’s parents were protective of their “simple and innocent” daughter, her father initially struggled to accept Wong’s comedy career — especially his cross-dressing performances.
Li’s mother eventually called a mutual friend, referred to only as Pond, in desperation. “She was very troubled and said, ‘I can’t handle this. You really need to talk to my husband, or something will happen,’” Pond recalled on the show.
Pond agreed to meet Li’s father, who was deeply serious. “He said he didn’t know how to deal with it — Wong Cho Lam dresses as a woman and all that. He just couldn’t accept it.”
At the first meeting between Wong and his future father-in-law, the mood was icy. “Her father didn’t smile at all,” Pond said. “The first thing he asked was, ‘Do you want to marry my daughter?’” Wong’s nervous “signature fake smile” only made things more awkward.
Still, Li’s father eventually set a “three-year pact”: Wong had to stay out of trouble, avoid bad press and remain unmarried for three years before he could marry Li. Wong passed the test, and the couple has now been married for more than 11 years.
Gratitude and Grace
Reflecting on the relationship, Wong said he remains grateful for how difficult it was to be together. “I always remind myself how hard we worked to get here,” he said. “Everything I have today is a gift and a blessing.”
The finale airs Thursday night on TVB, offering viewers a heartfelt mix of cultural discovery and personal reflection — and a reminder that some traditions, from food to family, are worth preserving.
