Hong Kong Tourism Board Successfully Launches “Cha Chaan Teng” at Art Basel Paris

The first activation in the 3-year global partnership delights visitors with authentic taste of Hong Kong culture


TORONTO, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) successfully launches the first activation in its pioneering three-year global partnership with Art Basel, welcoming visitors from all over the world to a Hong Kong-style café, a “Cha Chaan Teng”, within the Grand Palais. The Cha Chaan Teng will be open to all fair visitors between October 18 and 20, 2024.

Visitors are welcomed to enjoy an array of Hong Kong delicacies including roasted pork ‘char siu’ with rice, pineapple buns, egg tarts, mango pudding, and ‘Yuen Yang’ milk tea, as well as a special chandelier-like illuminated installation by Hong Kong-based artist Trevor Yeung. This new artwork forms part of Yeung’s Chaotic Suns series, last seen at the 24th Biennale of Sydney (2024), perfectly illuminating the traditional décor of the Cha Chaan Teng, with cozy booth seating and eclectic floor tiles.

The positioning of the Cha Chaan Teng within the locality of Paris encapsulates Hong Kong’s intrinsic ‘East-meets-West’ culture and fortifies Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s arts and culture hub. By spotlighting the city within the context of a world-class arts platform, HKTB is proud to provide enjoyment and enhanced understanding of Hong Kong living culture for thousands of international art and culture lovers.

Of the project, Dane Cheng, Executive Director of HKTB, said: “We are excited to officially activate our pioneering three-year global partnership with Art Basel through the presentation of Cha Chaan Teng at Art Basel Paris. It has been a pleasure to witness the enjoyment of visitors trying the authentic culinary offerings as well as appreciating the new installation by Trevor Yeung. We look forward to welcoming more fair attendees to immerse themselves in Hong Kong’s unique culture, and hopefully welcome them to Hong Kong in the near future.” 

Angelle Siyang-Le, Director of Art Basel Hong Kong, said: “We are pleased to present a glimpse of Hong Kong at Art Basel Paris, made possible through our global strategic partnership with the Hong Kong Tourism Board. This showcase features Cha Chaan Teng, a quintessential diner concept that evokes Hong Kong's rich culinary history and cultural diversity for our international guests. The Cha Chaan Teng is beautifully illuminated by a light installation from our local artist, Trevor Yeung, who proudly represents Hong Kong at this year's Venice Biennale. This holistic presentation underscores the vital connection between artists and their local cultures. We eagerly anticipate welcoming guests to explore Art Basel Hong Kong next March and to experience the city's vibrant and expanding cultural landscape.”

This Hong Kong-style café is delighting visitors at Art Basel with its vibrant atmosphere and authentic cuisine. "We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our guests regarding our food and drinks from Hong Kong. Everyone is truly enjoying their experience here!" said the manager of Cha Chaan Teng. "We look forward to welcoming even more guests in the coming days." Attendees can savour a taste of Hong Kong at Cha Chaan Teng on the 1st floor of the Grand Palais from October 18 to 20.

Upcoming Activations: Art Basel Miami Beach and Hong Kong 
HKTB is excited to build on the success of its first activation at Art Basel Paris, travelling to Art Basel Miami Beach later this year (December 6 – 8, 2024, VIP days December 4 – 5) with another themed pop-up showcasing Hong Kong culture.

Plans are also already underway for HKTB’s anticipated activation in its home city during Art Basel Hong Kong (March 28 – 30, 2025) for which more details will be announced in due course.

Hong Kong Café – Cha Chaan Teng at Art Basel Paris

  • Location: Level 1, Galerie Nord, Grand Palais  
  • Operation Hours:
    • October 18-20, 11am-7pm

Conversations | Cultural crossroads: Hong Kong, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi

  • Speakers:
    • Stephanie Rosenthal, Project Director of Guggenheim Abu Dhabi 
    • Paul Frèches, Managing Director of Centre Pompidou x West Bund Museum Project, Shanghai 
  • Moderator: Doryun Chong, Deputy Director, Curatorial and Chief Curator M+, Hong Kong 
  • Date: Friday, October 18, 2024 
  • Time: 1 – 2pm 
  • Venue: Petit Palais, Av. Winston Churchill, 75008 Paris, France

About Trevor Yeung
Trevor Yeung uses botanic ecology, horticulture, aquarium systems, and installations as metaphors for human relationships, power structures, and interactions. In 2024, Yeung represented Hong Kong at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. He was also shortlisted for the Sigg Prize 2023. Yeung had his first institutional solo exhibition in the UK at Gasworks, London (UK, 2023); he has also exhibited at institutions and galleries internationally, including M+ (Hong Kong, 2023), He Art Museum (Foshan, 2023), Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris (Paris, 2022), Tai Kwun Contemporary (Hong Kong, 2022), Jameel Arts Center (Dubai, 2022), Shanghai Power Station of Art (Shanghai, 2021), Para Site (Hong Kong, 2020), Stiftung Skulpturenpark Köln (Cologne, 2020), HOW Art Museum (Shanghai, 2020), Taikang Space (Beijing, 2018), Museum of Modern Art (Warsaw, 2018), esea contemporary (Manchester, 2017), and OCAT Shenzhen (Shenzhen, 2016).

About Hong Kong Tourism Board
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is a government-subvented body tasked with maximising the contribution of tourism to Hong Kong’s economy and upholding Hong Kong as a world-class travel destination.

The HKTB works in partnership with relevant government departments and organisations, the travel-related sectors, and other entities related to tourism in marketing and promoting Hong Kong worldwide, while enhancing visitors’ experiences through providing diverse and quality tourism products and services. The HKTB has 15 Worldwide Offices and representatives in 7 markets.

About Art Basel 
Founded in 1970 by gallerists from Basel, Art Basel today stages the world’s premier art shows for Modern and contemporary art, sited in Basel, Miami Beach, Hong Kong, and Paris. Defined by its host city and region, each show is unique, which is reflected in its participating galleries, artworks presented, and the content of parallel programming produced in collaboration with local institutions for each edition. Art Basel’s engagement has expanded beyond art fairs through new digital platforms and initiatives such as the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report. Art Basel’s Global Media Partner is the Financial Times. For further information, please visit artbasel.com. 

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

Members of the media can download the photos from the following link:
https://egnyte.suttoncomms.com/fl/PbYIX7jg7c

For media inquiries, please contact:

Jorge Lee
jorge.lee@hktb.com  
Tel: (416) 366-2389 ext 206
Carol Lam
carol.py.lam@hktb.com    
Tel: (416) 366-2389 ext 201