Best Publication Award

From 2020 until 2021, I led a research team of six across Malaysia, Thailand, and Hong Kong and published 800 printed copies of a 174-page book, audiobook in Mandarin and Cantonese, and ebook, titled Milk Tea and Migration 《一對絲襪一杯奶茶》. In 2023, the book project was recognized with a Best Publication Award for contributions to the publication industry. The ebook remains available in over 20 public libraries worldwide.

Deep Humanistic Concern

"The panel praised the author for looking far beyond the simple technique of tea making. By using a single cup of milk tea as a lens, the book explores heavy themes such as opium, war, social class, and the life stories of migrant workers. It captures the destinies of people across Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Thailand, giving the work a powerful and penetrating quality."

The 4th Hong Kong Publishing Biennial Awards Panel

Unique Literary Form

"The book is an "exception" among publications regarding Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). Instead of a traditional documentary or a technical manual, it breaks the mold by transforming real-life interview materials into a profound fictional narrative."

The 4th Hong Kong Publishing Biennial Awards Panel

Innovation in Non-Fiction

"As a recipient of the "Next Writer Publication Funding Scheme," the book was lauded for its innovative approach to non-fiction. It successfully combined text and imagery to tell a "flowing story," making it a standout contribution to the preservation and reinterpretation of Hong Kong’s cultural heritage."

The 4th Hong Kong Publishing Biennial Awards Panel

Chapter on Thailand

Researcher Kade interviewed a girl selling bubble tea at a food stall during the pandemic. I then wrote a fictional chapter set in Thailand, depicting local migration and the aspirations of young people over a shared culture of drinking bubble tea. Photographer Niu Supachai (@momoest) and I transformed this chapter into a voice from the Milk Tea Generation, shaped by the Milk Tea Alliance digital movement across Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and later Myanmar since 2020. (Published privately in December 2025.)

 

Production Team:

Researcher, Kadesiree Thossaphonpaisan

Photographer, Niu Supachai (@momoest)

Producer, Tara Hung

Chapter on Hong Kong

Returning to the time of British colonial Hong Kong, the original milk tea creator explained how the drink came to be known as “stocking milk tea” and how its origins relate to the British in the west and mainland China in the East. The video was fully produced by Curtis Lo and published by the government agency Create Hong Kong in 2020.

 

Production Team:

Researcher, Script Writer, Tara Hung

Photo Editor, Lam Chun Tung

Producer, Curtis Lo

 

Chapter on Malaysia

Examines race and class dynamics in postcolonial Malaysia, focusing on the social positions of Malay, Chinese, and Indian workers in the mining and rubber industries. It uses a cup of milk tea as a lens to trace the path toward modern multiculturalism in Malaysia.

 

Production Team:

Researcher, Sharon Tan

Photographer, Jules Rahman Ong

Photo Editor, Lam Chun Tung

Editorial Excellence in Reporting on Women's Issues in Asia

The award-winning series published by the media Apple Daily investigated domestic violence against migrant workers particularly mothers and girls from Southeast Asia. The series received Honorable Mention at the 2015 Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Awards for Editorial Excellence in Reporting on Women’s Issues in Asia. 

Among the voices highlighted was Erwiana Sulistyaningsih who became Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2014. Erwiana spoke out against bodily assault from her female employer. She later advocated for better laws to protect others who may share her fate, placing a spotlight on the plight of a vulnerable and often invisible population. The Human Rights Council at the United Nations published a statement concerning Indonesia’s laws and policies noting that they provide inadequate protection for Indonesian domestic workers abroad.

Illustration by Michael Hoeweler for TIME