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Books

Fiction

Clavell, J, Noble House: A Novel of Contemporary Hong Kong. (1981), Flame Hodder. Set in Hong Kong in 1963, the action spans a little over a week and is packed with high adventure from kidnapping, murder, financial double-dealing, fires, floods and landslides. Just another week in the life of the Russian, Chinese and British businessmen who manoeuvre and manipulate for the control of Hong Kong's oldest trading house under the eyes of the KGB, CIA and PRC, with corporate skulduggery in abundance.

Clavell, J, Tai-Pan. (1966), Flame Hodder. Another volume in his popular Asia series, inspired by his stay in the territory in the 60s, this focuses on Hong Kong and its most powerful trading company. The tale unfolds of Dirk Straun, a pirate, smuggler and ruthless individual who finds glory beyond his wildest dreams as the Tai-Pan, or supreme leader, of Hong Kong.

Lanchester, J, Fragrant Harbor. (2002), Faber and Faber. This combination of two excellent novels presents a colonial narrative beginning in the 1930s, within a complex tale of big business at the turn of the 21st century. The hero, Tom Stewart, from England travels to Hong Kong in 1935 as it embarks on its prosperous years, and on his voyage out he is made the object of a bizarre bet between a Chinese nun and an anti-Catholic English businessman. It portrays colonial life in the 1930s, the Japanese occupation during the Second World War, the post-war boom, Triads and the handover.

Theroux, P, Kowloon Tong: A Novel of Hong Kong. (1998) Penguin. Neville “Bunt” Mullard and his awful mum Betty, bigoted and quintessentially English, dread the end of colonial rule and therefore the end of 50 glorious years of running the family textile factory. Insulated against Chinese culture for so long, they are forced to deal with the dodgy Mr Hung who wants to buy the business and will use ugly tactics if necessary, much to the disgust of the insipid Bunt.

Non-fiction

Bordwell, D, Planet Hong Kong. (2000), Harvard University Press. A self-confessed fanatic of Hong Kong films, Bordwell tries to explain and understand the relationship between art and entertainment in popular cinema. He gives an introduction to the genre, and explanation of the industry’s background, production practices and film structure and style.

Cheung, J and Teoh, A, Hong Kong - A Guide to Recent Architecture. (1998), Ellipsis. A gem of a book, albeit tiny, with architectural information and design history of many buildings in Hong Kong giving a great insight into the workings of the city and its aesthetic development. With more of a slant on contemporary structures, it includes everything from shopping centres, restaurants to cultural centres – and even illegal façades.

Dannen, F and Long, B, Hong Kong Babylon - An Insider's Guide to the Hollywood of the East. (1997), Faber and Faber. A broad overview of contemporary Hong Kong cinema and what it offers the western world, with selected interviews with film-makers, filmographies and plot summaries of movies from New Wave to present day. It also gives an interesting list of the top 30 Hong Kong films, as selected by 12 critics (including Bullet in the Head; Center Stage and Chungking Express).

Moss, P, Skylines Hong Kong (2000), FormAsia. A beautiful large-format book, heavy on colour photographs which details individual buildings, not all of them obvious. From old colonial relics like the Hong Kong Club, to modern shopping centres like Taikoo Place, it gives the history and architectural detail and makes a great souvenir.

Patten, C, East and West. (1999), Pan. Written by Hong Kong’s last British Governor on the power, freedom and future of the territory. This draws on his experiences during his five years at the helm. Having seen China at its very worst and also in a more positive light, he develops arguments about Asia, the conduct of economic policy, and the relationship between political freedom and economic liberty. Patten also analyses the developing relationship between China and the west, which he witnessed during such a crucial era.

Roberts, JAG, China to Chinatown – Chinese Food in the West. (2002), Globalities. Essential for food lovers and especially those who wonder how there has come to be a Chinese takeaway or restaurant on every high street in Britain and America. A good introduction to the history of the food, and how the west discovered it through Marco Polo, through the western perception of Chinese food during the 20th century until the globalization of the cuisine.

Schechter, D, Falun Gong's Challenge to China - Spiritual Practice or Evil Cult? (2001), Akaskic Books. The US journalist presents a detailed account of the controversial spiritual practice, which revolves around peaceful meditation and philosophy, that in nine years rocketed from the backwaters of China onto the front pages of international newspapers. It analyses why it has proved to be so threatening to China’s old guard, and how it has gained support around the world.

Snow, P, The Fall of Hong Kong: Britain, China and the Japanese Occupation. (2003), Yale University Press. This heavy tome is a historical account of the Japanese occupation from the viewpoint of the Hong Kong Chinese, the British, Japanese and Mainland Chinese. It reveals the widespread desertion of the British by the Chinese personnel during the invasion and the cruelty of the Japanese to the Chinese.

South China Morning Post, Hong Kong Hikes. (2002), SCMP. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to hike around the outlying regions of Hong Kong, this user-friendly collection has 20 of the best walks, all on individual cards on a ring binder, designed to be pulled out and placed in its own plastic wallet. Each one contains good descriptions, details and practical information for walks around Lantau, New Territories and Hong Kong Island.

Wiltshire, T, Old Kong Kong. (2003), FormAsia. A beautiful, boxed collection of three books looking at the history of Hong Kong between 1860 to 1997 through black and white photographs. Starting with the early years of the imperial island, moving on to scenes of crowded streets, swinging pigtails and starched, white collars, through to Hong Kong’s most dramatic half-century ending with the signing of the Joint Declaration and the midnight Handover Ceremony.

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