Hong Kong: Books: HONG KONG

HONG KONG

“The place is haunted by a sense of the hugeness and fertility and brute strength of Asia.” ~Jan Morris

NONFICTION

East and West, Christopher Patten, 1999 — The last British colonial governor relates the time up until the 1997 handover to China.

Hong Kong, Jan Morris, 1997 — Strong on colonial history and style but the British author falters on the street’s Cantonese beat.

Gweilo, Martin Booth, 2005 — The author recalls his experience of growing up as a blond-haired British lad in a Chinese community.

FICTION

The World of Suzie Wong, Richard Mason, 1958 — The original and best HK novel about the gold-hearted hooker.

Noble House, James Clavell, 1986 — HK-set rollercoaster yarn – and great airplane read – peopled by a tattooed triad – Four Finger Wu – a canny Brit trader, a smooth American capitalist, a slinky Chinese babe, and a Communist spy.

The Monkey King, Timothy Mo, 2000 — A hilariously funny novel of family dysfunction set in 1950’s Hong Kong.