Further Reading

Fiction

Clavell, James. Taipan. The rise of an influential 19th-century British merchant family in Hong Kong.

Gao, Xingjian. One Man’s Bible. Nobel Prize-winning author’s tale about a man in Hong Kong recalling his youth in Mao’s China.

Gardam, Jane. Old Filth. Poignant and at times amusing tale of a Hong Kong judge who retires to the UK and recalls his life in the law in Hong Kong, and as a Raj orphan.

Mason, Richard. The World of Suzie Wong. An English artist falls in love with a local lass in the book that made Wan Chai famous.

Mo, Timothy. The Monkey King. A brilliant account of a dysfunctional family living in colonial Hong Kong.

Morris, Jan. Hong Kong. Wonderfully insightful text from the doyenne of modern travel writers.

Row, Jess. The Train to Lo Wu. Highly acclaimed philosophical short stories about Hong Kong, this book is unusual and thought-provoking.

History and Current Affairs

Booth, Martin. Gweilo: Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood. A thoroughly enjoyable memoir, amusing and affectionate.

Chamberlain, Jonathan. King Hui: The Man Who owned all the Opium in Hong Kong. This biography spans most of Hong Kong’s 20th century with the adventures of a sometime playboy, brigand, gambler, smuggler, businessman, teacher and spy. Hui King certainly led an interesting life.

Coates, Austin. Myself a Mandarin. Evocative memoirs of 1950s Hong Kong.

Keay, John. The End of Empire in the Far East. Explores the legacy of the British Empire in Asia with some fascinating detail, and a new afterword on the remarkable development of the Chinese economy.

Sinclair, Kevin. Tell Me a Story: Forty Years of Newspapering in Hong Kong and China. Plenty of bar room tales and the inside story of how the recent history of Hong Kong unfolded, from the SAR’s best-known journalist.

Tsang, Steve. A Modern History of Hong Kong. This detailed, up-to-date history of the territory has become the most authoritative general history yet published.

Vines, Stephen. Hong Kong: China’s New Colony. A thorough overview of the economy, media and political set-up of modern Hong Kong.

Welsh, Frank. A History of Hong Kong. A social, economic and political history of the territory.

Wordie, Jason. Streets. A fascinating guide to the history of individual streets on Hong Kong Island.

Nature/walking guides

Spurrier, Pete. The Leisurely Hiker’s Guide to Hong Kong. Easy walks around Hong Kong’s hills. A guide for more serious hiking is also available.

Stokes, Edward. Exploring Hong Kong’s Countryside: A Visitor’s Companion; The Wilson Trail: Hiking Across Hong Kong; Hong Kong’s Wild Places: An Environmental Exploration. These books explore the scenic beauty of the Hong Kong countryside.

Williams, Martin. Hong Kong Pathfinder. 23 walks in rural Hong Kong.

Macau

Jackson, Annabel. Portuguese Cuisine on the China Coast. The best book on Macau’s unique fusion cuisine, with 62 recipes.

Porter, Jonathan. Macau: The Imaginary City: Culture and Society, 1577 to Present. Recommended to anyone who is interested in learning more about Macau.

China

Becker, Jasper. The Chinese. Fine analysis of contemporary China and what makes the country tick.

Simons, Rowan. Bamboo Goalposts. The entertaining story of one man’s quest to teach the PRC to love football, written by a UK-born Beijing television presenter.

Watts, Jonathan. When a Billion Chinese Jump: Voices From the Frontline of Climate Change. Dispatches by the Guardian‘s former China man offer a salutary take on the Middle Kingdom’s acute pollution problems.

Other Insight Guides

Other Insight Guides to China include: Southern China (covering the southern provinces from Fujian to Yunnan), China, Beijing and Shanghai.

The Insight Step by Step series uses an itinerary-base approach to assist the traveller with a limited amount of time. Titles include Beijing and Hong Kong.

Insight Select Guides are inspirational city guides that offer a selection of hip, fresh and quirky ideas. Stylishly designed with evocative photography, the listings for atmospheric bars, one-of-a-kind shops, really good food and places to relax are compiled by writers who know the city inside out. Titles include Hong Kong.

Insight Smart Guides offer the traveller a highly portable encyclopedic A–Z guide packed with detailed listings, photographs and maps. Titles include Beijing and Hong Kong.

Insight Fleximaps combine clear, detailed cartography with a laminated finish. Titles include Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macau.