Frank Welsch provides his audience with a clear and comprehensive interperation of the events that have shaped this great city of the world. I would, however, make a few suggestions and warnings before one purchases this book. First, one of the great aspects of this work is its relentless display of primary sources and attention to detail. It might not be the best read for one who is trying to obtain a concise and short history of hong kong. The primary sources are fascinating and makes one feel as if they are watching over the shoulders of colonial officiers and engrossing themselves in the soap opera of creating and maintaining a colony. The second warning would be to expect a majority of the work to focus on the pre-twentieth century development of the colony. Although the author does provide enough of post twentieth century to ensure a satisfied understanding of the events, one who is focusing on modern hong kong, like myself, might want to consider another read. And finally, Mr. Welsch does touch base with social and cultural history, but his main focus is on the polties of hong kong. Do not expect a great emergence into this subject.

Although a little 'dry' at times, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Frank Welsh's analysis of the development of this incredible city, its history and culture is fantastic. What caught my attention was in the Introduction when he remarked that Hong Kong was never a British colony but a Chinese colony administered by the British. From there on, he had my attention.

There used to be a saying that "the sun never sets on the British Empire" because of the incredible number of colonies the Great Britain governed. The internationally-focused handover of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 historically marked the end of both British ruling over the Chinese financial capital and the legend of the once mighty empire.

A British and former international banker, Frank Welsh touched based with both Chinese communist ruler and British officials in the determination of Hong Kong's post-colonial scope. A full account with lucid details on the coming of joint-declaration cosigned by the Bristish and Chinese government in 1984 was included in this one-volume history of the Pearl of the Orient, also dubbed the Heart of Asia.

Upon the end of Opium War and the seizure of Hong Kong by UK more than 150 years ago, the British authority has miraculously turned a fishing village to a world-known financial and business capital. "A Borrowed Place: The History of Hong Kong" is a written account that witnesses the political, social, and economical history of the colony exploited by the Great Britain. The timely release of this volume in July 1996 sets the tone of the fearfully waited handover in exactly one year, on July 1, 1997. The book concludes with speculation on post-handover life and socioeconomic aspects of the city. One of the major concerns of natives, democrats, politicians, and even the Taiwaneses, is whether the highly-proclaimed "One Country, Two Systems" approach will function efficiently for, at least, 50 years, as firmly promised by the Chinese Communist power in Beijing.

This book is about changes. It is a recollection of events that help transforming a fishing town to the busiest port. It is, however, also a witness to whether the promise made by Chinese government will be fulfilled.

I love oriental hunks, alright. The oriental can be much muscular than that, and still not so much as a bodybuilder. The models in the book are too thin. But if you love young boys with underdeveloped muscle, it's a different story.

I stummbled upon this book at HK's wan chai district gay bookstore, POV. I have always liked Asian men, esp Chinese men. I think this edition presents the best of HK men to the rest of the world. The settings are credibly Hong Kong, the photography sincere and the men real -- not drop-dead gorgeous, but real men, i.e. those that you truly see in HK's streets. Believe me, HK men are some of the most good-looking men in Asia, and also the most sophisticated and suave. Two thumbs up for Derek, and please feature the rest of Asian men (Taiwan, Singapore, Shanghai and Jiangnan area, Beijing, Korea and Japan) soon! I'll be waiting in earnest!

This book has something for everyone. 20 of the sexiest guys I've seen in a long time, all shot outdoors. Smooth or hairy they're all there.

Gay or straight, if you like the look of a naked Asian man, this is the book for you. Mostly full color, full page photo's of surf, sea, sand, and oh yes, sexy guys. It's easy to see why China wanted Hong Kong back when you look at these guys.

Don't be put off by the paperback listing, it is a full size book of almost 100 pages. You'll look again and again.

An insight into HK flicks with occasional errors.

A good reference book and better than the quasi-racist Asian Cult Cinema. Has a better sense of history and has good coverage, particularly of 70s movies.

I would like more information on shaw brothers martial arts films from 1970-1999.Starting with the actors,directors and shaw brothers them self.A brief biogarphy about each one.

I have forced myself to finish this book. There is no connection between "the Chinese way" and the heroine. Everything is throughly stereotypical. If you want something exotic, look elsewhere. This book is a bore.

This isn't the best Victoria Holt novel, but her books never fail to engage the reader with exotic locations, suspense and romance. So, I gave it 5 stars anyway...I couldn't put this down and the ending was quite effective...

The House of a Thousand Lanterns has been the most interesting book I've read. The plot can be misleading and results in quite a shock once you reach the end of the book, just like all the other Holt novels. It is a mystery/romance story. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys love stories with a little action.

What have the frommers done is Just duplicating the old edition with a new name. This so called 2001 edition " frommer's hong kong 6th eddition" has so many names I could not look up on the internet mainly because they were sold to another company with a different name. The air lines they suggested dont even fly to hong kong any more. Many restaurants were nonexistant. Things are changing rapidly in Hong Kong. Frommers has not kept up with those changes. Seems like a [price] rip off scam to me.

Good luck.

This is a good tour book tell you all you need to wrap before your traveling. This book also help you to control your travel budget and tailor your travel into your appetite! So how can you travel to Hong Kong without this one?

This is a really excellent, accurate, and carefully researched guide, full of helpful information. Note however that it is not BY Arthur Frommer, who publishes a magazine and lends his name to the series, but no longer writes guide books--the author is Beth Reiber. She is right on top of her subject, and you couldn't ask for a better, more complete guide to Hong Kong.

The newly-married Mrs. Pollifax is in the process of fixing up her new home in the country when Bishop appears on her doorstep and offers her another assignment for the CIA. Cyrus is out of town and Mrs. P. must give an immediate answer, so an hour later she is on her way to Hong Kong. Her mission is to contact Sheng Ti, whom she met in an earlier book and find out what is going on at Feng Imports where Sheng Ti is working for an agent named Detwiler. Detwiler's reports to the CIA have proved to be false, so he is suspected of being a counterspy and giving evidence to the enemy. Mrs. Pollifax meets some other interesting characters, including a psychic, and another old friend who is a reformed cat burglar while in pursuit of the truth about Feng Imports. She is captured and suffers from some unnecessarily harsh treatment, probably the reason this is not most people's favorite book of the series.

(Review of the audiotape, no longer available (?) )

Two books after going on safari, Mrs. Pollifax is now married to Cyrus, the gentleman she met on that safari. Marriage, however, doesn't slow her down, as she's sent to Hong Kong to meet up with someone she knew from the previous outing (which unfortunately I have not yet read). Enroute she meets a psychic on the plane, something that disheartened me: not only am I extremely skeptical of psychics, but it's very easy for the writer to use the psychic to effectively perform magic and circumvent plot holes through mysticla means. Not surprisingly, this psychic's ability waxes and wanes according to the author's needs, in one instance finding someone's body in a particular hut in Hong Kong, while, when Mrs. Pollifax is in danger, can only indicate a broad area where she might be - of course, since the book would be over if they could find her!

Other than that, it's another good read, with typically vivid characters both in the text and brought to life by Rosenblat's superb narrative skills. Mildly recommended.

I remember distinctly that my grandmother did not care for this episode in the Pollifax adventures. "Mrs. Pollifax and the Hong Kong Buddha" was a little too violent and disturbing for her. I, on the other hand, love it! Thrilling, exciting, never a dull moment. Not for the squeamish!

This book is full of information of Jackie's life as a kid and adult. It has twenty-or-so black and white pictures. This book has lots of information on most of his movies. It includes all of bad things that have happened, bones that he has broken and other ways he has hurt himself over the years. I am a big Jackie Chan fan and found this book very interesting and imformitive.

Its not Faulkner or Shakespeare, but its a great little book about Jackie Chan. If you are a Jackie fan you will never get bored with this book. Its got great information, reviews, profiles, and pictures. If you love Jackie get this book.

Herein lies a simple system for any High Action setting. The origional thought was to emulate the action of the Hong Kong Action Genre. But it's not a huge stretch to use the system for Star Wars, the Mummy, or any setting where Larger Than Life stunts and Over The Top special effects reign. There is, for the most part, ONE die-rolling mechanic for everything. You don't need to look at charts and figure numbers, you just need to throw some dice and keep going. You get bonuses for describing your actions as vividly as possible, and making them entertaining. (What we call the "Looks Cool!" bonus.) And remember, there are very few problems that cannot be solved by beating someone up. Unlike many games, the flashy combat is the focus, and the roleplay is that thing you do between fights. (YMMV)

This is a role-playing game for people who want to shed angst-ridden melodrama and sweeping tactical rules and go straight for the one-on-one action of a fast-paced action movie. With character concepts such as "Scrappy Kid", "Killer", and "Everyday Hero". This system puts an emphasis on style and action, where almost anything can be resolved with 2 six-sided dice. The book also provides an in-depth world to put the characters in, but it is easily altered to suit the GameMaster's desires. Many of the descriptions of skills and Schticks (essentially powers) are tongue-in-cheek, again putting emphasis on the genre.

Combat is made to be quick and furious, with almost everyone having the same basic attributes. Other than Bruisers, everyone has the same amount of damage that can be absorbed. An attack will have the character go into detail as to what he wants to do to the villain, then rolls. Success means that whatever he said just happened. Thus, where most games would say "I shoot the guy with the sword", Feng Shui would prefer "The hero brandishes his gleeming pistol and vaults over a counter while he fills the air with his hot vengeance." Again, an emphasis on style.

Feng Shui is a perfect game for the action of martial arts-movie lover. Instead of just watching your favorite hero fight evil, you can assume the role of title character and plunge headlong into the adventure that you always wanted, from the grimy streets of ChinaTown, to the forbidding Himilayas, to different places in time. Anything is possible, limited only by your imagination.

This book is really meant to follow 1984 as those who are not familiar with the Orwellian classic will not be able to follow the plot enough to enjoy it to it's fullest. I found it sharp, hilarious, and a great read.

The publication of a book on the financial crisis in Hong Kong by Y.C. Jao from the University of Hong Kong is most timely. Jao is no stranger to anyone who has studied the banking and financial system in Hong Kong. There is no lack of analysis on the Asian financial crisis. However, this is the first book-length study that focuses on the case of Hong Kong. The analysis is particular timely as Hong Kong is currently in the midst of its severest economic recession since the early 1970s. The book not only clearly analyzes the financial crisis in Hong Kong by putting the events that happened in Hong Kong in the last few years in the larger context of the Asian financial crisis, but further delves into the post-crisis economic recession that Hong Kong is suffering.

The author begins by analyzing the origin, nature, and consequences of the Asian financial crisis. He proceeds on to discuss the financial crisis in Hong Kong by looking at the financial crisis itself focusing on how foreign exchange speculators tried to capitalize on the possible event of the collapse of the Hong Kong dollar and how the government reacted to the crisis by its unprecedented attempts to intervene in the stock market. The story was succinctly told with convincing information put together by the author. Jao then analyzes the impact of the crisis on the asset markets, financial sector, and the real economy. The analysis in the book is clear and solid.

The most interesting part of his book is, however, its attempt to answer two puzzles: (1) Why was Hong Kong's economic downturn so severe, and (2) Why was Hong Kong a laggard in economic recover, and the role China plays in the crisis. Jao points out that while the government was able to defeat the currency speculators in the financial crisis of 1997-98 and successfully defend the currency system, the people of Hong Kong, nevertheless, pay a high price as part of the reason for the continuation of the recession after the crisis is attributed to the currency board - the very system Hong Kong tries to defend. The need to defend the linked exchange rate has forced on the Hong Kong abrupt rises in interest rates severely impacting the assets markets and the real markets through the wealth effect, collateral effect, and the credit availability effects. The intricate relationships amongst these factors are clearly explained in the book.

I would recommend this book not only to economists who have an interest in the Asian financial crisis or the Hong Kong economy but also to anyone (as the book was written in non-technical language) who want to make sense of the recession in Hong Kong.