The Hong Kong Pocket Guide is a compact version of what a guide book should be. It's size (it really will fit in your pocket) is in direct opposition to the amount of good information it contains. It has all the highlights that you are looking for, without the "fluff". To me, it is the perfect first book to read as I begin my research into this exciting city. I may read other guide books to Hong Kong before I go, but this is the one that will be tucked into my pocket as I walk the streets of the city.

This book was very helpful when identifying birds of Hong Kong. The color photographs of each bird were clear and extremely helpful, and the descriptions helped me distinguish similar species if I was still in doubt after seeing the picture. The range maps seem accurate, and the book's small size makes it very portable and convenient to carry. The only drawback was that several species I saw, some fairly commonly, were not listed or pictured, so I was unable to identify them at the time. Overall, I would recommend this book for someone wanting to identify Hong Kong birds.

Sung Y.W. gives an excellent and critical analaysis of the economic relations between Hong Kong and the PRC, based on available statistics. Even though the econmic data he uses is out of date by now (1991) this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand how to read between the lines of statistics provided by both Hong Kong and the PRC. For a more recent paper see his article titled "The Hong Kong-Guangdong Connection" in Cohen/Li 1996. Admittedly for non-economists like myself reading through statistics and methodologies of interpretation of these is not the easiest of tasks. However, his conclusions on the trade relations between the two are extremely valuable. The only aspect I personaly find he could have further elaborated on, concerns the political links that affect both PRC and Hong Kong economies.

The author conducted a survey in Hong Kong in order to study the ghosts stories Chinese Style. As a Chinese, I find his views accurate. You can read the book as a scientific study on spirits and Chinese rituals, but you can also read the book as a horror book because it included many true haunted experiences told by the interviewee.

Elsie spent her whole life helping those underprivileged and gained a high reputation. However, recently we seldom hear Elsie expresses her ideas in the mass media. What a pity !What's the problem ? I bet it's the problem that our media do not accept voices from the minority. Although I do not agree all the points of Elsie's politicial ideas in this book, I still think her ideas are incisive and peculiar. They're worth to think about. For those who are interested in Hong Kong social history or concern about the democracy movement, I recomnmend they should read this book. I bet they may have a more in-depth view to today's Hong Kong political situation after reading the book.

Ferguson reviews the capture of Hong Kong by the Japanese during December, 1941. Most people have heard of the Bataan Death March and the capture of Singapore, but few have read the history of the capture of Hong Kong. In November, 1941 the British sent two Canadian regiments to defend this part of the Empire. These regiments were poorly trained and armed. Along with the other British forces in Hong Kong,the Canadians resisted the overwhelming Japanese forces for over two weeks. Ferguson details the battles and the courage of these forces, along with the atrocities of the Japanese soldiers.
If I can fault Ferguson anything, he does not go into detail on what happened in the prison camps which also resulted in a significant number of casualties, and the trials of the Japanese officers responsible for the soldiers who sacked Hong Kong. It would have made a more interesting book.

This dictionary just came out as a companion to the Yale-in-China Chinese to English dictionary. It has a lot of the charm of the earlier volume: waterproof cover, handy size, useful appendices on grammar and pronunciation, and broad vocabulary. The English is not excessively British, and there are a lot of idioms which are nicely translated into equivalent Cantonese phrases. That being said, there are several real problems:
1. There are printing errors in the pronunciation section where the IPA symbol for Cantonese phoneme "s" is the IPA letter pronounced "sh"--a BAD error, especially for beginners, especially as Cantonese uses no "sh" sound.
2. There are many English spelling errors, not such a big deal most times.
3. Worse, there are errors in the Cantonese transliteration, putting in entirely wrong words by leaving out letters. This was a minor problem in the earlier Chinese-to-English book in only a few words. But when you're using the book to learn the pronunciation, such errors are especially annoying.
4. English synonyms often have different Cantonese translations, for instance check out "maybe" and "perhaps"--this is a minor problem.
5. There are no Chinese characters in this book. While it makes the printing a lot simpler, it hinders the mastery of phrases, not knowing the precise meaning of particles which are homonyms with identical English spelling and tone, but different connotations in Cantonese. If you want to write a translation, you're on your own! I'm not sure this was a great editorial decision.
6. As always happens in a first edition, many idioms are lacking, but I can't complain too much about this.
7. The books are somewhat flimsy--my copy of the earlier text is about 3 months old, and a section has already fallen out. For a reference book, this is not good.
Overall, not a bad reference for pronunciation of Cantonese, with some useful grammar, but with significant flaws.

This is another in the wonderful series of fictional mysteries set in Hong Kong in the last several decades of British rule. The continuing characters, Chief Inspector Harry Feiffer, Christopher O'Yee, and Detectives Auden and Spencer, once again are challenged to a series of baffling crimes. Marshall succeeds in blending the suspenseful with the humorous. "Zany" is the adjective that seems to describe his humor most accurately. In this adventure, someone is using gelignite to blow up citizens of Hong Bay, part of Feiffer et al's beat on Yellowthread Street. A secondary plotline has O'Yee hunting for a stuffed bird on behalf of a wealthy Hong Kong businessman.
I usually give these books 5 stars. However, the labyrinthine explanation at the end of the book went on a little longer than I thought was necessary. But I readily admit that those readers with a LeCarre bent will probably feel right at home.
I know of no other mystery writer who can combine the gruesome with the gross, the horrible with the humorous, and the suspenseful with the silly. I've already started another Marshall mystery, and hope to review it here shortly.

Trans-Pacific Airways has developed an emergency fuel formula which can provide clipper ships with a greatly increased flying range up to 6000 miles. The formula, however, has not yet been perfected.

When the operations manager of Trans-Pacific commits suicide, he leaves a note. It mentions the secret formula and its amazing possibilities. The suicide note is published in a newspaper giving the secret formula wide publicity. Trans-Pacific is an American airline and the United States War and Navy Departments do not want the secret to fall into unfriendly hands.

Captain Hugh North from G-2, Department of Army Intelligence, is sent to Hongkong to keep the formula away from any potential enemies in a future war. He quickly learns that there are several operatives seeking the formula. There is also a rival airline, Air Oriental, which is planning a Pacific route and will want to have the advantages of the new fuel. Air Oriental is registered as a Chinese corporation but uses German pilots and equipment.

Sam Patterson, the chief engineering officer of Trans-Pacific, is murdered. The company's safe is broken into and the formula is stolen. North believes that the murder of Patterson and the theft of the formula are connected. The murder scene reveals several clues including the victim's double-breasted coat which was buttoned on the wrong side and a glass water pitcher containing a woman's flesh-tinted stocking. The leading suspects are Patterson's former and current girl friends. Also under suspicion are the new operations manager of Trans-Pacific and the Macao manager of Air Oriental. In addition, North must consider Mr. Tashima, previously a lieutenant in the Japanese Navy but now in the postal service and Alexis Lebov, a professed White Russian who is thought to actually be working for the NKVD. Louis Martin and his wife are imposters who may really be representing French interests.

Hugh North has his work cut out for him in this case at a time when tensions are heating up before World War II in both Europe and the Far East. Germany in particular is singled out as a threat.

North is aided in his investigations by Sir George Amberson and Inspector Yu Shih of the Royal Victoria Police.

While there have been tons of books on HK cinema, they mostly touch on the popular movies, directors and stars. You hear of John Woo, Jackie Chan, Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam etc etc. But there are next to none, if any, on the history of HK cinema in English. This book is an essential read if one wants to know more about the political and cultural events that shaped HK cinema. Thankfully it isn't only just essential and informative, it also manages to be enjoyable.