Holiday Homework
Soon to explore the teeming city’s mesmerising harbour, quaint neighbourhoods and great food and shopping? Hazel Flynn’s suggestions will get you ready.
Heading to Hong Kong? Here’s how to get in the mood
Read
A lawyer, filmmaker, social commentator, anti-slavery campaigner, charity founder and author of both traditional fiction and graphic novels, Duncan Jepson is a true Renaissance man. His third book, dark thriller Emperors Once More, was published in 2014 and is set three years into the future in Hong Kong, one of several spots around the world Jepson has called home. The story of a detective who tracks down a deranged patriot consumed by global conspiracies, it offers a unique insider’s perspective of the city.
Also consider...
◖ Gweilo: A Memoir of a Hong Kong Childhood (2004): Martin Booth was seven in 1952 when his father was posted to the then British colony. He spent the following years absorbing everything his exotic new home had to offer and his writing beautifully captures that vanished time.
Watch
In real life, Hong Kong is very safe. On screen, it often features nonstop mayhem, thanks to a film industry known for its crime and action movies, among them the tense 2002 thriller
Infernal Affairs, starring Andy Lau and Tony Leung. In 2006, Martin Scorsese’s American remake, The Departed, collected four Oscars but nothing beats the tension of the original, in which police and a crime lord race to uncover the moles that threaten their operations.
Also consider...
◖ Hard Boiled (1992): Yun-Fat Chow plays a renegade cop who reluctantly works with Tony Leung to break up a gun smuggling ring. Directed by John Woo, this gripping (and violent) film memorably climaxes in a hospital nursery.
Project A (1983): Jackie Chan was a baby-faced 29-year-old when he co-wrote, co-directed and starred in this historical comedy/adventure film that’s full of eye-popping stunts.
Listen
The 80 Days: An Exploration Podcast (80dayspodcast.com) delves into little-known stories about destinations around the world. Created by three friends, who are buffs rather than historians, the freewheeling conversations mix information with banter (and, occasionally, explicit language). The hourlong Kowloon Walled City episode covers the history of Hong Kong as a lead-in to the tale of the lawless, now demolished city-within-acity, once the most densely populated place on earth.
Also consider...
◖ Kids Only (2017): The daughter of Chinese music royalty Faye Wong and Dou Wei, Leah Dou started releasing her own songs in 2012, performed mostly in English. This album showcases her appealing, moody pop.