King Hui - The man who owned all the opium in Hong Kong
Photo credit: Amazon
“An insightful, street-side view of Hong Kong. The turbulent events ... turn this eye-witness account into a solid history book.”
—Cairns Media Magazine, June 2008
“A book of stories recounting Hui's adventures, loves, appetite for sex and drinking, influence over triads and a life of fortune and destitution.”
—Sunday Morning Post, January 27, 2008
“A remarkably accessible depiction of life under British and Japanese control... an incredibly informative read, and a must for all Hong Kong enthusiasts.”
—HK Magazine, January 4, 2008
“A rich account of Hong Kong as seen at street-level... set against a backdrop of colonial rule, Japanese invasion and communist revolution.”
—Hemlock's Diary, January 2008
“Hui's story gives us glimpses of a Hong Kong ... not adequately reflected in official histories of the city.”
—Asia Times, Feb 23, 2008
Author: Jonathan Chamberlain
Year: 2007
Buy it here: Amazon, Book Depository
Summary:
Scandal and corruption, drugs and pirates, triads and flower boats; the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong and the Communist takeover of Canton. Peter Hui was there. He knew everybody and saw everything. This is the real story of Hong Kong, told with the rich flavours of the street. If Peter had been only a little bit different he could have been an important man. But this is a riches to rags to riches to rags story. As we follow Peter's life - his ups, his downs - we see in sharp focus what it was like to be a Chinese man in the British territory of Hong Kong through most of the years of the 20th century. And yet this book is not just one man's tale. It is the story of a time and place - colonial Hong Kong, Portuguese Macau and the South China hinterland - seen from the unique point of view of a man who was at home at all levels of society. This is the bizarre story of a man who really did, for a very short time, once own all the opium in Hong Kong. If Suzie Wong had been a real person, Peter Hui would have known her. "This is a true story but it reads like a novel. It is a cracking read." - David Tang
Book description credit: Book Depository