I will never forget the first time I walked down Nathan Road, looked out over the harbor at the skyline of Hong Kong Island, road the Star Ferry, took a double-decker bus along the streets of Central, looked down on Hong Kong from the Peak, read the South China Morning Post, perused the bookshelves of the English language bookstores, stepped into a Watson’s drug store and ate dim sum with my in-laws, a late-night bowl of noodles in some small noodle shop, and seafood along the shore in Cheung Chau. In that year, I was teaching English in Guangzhou, China, and visiting Hong Kong involved a simple bus or train ride to Shenzhen before walking across the border at Lo Wu and then another ride on the subway to Kowloon. It was 1994 and Hong Kong was still a British colony.

The moment I stepped foot in the fragrant harbor, I fell head over heels in love with it. I love Hong Kong more than any other city I’ve been to. Please see this website’s Disclosure for more info.īefore we get started on this list of the best books on Hong Kong, there’s something that you should know:įor me, this list of books is more special than any of my other ones because… As an Amazon Associate and a Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. In these 48 books on Hong Kong, you’ll find the answer to these questions and more with a look at this former British colony’s history and its citizens’ identity.ĭisclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Why are Hong Kongers so passionate about fighting for their rights and freedoms? Where did this desire for these western values come from?

Hong Kong has gone through a lot in the past eight years as its citizens have fought for freedom, democracy, and the rule of law only to see them all be taken away by the Chinese communist party. “ This is what I fear the most: The skyscrapers remain intact, the countryside hikes still beautiful, and our harbor rippling with night lights you can still go to work and tweet dumb shit and outwardly you can’t tell that anything is wrong, but the only ones left are those who believe this is the best version of Hong Kong there could ever be.” Karen Cheung, The Impossible City: A Hong Kong Memoir (2022)

The gate to china by michael sheridan