This timely book chronicles the history of Hong Kong from its misty beginnings to the present day. The territory's unique and turbulent political and economic development form the backdrop to a still more compelling and human story. The essence of The Hong Kong Story is the interwoven sagas of the family dynasties and business houses - vital ingredients in transforming the `barren rock' into a miracle city state. These families were by no means all British and Chinese: by the mid-nineteenth century Hong Kong was already a cosmopolitan city with a prominent American contingent. It is the collective spirit of these nationalities - grit, optimism, practicality, ruthlessness, generosity, resilience - that lies at the heart of modern Hong Kong's unique East-West chemistry. The book follows the waxing and waning fortunes of these dynasties and entrepreneurs through the convulsions of the Opium Wars, the collapse of imperial China, Japanese occupation, mass immigration, communist takeover in China, the Cultural Revolution, frequent booms and busts, and the approach of `one country, two systems'. It a fascinating story of how human enterprise, rising above ethnic divides, has endowed a coastal enclave in Asia with not only unimaginable riches but a unique identity.

The Hong Kong Story

History

Courtauld, Caroline

Holdsworth, May

Asia

Oxford University Press

The principal residence of China's emperors for nearly five centuries, Beijing's Forbidden City was long shrouded in mystery, inaccessible both to common Chinese and to visitors from abroad. Exploring the palace's grand rituals and detailing the quotidian processes of its everyday life, this beautifully illustrated introduction goes beyond standard tourists' guidebooks to provide a detailed picture of the private world hidden behind imperial walls.

The Forbidden City (Images of Asia)

This is an oral history of expatriates in Hong Kong during the last years of British sovereignty and the first few years of Chinese rule.

Foreign Devils: Expatriates in Hong Kong

Book by Johnston, Nancy, Pan, Lynn

Shanghai (SHANGAI)

Travel

Pan, Lynn.

Hunt, Jill

JOHNSTON, NANCY

Passport Books

Sichuan/Four Rivers (CHINA GUIDES SERIES)

Travel Writing

Nanjing, Wuxi, Suzhou and Jiangsu Province: Land of Lakes and Classical Gardens (CHINA GUIDES SERIES)

Holledge, Simon

Guilin, Canton, Guangdong (CHINA GUIDES SERIES)

Forbidden City

Discovery Channel Press

Beijing

Odyssey Books & Maps

Close Up: Women of the Tang Dynasty

Pacific Century Publishers

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Books by Holdsworth, May