As a police inspector, he commanded a sub-unit and led a district vice squad in Kowloon, before joining the colonial government’s Administrative Service and working in the fields of transport, housing, security, environment and tourism. He also served as District Officer, Wan Chai. From raids on gambling dens to organising Governors’ visits, his work involved him in all levels of Hong Kong society.
Mann’s memoir is an anecdotal, historical and racy account of Hong Kong’s last decades as a British colony and the colourful story of a young Englishman in the twilight of empire.
Click on this link to read pages from Sheriff of Wan Chai and see some images from the book.
New book: Collected Hong Kong Stories
Collected Hong Kong Storiesby David T. K. WongFor an arresting mosaic of the great and complex metropolis known as Hong Kong – and an insight into what the people of the city live by and die for – a reader need look no further than the Collected Hong Kong Stories of David T. K. Wong.
Wong has drawn upon his own experiences as a journalist, educator, government official and businessman to assemble a range of memorable characters for his tales. They range from barmen to labourers, from jockeys to expatriate bureaucrats, from scholars to tycoons, and each is infused with insights into the collective soul of the edgy, anomalous and perplexing place he finds himself.
These 18 stories are carefully crafted in the grand tradition of O. Henry, Maugham and Saki. Each has been individually published in a magazine or broadcast over radio in Britain, the US, Hong Kong or elsewhere. They can be dipped into and savoured separately or feasted upon all in one go. Either way, the result can only be satisfying.
“David T. K. Wong is an exceptionally fluent writer whose compelling stories cover a wide range of themes. His talent sparkles, inveigles and mesmerizes,” says Sylvia Tankel, editor of Short Stories International.
Click here to read sample pages from Collected Hong Kong Stories.
Book talk: Umbrellas in Bloomat HKU Library
The Umbrella Movement of 2014 put Hong Kong on the map and elevated the city to a model for pro-democracy campaigns across the globe. Umbrellas in Bloom is the first book in English to chronicle this history-making event, written by a Hong Kong-born author based on his firsthand account at the main protest sites.Jason Y. Ng will talk about his book at The University of Hong Kong on 17 November 2016 (Thursday) at 6.30pm. The event is free of charge and open to all. Full details here. Didi Tatlow of the New York Times wrote: “Ng captures the lifecycle of the occupy movement with compassion and wit.” Zeb Eckert of Bloomberg Television called the book “compelling and full of surprises,” and said that Ng “combines a journalist’s precision with a Hong Konger’s passionate heart.”
The talk will be moderated by David Bandurski, the author of Dragons in Diamond Village and editor of The University of Hong Kong’s China Media Project website.
Now a radio drama: Eating Smoke
We were delighted when Phil Whelan at RTHK Radio 3 decided to dramatise Chris Thrall’s popular Hong Kong memoir, Eating Smoke.After editing the story down for radio, we then had hours to spend in the recording studio, and in voice actor Nick Atkinson we found the right man to voice not only Chris but also all the other colourful characters in the book.
The radio adaptation was broadcast in three parts last month, but if you missed it, it is now available as a podcast. Please click here to listen in at your leisure.
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Pete Spurrier, Publisher
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