Collected for the first time in a single volume are these true and often comic stories of the South China Coast. Seventy visitors from around the world give vivid accounts of their experiences—of high society at Government House and low life in Canton gaols, of spies in Hong Kong and pirates on buccaneering junks, of typhoons, burglars and Eastern magic, of gambling, opium and slavery. Most revealing of all, they write about their encounters with the people, the misunderstandings between East and West, the constant battle of wits between Chinese and foreigner, united only by a pidgin lingo. This was a time when the Colonial Secretary could say with confidence: “I have in vain sought for one valuable quality in Hong Kong… I can see no justification for the British Government spending one shilling on Hong Kong”. First published in 1986, this classic volume is sure to entertain and inform a whole new generation of readers.
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