Hong Kong Books

I Am Jackie Chan My Life in Action 1998 5/5
Written by :Jackie Chan & Jeff Yang

Easily one of the best books I have ever read. This books contains 398 pages of pure joy. Seriously I read this book In one sitting . I was already a fan of Jackie Chan now I have so much respect for him. The copy I own includes a extra chapter, I would say it's worth buying again to read that extra chapter. Jackie Chan had a very interesting upbringing filled with beating and let downs. I mean he was abandoned by his parents who essentially sold him to the Peking Opera. Where they had the power to punish him up till death.

In here Jackie talks about the makings his earlier films. I really enjoyed this book as much as I enjoy his movies. Jeff Yang has said in interviews that there is works to release a second volume. Lets hope for that!

Jackie Chan has had a very eventful life. When he was a child he lived in on an ambassadors mansion in Hong Kong. Soon he was sent to a Cantonese Opera school, which was a boarding school where he was trained, day and night for over 10 years of his young life, in the ways of Chinese Opera. Chinese Opera is not the same Opera you and I may think of it as, but instead is a very acrobatic physically demanding show. He then went into the stuntman business, which was a very difficult road for him. For many years he struggled with finding work but he soon became a much wanted stuntman. Eventually he went into small acting parts, which led to bigger acting parts. Soon enough he was a huge success in Hong Kong, and eventually got married to a famous Chinese actress. Jackie still travels a lot and his wife is a stay at home wife who raises his son.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading. It is full of constant action and keeps your attention. I Am Jackie Chan is an easy read and fast paced I was unable to put it down, except of course when class was over.

my wife's english is not good. but she found that it is very easy to understand this book as Jackie's movie. She has fun with it and use it to prove her english.

Dood tottally I'm not kidding, Jackie Chan is like a god amongst men, a god who makes flawed movies in his old age (flawed is polite considering the horrible movies he's currently putting out). Man Jackie Chan is so great it makes my balls sweat whenever I think about it, in this book he talks about how he and his crew broke into an amusement park to steal... not money but bread crumbs!!! Becuase Master wanted his students to work hard, this is not a book for weaklings, they will fret and feel weak as they learn of the heroic and disciplined exploits of my man JACKIE FING CHAN! Man in this book he talks about how some dudes wanted to fight, but he didn't cuase Master taught him only to fight for show and not fight for violence. Man the world would be a better place if we all had to read this book. Mandatory reading for High Schools this should be.

A fascinating insight into the mind and career of the world's biggest movie star. With exhaustive (and exhausting!) descriptions of Jackie's brutal Peking opera training and early days as a stuntman and actor, almost everything you want to know about Jackie is here.

Not that there aren't omissions - his illegitimate son Jaycee, now trying to make a name for himself as an actor, is never mentioned. Jackie is also quick to take credit (he claims 'Half a Loaf of Kung Fu' and 'Snake in the Eagle's Shadow' were the first kung fu comedies, which they weren't) and slow to give it out (he describes his opera brothers' film 'The Prodigal Son,' arguably the best kung fu movie ever made, as "solid"). But Jackie's charisma and determination shine through on every page, and you can't help but admire the guy. A must read for Jackie fans and aficionados of Hong Kong cinema.

If this were fiction, it would still be an amazing book. But knowing that it's all true is what makes it an incredibly eye-opening story of what God is doing throughout the world. The city she ends up in is so spiritually dark, full of 14-year old drug addicts and prostitutes, corrupt police, and gang lords, but the book shows what happens when a little bit of light shines through. Lives were radically changed. And she didn't go for 2 years, help some people out, and then call it "ministry." She dedicates her life to this place. Warning: this book may convict most of us.

Some parts of the book are so suspenseful, you would really think some Hollywood writers got together and created it, but that's not the case, and God writes way cooler stories than any of us could imagine.

*There's tons of miracles and tons of instances of spiritual gifts such as speaking tongues. If that's a turn off to the reader, then just know that it was pretty weird for the author at the time, too. And we can't explain how and why God uses different gifts through different people and places and so on, but He's God, He's got big plans, and He's gonna use whatever and whoever it takes to go through with them. If that involves hundreds of Chinese people speaking in some crazy languages, so be it.

This is an amazing story of God's love, grace, and saving power at work here on the earth! It was hard to put this book down and go to sleep at night. An inspiring, faith building and encouraging story. I recommend it!

This book held my interest and gave me good insite in and about the drug dealers in Hong Kong. I strongly recommend it.

The first time I read this book was in 2001, and it made a tremendous inpact on me. It's about an English woman in her early twenties being called to go to Hong Kong and start working among the drug addicts in the so called "Walled City". A couple of years later she met someone telling her about the importance of speaking in tongues, and she started praying in tongues 15 minutes each day. She had been talking to people in the "Walled City" about Jesus from the time she got there, but after 6 weeks of praying in tongues each day, the people she was talking to started believing what she was saying and received Jesus. She also saw that there was no way the drug addicts were able to get off drugs, if they didn't imediately started praying in tongues. "Each had his fascinating story and all without exception came off heroin without pain and trauma." This book is not only a story about what happened to Jackie Pullinger, but also a great teaching about the power source we have on the inside of us. Before she started praying in the Spirit she said: "Lord, I don't know how to pray, or whom to pray for. Will You pray through me - and will you lead me to the people who want You?" All of us who are baptized in the Spirit and received the gift of speaking in tongues can say the same thing and then start using what He has given us. We have "dynamite" on the inside. Let it "explode" each day, and people around us will want to have what we have!

I LOVE this book so much because it is one woman's testimony of what GOD did & is doing with her-through her.
HIS HOLY WORD IS TRUE!
HE IS With Us, and just as HE did with the first Disciples of JESUS,
THE HOLY SPIRIT still works with those who preach the Gospel with signs and wonders following, confirming THE WORD.
I must confess, I don't have the book now - I gave it to my daughter.
I actually came in search for another copy for myself.
:) Well, for me until I give it away again. :)

GOLDEN BOY, Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood
By Martin Booth
Picador Press |(St. Martins) 2004
ISBN 978-0-312-42626-2 (pbk)

What gave a seven-year-old British boy courage to explore the Hong Kong of 1952 in places where no foreign child belonged? Martin Booth felt safe among unusual friends during his adventures, because Chinese people believed rubbing his golden hair brought them luck.
Booth's superb prose pictures brothels, opium dens, Chinese drug-lord friends, forbidden temples and also the wild life and flora in both Kowloon and Hong Kong. Often lonely, Martin's independence was encouraged by correspondence and gifts from his grandfather in England. He never told his parents the extent of his explorations into forbidden and dangerous areas.
The boy also endured the hostilities between his bigoted, bureaucrat father, a man who never quite succeeded, and his out-going mother who was fascinated by Chinese culture.
The author calls himself a "curious, somewhat devious, adventurous and street-wise child whose heart never left Hong Kong" after his father's job sent them back to England four years later.
Anyone who likes biography, history, adventure, Chinese culture and beautifully written literature will enjoy this book.

Martin Booth had an amazing memory for the details of post-WWII Hong Kong and the times he had there as a seven to ten year-old boy. His civilian father gets transferred by the British to the far-flung colonial outpost. While his father is more of a spoilsport, his mother tries live life to the utmost--wherever that life may be--and she allows Martin the freedom to do the same. He takes her fully up on that offer, befriending hotel staff, local storekeepers and more and tasting practically every Chinese dish and joining in every local festival with eyes wide open. However, there are actually very few stories of his escapades with fellow children, mostly stories with the adults that surround him and the nature and culture of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is ruthless with its built history, so a book like this is the only way to get to know the Hong Kong that existed only fifty years ago. It includes one of the few descriptions of a westerner in the `Kowloon walled city.' And from an eight year-old boy too!
I am grateful that Mr. Booth was able to finish this book before he died. I wish he had lived a few more years for selfish reasons--so that he could have finished a book on his second time around in Hong Kong. I am sure he had just as many adventures as a teen as he did as a young boy.
Richard Mason's `World of Suzie Wong' takes place at approximately the same time and is a great and recommended look at a decidedly different part of Hong Kong. So it was neat when Booth's world and Wong's world intersected (innocently) in a few of Golden Boy's pages. Mason actually spent very little time in Hong Kong prior to writing the fictional Suzie Wong, so Golden Boy is a more knowing portrait of Hong.

This book was recommended to me by a friend who said she was sad when it ended. Well, I am recommending it, and also sad when it ended. It is a delightful memoir of a blond 9 year old boy living in Hong Kong in the 1940ties. Blond means "luck" to the Chinese and everyone wanted to pat his head. He learned Chinese and was allowed into areas that no other "white" person could go.

I am deeply sad that the author Martin Booth is no longer with us. However, he left behind a treasure in this amazing memoir. This book is also published under the name "Gweilo." I hated coming to the end of this enchanting book and recommend it to everyone.

I read this book because I love Hong Kong and its history. I was totally unprepared for Booth's parents and adored Joyce. How cannot you not like someone so lively, loving, accepting (except of Ken) and adventuresome?

While the family (Ken, Joyce and Martin) are exploring Algiers, Joyce buys some dates from a market stall, and Ken pitches a fit because they are probably unsanitary. He asks, 'How can you tell where they've been?' Joyce replies that they've been up a date tree. 'And they picked themselves I suppose?' 'No,' Joyce rplies, 'I expect they were plucked by a scrofulous urchin and thrown down to his tubercular aunt who wrapped them in her phlegm-stiffened handerchief.' I had a large mouthful of iced tea when I read that and spat the tea I didn't snort up my nose all over the page. I couldn't stop laughing. This was, I learned, pure Joyce.

'Golden Boy' is delightful, insightful and something more - a word or phrase that escapes these old brain cells. This is the first book by Booth I've read, and I'm eager to read more.

Six million seconds adds up to about 67 days. This novel takes place in the 67 days leading up to the British hand-over of Hong Kong to the mainland Chinese government in 1997.

I won't go into all the details about Inspector Chan, etc. because other reviewers have done a good job of that already; but let's just say that this exciting, perceptive and often grisly novel satisfies as great crime fiction and as incisive commentary on the changes taking place in the "new" China.

Wherever there is money, there is greed and corruption; and the oligarchs (former Communist generals) who run mainland China have no qualms about using whatever means at their disposal (bribery, extortion, slavery and murder) to control their newly won prize. This is the force Inspector Chan has to reckon with, and since he is Eurasian, I take it that Burdett is letting us know that both East and West will have to reckon with the powers-that-be in China -- whether they like it or not. The Chinese oligarchs have the ability to influence world affairs just as the European Colonists once did. And, as Burdett's story testifies, the Chinese know full well what's at stake and have no fear about having to play hardball to come out on top.

Burdett has an insider's understanding of a world few uninitiated Westerners understand (he was a lawyer for a British firm in Asia for many years). He provides readers with the perfect guide to the crossroads of East and West -- the Eurasian Inspector Chan.

A fun and absorbing read. A must for any Burdett fan.

Burdett shows alot of the promise that is even more evident in his later books based in Bangkok. Excellent pre-handover thriller. I'd have liked to see some more Charlie Chan books.

The Last Six Million Seconds is a marvelous combination of engrossing mystery and the drama of Hong Kong's transition from a British colony to the control of a Chinese dictatorship. Throughout the story, one of Burdett's strengths is his ability to capture the intangibles of culture. Consider this insight:

"In the beginning was the Word. But it was sung, not spoken. Prehistoric humans from Peking Man in the East to Cro Magnon in the West used the full range of the vocal scale to sing instructions for the hunt, sing guidance to their children, sing reverence to the gods that provided the mammoths. They would have despised the flat, dead speech of modern times for the tuneless whitterings of ghosts.....the oldest language in modern usage is also the most musical. With nine tones to condition meaning, Cantonese can present a challenge to a tin ear from the Bronx." (p.283)

Burdett uses Richard Hughes' formula of 'a borrowed place living on borrowed time' to explain the psychological challenge Hong Kong residents face during the last six million seconds before they return to Chinese control.

The criminal activities of the People's Liberation Army, including their willingness to use violence and intimidation to create rigged enrichment for a small handful of Generals, are described in accurate details. Burdett even uses official United Nations reports to enhance the sense of realism. He also manages to weave through all this the issue of the Laogai--the prison/slave labor system by which 50,000,000 people live lives of enslavement in China, according to Burdett.

Burdett's protagonist is a driven Chinese-Irish policeman seeking answers to the brutal deaths of two Chinese men and an American girl. The journey is worth the read. Indeed I am beginning to believe that anything John Burdett writes is worth reading.

I am a fan of Burdette's, having read his Thailand books. Based on Amazon reviews, I 'had' to buy this even though the lowest price was way more than I usually spend. It was worth it! The previous reviewers have echoed my sentiments; I just wanted to add one more 5 star rating and to say I wish he would write more.
-Martin Freifeld

Hey, I think I am going to give another synopsis of the story....nah!

Others have already done that better than I could so I will just support their thesis: This is a must read. Granted it has faults: It isn't redundant. Its not obvious. It is well written. Its written for for clever grown ups who don't like to be horsewhipped with the same old cliches and knit-one-pearl-twos. If you can get around those faults, this book might keep you glued to your chair.

This book is brilliant. I live in Bangkok and loved the attention to detail.

Memoirs of a Bangkok Warrior is brilliant. One of those where you read one book by an author and you have to go out a buy every book he written. You can tell he spent a lot of time here in Bangkok. Real incite into the Thai people.
Met the author a few times. Real friendly guy. Hangs out in some dubious joints. Guess that's where he gets his inspiration. Washington Square and Nana Plaza book signings.

Hey, I just saw a link to this book and had to give it a thumbs up. I had a business in Thailand and I'm an avid reader and found this book while there. Hilarious. Great fun. Worth reading.

An enjoyable "tongue-n-cheek" read of the rambunctious and sometime randy affairs of GIs in Bangkok, Thailand during the Vietnam War.

`Memoirs of a Bangkok Warrior' is Dean Barrett at his best. His irreverent understanding of his military time, as seen though the eyes of an enlisted GI, have the satire and wit that made the TV series `Mash' a favorite of millions. "Inspections were, for those forced to participate in them, absurd, excruciating, a waste of time, and a pain in the ass. For those who gave them, however, they provided a weekly dose of power, where none was desirable, a sense of purpose, where non was evident." His stories of life in Bangkok have the tang of "Mash".

His portrait of Doc. Spitz and the company's chaplain are worth the book in itself.

A commendable read, especial for veterans of a war gone by.

This novel is set in Thailand during the Vietnam War. It could be compared to MASH but I liked it better. I found it more moving and actually funnier. I loved the names of some of the characters as well as the scenes in which the enlisted men go up against the officers. A really fine read.

I enjoyed this book as a non-veteran. It made much of the military history I have read more "real," by looking at it from the perspective of regular GIs. From the technophilia of the Vietnam Army to the disasterous Zero Defects Policy, the famous aspects of warfighting are presented as every-day minutae. Recommended.

There is adventure and mystery in every corner of this well-researched and well-written historical. 1BookStreet.com Book Reviews

A superbly crafted blend of Asian and Western intrigue, cast in a magnificent tale of adventure, steeped in mystery and suspense. Historical fiction at its best! Harold Stephens, author, At Home in Asia

A really well done mystery/thriller, obviously well researched, that takes you right into the period of history. The trial scene is superb and the psychology and humor match the wonderful scenes with violence. I very much look forward to the sequel, Thieves Hamlet.

The author seems to have intended this novel to be many things: a mystery, a thriller and a real picture of Hong Kong as it was in 1857. I think he succeeded in all areas. In fact, maybe he lived there at the time because he seems to know every detail. And yet the details never bog down the book; in fact, they seem to move the action forward. The chapters from the Chinese point of view are wonderful. Makes it a balanced account and lets us get into the minds of both sides of the conflict. Loved it!

This monster of a historical adventure takes 1857 Hong Kong as its venue, and places an American tavern-manager/adventurer at the center. Like George Fraser's rogue Flashman (from the series of the same name and set roughly the same era), Andrew Adams is prone to making unwise decisions, and usually has several women on the side. The story is a complicated one, involving a nefarious plot by an English pirate lord to try and take the port of Hong Kong while the bulk of the British force is away shelling Canton, and an unrelated, but simultaneous plot to poison the entire foreign population. There are load and loads of characters, from all classes and parts of society, and Barrett succeeds in making each indelible. The books flags at times, but Barrett is mostly successful in juggling all the plots and players while dishing out loads and loads of daily life detail on his setting. It's a quite impressive--if slightly old-fashioned--historical entertainment. One small annoyance is the fluctuating spelling of one of the main villain's names. A much greater annoyance is the lack of any kind of map!

Fabulously written, the main character of this book is the kind of kid you wish you could have met, played and explored with, and chatted with later in life; because the author is the main character and it is and autobiographical tale makes it even more poignant.

Very very well written.

I liked this book a lot, but agree with Mr. McFarland. Booth Senior just did his sodding best to protect his family in an unfamiliar land. Sure, the scene in which Booth Senior forces his son to help him wash his car is hilarious since Booth Senior doesn't seem to realize he's doing so in a typhoon's "eye", but give Dad a break. My Dad could also be unreasonable. As a Dad, I could be WAY unreasonable; I once tried to make my Yi number one son sort my CDs by composer chronologically and did not realize that at the age of 10 he could hardly be expected to know how to do this.

It is in other words ironic that Western Sinophiles like Booth and Booth Mater should so ooh and so aah over "China", at least until they meet their first squat toilet and even after emerging from the Asiatic loo: yet not somehow see that "China" is a patriarchal construct all the way down to foundations of beaten earth sealed in the blood of women and children who did not Obey.

I was expecting a search for a way to forgive dear old Dad as the keystone of the book but found none.

Master Kong Fu-Zi Confucius was a wise psychologist, for in forgiving Dad one accepts oneself, especially when one finds oneself washing one's bloody car in the eye of a bloody typhoon, or madly searching for one's bloody car keys, or with a big behind at the bloody beach. Master Kong said, honor thy father when he is alive, and grieve for him when he is dead.

I can testify to both the charm and (indirectly) authenticity of this memoir.

A HK-born Chinese friend and his American-born American wife both tremendously enjoyed this book. He is of the right age to have had an overlapping childhood in Hong Kong with the author. His wife exclaims "I love reading the stories in this book. It is so much my husband! It's like everything he's told me about his enchanted childhood in Hong Kong!"

To which her Chinese husband replies, grumpily: "But it is about a Gweilo! How can that be *me* and my childhood!??!"

So this book not only tells a Gweilo story, but tells a Hong Kong story as well.

The time period described by Booth easily predates my own childhood by a full decade, but the many scenarios and experiences described in the book closely match those of my own. This is not at all surprising since post-war Hong Kong progressed relatively slowly in the 50's and 60's. It was not until the go-go 70's that the former British colony truly embarked on a rapid metamorphosis into its current cosmopolitan character.

Booth wrote with great clarity and pacing. Even though it should be classified as an autobiography, the book reads more like an adventure. Beneath the fast paced tale though, lies a sensitive sub-plot of his familial struggle. There was of course the constant bickering between his "stick in the mud" alcoholic father and his pleasant and worldly mother, a woman learned beyond her level of education. More importantly, there was the alienation and the widening gap between himself and his father which apparently never narrowed beyond the scope of the book.

The charm of this book lies in the fact that Booth was able to present it in a child's perspective with its combination of pre-pubescent innocence, naivete, wit and fun-loving mischievousness. What shines through even more is the author's love of people and "joie de vivre". Even though he was a "gweilo" (a Caucasian foreigner), he clearly loved the natives (of Hong Kong), considered himself one and acted accordingly. For those of us who grew up in that bygone era in Hong Kong, the book would certainly unleash a flood of memories heretofore tucked away in the deep recesses of our minds; for others, the book would no doubt offer an authentic glimpse into a romantic, colourful and sometimes bittersweet era of old Hong Kong.

Although I've been living in the States for years now, I am a Hong Kong "local" who grew up not too far away from the Fourseas Hotel where young Booth began his adventures in Hong Kong. Booth's memoir brought me right back to Hong Kong, as if I could see the foggy harbor, smell the joss sticks burning in a temple and hear the chatter from busy dai-pai-dongs. Booth's description of Hong Kong is so vivid and lively that I felt I was right there with him roaming all over Kowloon and the Peak. The way Booth intertwined the story with his adventures in Hong Kong and his parents strained marriage makes the book a very interesting read. I can feel Booth's love for Hong Kong throughout his writing, and as a local, I'm proud to know that a Gweilo loves my hometown as much as I do.

For the curious folks out there, I checked with my Dad, who informed me that the Fourseas Hotel was remodeled into a bowling alley, and then got torn down and rebuilt as another hotel which is still in operation nowadays, called The Metropole. "Coronation Road" mentioned in the book has been renamed "Nathan Road", the hill behind Fourseas with the refugee squatters is present-day residential area "Ho Man Tin", dai-pai-dongs are still gourmet of street food, and no, people don't eat dogs anymore (I believe it's illegal), but yes, snake is still a wintertime favourite!

I highly recommend this book!

An exciting adventure of World War II...would make a great action movie. Mr. Frank Moore, Slidell, L

A very realistic book, written in the matter of fact manner of a man who has been there and lived these kind of war experiences. Lt. Wayne Day, USN, Slidell, L

Molnar's book reads like Grisham...it just burns along...you can feel the action, see the people and feel their pain. A great book. Rhonda Herring, Gulfport, M

The realism placed you in the middle of the action, heart pounding, tasting the fear... Christine Kirby, Diamondhead, M

A great read...as good as Tom Clancy and John Grisham. LCdr, USNR, Sexton, Baton Rouge, L

Hooper's book is no less than a work of a genious. What makes this work so great on the one hand is its scope as it covers chinese literature from its beginings up to the twentieth century, the various genres of literature and poetry that existed along the Chinese history and the fact that it provides excellent introductions to each and every subject it deals with (including historical introductions), and on the other hand, it's greatness lies in the fact that many of the works in it are lesser-known pieces by Hong Kong authors that Hooper discovered. The treatment of Lee Ding Fai is not as good as the rest of the book, but otherwise absolutely recommended.

This is an excellent resource for students/scholars of commonwealth and postcolonial literatures--I recommend it highly.

I liked this book, but I disagreed with the author's view on the functin of chiasmus in Timoth Mo's work. Other than that, first rate.

This is indeed a path-breaking book. Hooper has not only brought together in a most readable, even entertaining, manner a mass of widely different writings and sources; he has also provided us with a persuasive historical framework within which the further study of the hitherto neglected history of Hong Kong literature will be pursued. The book's steady attention to the diversity of Hong Kong literature is one of its striking achievements.

This pioneering volume explores Hong Kong culture and identity through the work of three writers--Timothy Mo, Ding Fai Lee, and Patrick Acheson--in the light of the region's literature as a whole. Sophisticated yet accessible, this book is a unique contribution to ongoing debates about identity and culture in Hong Kong. I found this an excellent introduction to Hong Kong writing from a studied, academic viewpoint, and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in postcolonial literature in the Asian context.

An excellent book and worth it for both native Cantonese speakers and people learning to speak Cantonese. I'm a native Cantonese speaker (and also fluent in English) and there are lots of slang phrases I have a hard time translating to English and this book helps with it. It should be noted that the vernacular in this book are often particular to the Cantonese in Hong Kong and may not reflect the vernacular of Cantonese spoken in Guangzhou.

There are a few mistakes in the book, however, but not a big problem. For instance, some characters that actually can be written in Cantonese are left "blank" (indicated by a square).

I recommend this book 100%

Excellent book. Though born and raised in Hawaii, Cantonese was my first language. During trips to Hong Kong and Guangzhou to visit family, my Chinese was understood perfectly and they marvelled at how well I spoke colloquial Chinese, but I never realized I wasn't speaking "proper" Cantonese, until I read this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone desiring to learn the usage and context of Cantonese as spoken on the streets of any Chinatown in the U.S. as well as Hong Kong & Guangdong.

Before you purchase a copy just remember this is a dictionary for CANTONESE slang. Cantonese being one of the many Chinese dialogues, obviously not every Chinese speaks Cantonese.
So having said that, I must inform everyone that Cantonese has the most vivid descriptions and usages of slang of the entire Chinese language (yet, being the least awful sounding). How do I know, because I was born in that wonderful city of Hong Kong! It's my native tongue, so trust me, we know how to slang in style~~ However, not all Cantonese slangs are entirely cruses nor are they offensive, you can use many of them safely in any environment. And this book presents the best of them in their original forms, including the usage of each slang and how to apply it within your speech. I am amazed by how accurate the dictionary truly is. The definations are all better than I thought they would be (as well as its entertaining value)! So if you are ever tired from repeating the same old phrases over and over again, then try adding a few Cantonese slangs into your speech to spice things up a little bit.

This is the type of cantonese colliquial I was looking for, one that doesn't just include all the usual phrases that are just slightly colloquial. This book goes all the way in terms of slang language. A lot of swearing and gangster talk is included. When I saw the book cover the first thing that came to mind was the hk movie 'young and dangerous'. Although I have to say ever since my mother brought another colloquial book from hk 'common cantonese colloquial expressions' I found that if you want the usual colloquial phrases like "ar chi don gum say" (ie pretending teeth to be used as gold - I highly take in/treausre every word you say) or "bou yee li" (ie cheating with another woman while married) it'll probably be better to get that book. This book is very slang although it does include many of the usual everyday phrases. The language in this book is probably not used by a majority of civilised hk people although many in hk do swear a lot but I guess they won't use that many variations of harsh expressions. I know this as I was born in hk myself and have visited hk once in a while as I live overseas. I myself do swear a lot in canto (although sometimes I try not to) so this book was suitable for me. It is good as a read for amusment and englightening to what can be said when hk people get pissed or are under pressure.. which is a lot of the time. The yale organisation of the book is very useful for those that can't read chinese as it is in alhapbetical order. It also helps you to pronouce the words if you figure out how to read with the sounding of the high and low tones. Overall I think that this book was well written and it isn't expensive for such a thick book as this I have to say.


hk.style

waited a long time for this to come out, and well worth it..the book is a fantastic contribution to Cantonese language study.
Cantonese is difficult anyway, and has very few good books for those learning the language, in contrast to Mandarin.
well done to the authors and publishers for sticking it out, anyone seriously studying Cantonese will need to learn the wonderfully rich and varied slang, and this really is a serious and valuable work, also rather amusing..thank you!.