A sumptuous 11"x11" book of text and color photos (by Benno Gross & Kwong Chung Kwan) on shops and vendors in Hong Kong selling jade, sandalwood, rice, calligraphy . . . . A delight. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
Once a forgotten base for fisherfolk and pirates on the outer fringe of imperial China, Hong Kong became one of the glittering prizes of Britain's expanding empire. Soon after its founding in the 1840's, adventuresome British merchant princes, Chinses compradors, Armenian entrapreneurs and Parsee traders were rigging sails and heading for its craggy shores. They brought with them a spirit of enterprise, aggressive energy, and visionary skills and the entrepôt quickly spun itself a web of trade - and a deserving reputation for innovation and survival. Hong Kong has won itself an international status that belies its size.