Peggy Chan, the restaurateur behind Grassroots Pantry, says the Maus graphic novel taught her how to channel suffering into something positive

Japanese natural farming pioneer Masanobu Fukuoka’s The One-Straw Revolution inspired Michelle Hong to give up an advertising career to turn to urban farming

• The head chef at French restaurant Belon became the youngest in Hong Kong to be awarded a Michelin star in December, says he has been defying expectations just like the British band

Gabrielle Kirstein tells how Uncommon Service, a book by Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei and leadership guru Anne Morriss, helped her transform her business

Designer Fu, who made his name with The Upper House in 2009, has taken on a new project – the five-star St. Regis Hong Kong

Fanny Moritz, founder of NO!W No Waste, says the 2013 book helped her overhaul her lifestyle and her attitude towards consuming

• ‘It was the humour that pulled me in’, says Elaine Ip, co-founder of The Week music festival

Samson Young recalls ‘falling in love with’ Dmitry Kabalevsky’s Thirty Children’s Pieces for Piano, Op 27

Vincent Lim, creative director of Hong Kong-based design studio Lim + Lu, which he founded with wife Elaine Manzi Lu, explains why he keeps Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec’s Works on his desk

Singapore Airlines was established in 1972, but it’s celebrating its 60th year of flying to Hong Kong. The airline has won more awards than any other and is often named airline of the year.

Destination Shanghai by Paul French tells the vibrant and villainous tales of a host of Westerners who made Shanghai their home in the early 20th century

Music consultant Simon Pang Washford says the American hip hop trio’s 1989 album was a work of art as it tackled subjects serious and flippant with playfulness and humour

Retailers want to stand out from the crowd, and the right music can give them a sense of uniqueness. Music consultants create playlists to create the right vibe for the bar, restaurant, hotel or store.

• The Tipping Point provided Jeff Rotmeyer with the inspiration to move ahead with homeless charity ImpactHK

There is a lot of well-explained and fascinating neuroscience in the tale and sharply defined characters. Feng handles the plot well, although sometimes he gets too wordy when strays from the narrative.

Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, by corporate high flier turned education charity leader John Wood, set Chan up to branch out with his own NGO, helping underprivileged children in Hong Kong

That any two people can fall in love was the 1999 film’s take-home message for Goxip founder Juliette Gimenez

The Chilean poet-politician’s homages to everyday foods formed the basis of the menu at Lau’s Tate Dining Room and Bar

Warren Reed’s an Elephant on Your Nose emphasises the human side of espionage in tale of an international cast of characters out to foil terror in Tokyo. The book is let down by his tendency to overexplain things to the reader.

When Plastic Free Seas founder Tracey Read stumbled upon an exhibition of aerial photos by Yann Arthus-Bertrand in Paris and later bought the book, she had little idea of the impact it would have on her future

Li Jin’s Potential: Awake the Sleeping Giant in Your Heart motivated the GDJYB guitarist to think differently

•The Chinese filmmaker’s ‘less is more’ approach is the inspiration behind Olivia Wong’s aesthetic point of view

The dark love stories of Rani Manicka’s debut novel provided Jasmine Smith with intimate inspiration for her edgy label

Akira Kurosawa film triggered in an 11-year-old Magnus Bartlett a yearning to see Japan; he fulfilled his wish before settling in China 43 years ago.

The first A.S. Watson dispensary opened more than 175 years ago in Hong Kong, and took its name from the pharmacist who ran it. Today the company has 14,400 stores in 24 markets and annual revenue of over US$19 billion.

The writer explains the impact that children’s album Free to Be ... You and Me, which was influential in promoting gender equality and women’s rights, had on her growing up

Magdalen Wong says she began to explore human desire after novel of unrelenting tragedy No Longer Human spoke to her directly

With its mix of rock, hip hop, funk and electronica, 2001 record ‘In Search of ...’ made actor, director, DJ and promoter Tedman Lee feel like a bada**

Top prize of US$5,100 and a mini tour of US draws dozens of overseas comedians to city to compete at city’s three-week festival. Founder Jami Gong reflects on how the event began and how much it has grown.

Nicoline Aagesen explains how the biopic of Andy Warhol model and muse Edie Sedgwick reaffirmed her decision to lead a creative life