Gweilo by Martin Booth - an appreciation: experience 1950s Hong Kong through the eyes of an eight-year-old expat boy, from country clubs to the Kowloon Walled City
Booth spent three years in Hong Kong as a child and saw all sides of the city, from country clubs and the Peak to the Kowloon Walled City
This memoir is a classic example of biculturalism and a must -read for those who come to live in Hong Kong
by Martin Booth, published by Doubleday
His dad was a civil servant with a liking for drink and a tendency to speak down to the locals. His mum was an explorer who sought the best in Hong Kong and passed it on to her young son. Martin Booth, the author, was a blond boy who charmed his way through the city's bustling streets and exhilarating cul de sacs of cultural curiosities. While his parents drifted apart, Martin, whose golden locks were seen by the locals as a good omen, built an affinity for Hong Kong that is both instantly recognisable and far removed from the expat experiences of today.
In Gweilo: Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood, Booth vividly recalls his adventures in the city over the course of three years in the 1950s, from when he was seven until he was 10. His Hong Kong was one of rickshaws and country clubs, the days when the Kowloon Walled City still stood and held considerable allure for a British boy. The city was still a place where even a civil servant of relatively low standing could afford to give his family a life of considerable luxury, starting with a grand residence on The Peak.
As well as running with rickshaw drivers and monks, fortune tellers and triads, young Booth also took high tea at The Peninsula and supped on treats from a Russian bakery. Squatters lived side by side with the rich, and the boy moved freely between both worlds.
While Gweilo is told from the perspective of an eight-year-old boy, and remains aloof from the adult experience, it is the ultimate expat's story and has proven since its 2004 publication to be a must-read for all who come here to live. Most new arrivals have experienced something similar to the wonderment expressed by Booth's child narrator, whether it be through revelling in the evocative Cantonese language or marvelling at the sheer tumescent energy of the place. Booth's Hong Kong, while very different, is familiar to today's, with its beach days and boisterousness, its mysteries and its mama-sans. At the same time, it highlights the contrasts between post-handover Hong Kong, moving ever closer to the mainland, and the heady days of empire, when a sense of Britishness was stamped even on Mong Kok.