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A love letter to Hong Kong: what author who moved to Singapore misses most, and least, about city

When Matthew Cooper moved to Singapore from Hong Kong, the Briton decided to preserve his memories of the former colony in a book inspired by all the things his two children loved about the city

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Writer Matthew Cooper with his book Black Rain Day - A Hong Kong Adventure. Picture: Dickson Lee
Kylie Knott

British-born Matthew Cooper knows how tough it is to uproot a family and move countries. He and his wife spent 14 years in Hong Kong before their careers took them to Singapore in June last year.

“Our two kids [Noah, 10, and Neve, seven] were gutted when we told them we were leaving Hong Kong,” he says.

To aid the transition, Cooper wrote a book celeb­rating the good stuff and “some weird things” about life in Hong Kong. Our Hong Kong, which officially launches at Bookazine, in Exchange Square, Central, on Wednesday, is “part love letter, part travel guide” and fully entertaining. “It’s a reminder of how unique Hong Kong really is,” says Cooper.

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French-born, Hong Kong-based artist Margaux Destremau created the watercolour illustrations.

“I love Margaux’s work,” says Cooper. “She has a sense of fun and I knew straight away I wanted to collaborate.”

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Cooper is familiar with the children’s book scene, having also penned Lost in Hong Kong (2013), Celebrate Hong Kong (2017) and Lost In Singapore (2018), while Singapore Snowflakes makes its debut on November 12.
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