horsys67: Heroes and scandals in 'The Dictionary of Hong Kong Biography'

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Heroes and scandals in 'The Dictionary of Hong Kong Biography'

by Jason Beerman

A new book annotates the history of Hong Kong in the most illustrative way -- through the lives of people who have made an impact here.

Hong Kong's first tome on the who's who of history, "The Dictionary of Hong Kong Biography" contains more than 500 entries authored by 90 contributors, including the editors May Holdsworth and Christopher Munn.

Other than the stipulation of including only the deceased, the editors worked with open-ended criteria.

In addition to around 100 major figures such as governors, the individuals portrayed in the Dictionary run the gamut of identities and professions, including entrepreneurs, colonial administrators, philanthropists, journalists, artists, photographers, athletes, corrupt cops, revolutionaries, clan leaders, pirates, gangsters, merchants, missionaries, military figures, scientists and film stars.

The Dictionary entries paint a comprehensive portrait of Hong Kong’s history, from the earliest about a fifth-century Buddhist monk, to those depicting the lawless days following the First Opium War when the colony was a “fever-ridden strip of matsheds and mudpaths, subject to almost nightly raids by seaborne gangs of robbers.”