Lindsay Varty is a half-British, half-Macanese woman raised in Hong Kong. A proud King George V School graduate, she went on to study French at the University of Nottingham in England. Now a writer and professional rugby player for the city, she lives and breathes Hong Kong and is fascinated by its culture and history. As a young girl, her parents would take her to eat congee in Sham Shui Po, order snacks from dai pai dongs and get haircuts at traditional barber shops. Her parents wanted their children to discover the real Hong Kong and to know its people. This book is a tribute to that wish.
Lindsay is a published poet, journalist and the author of The Book: A Celebration of the History of the Hong Kong Sevens Week.
Illustrated by Catherine Choi
Welly the wild boar loves nothing better than eating fluffy egg puffs! He roams his home city of Hong Kong in search of his favourite snack, but he finds many other tasty foods to try along the way.
This poetic and fun tale of a loveable local creature will introduce you to traditional Hong Kong snacks and persuade you to go out and try some for yourself. See how many of these hometown street foods you can find!
Illustrated by Catherine Choi
Pickle the Porcupine lives high in the hills of Hong Kong, where he loves to nibble on tree trunks. But one day he finds himself lost in the busy streets of the city. How can he find his way home to the forest?
This poetic and fun tale of a loveable local creature will introduce you to all sorts of Hong Kong transport: ferries, buses, trams and more. See how many kinds of transport you have travelled on!
The classic, the comical, and plenty of rude ones too
By Lindsay Varty and Iris Yim, illustrated by Amber Tsang
Ever feel like a chicken talking to a duck? Ever ask a girl out, only to be forced to eat lemons? Maybe you've been told that you're a peanut guy? Or perhaps someone has warned you that you're wearing a green hat?
No need to be confused! This little dictionary of Cantonese slang will supply you with all the appropriate knowledge to get by in Hong Kong and make you cool at office parties. With illustrations and translations, as well as English slang alternatives, both Cantonese and English speakers can learn and laugh at the joys (and vulgarities) of Hong Kong slang in a celebration of local culture.
with photography by Gary Jones
Sunset Survivors tells the stories of Hong Kong’s traditional tradesmen and women through stunning imagery and candid interviews. Covering a myriad of curious professions that are quickly falling into obscurity, from fortune telling to face threading and letter writing to bird cage making, readers soon find themselves immersed in the streets of old Hong Kong.
Filled with interviews, photographs and little-known facts about the city’s twilight industries, Sunset Survivors is a tribute to those who keep the flame burning in a city besieged by foreign imports and stiff competition. This book is a celebration of Hong Kong’s cultural identity. It preserves the memory of these hardy men and women, and educates visitors and locals on the foundations on which the city was built.
An up-close and personal look at the industries and workers that gave rise to the Hong Kong of today, Sunset Survivors is more than just a travel or coffee-table book; it is a tribute to the city’s character, a celebration of its roots and a guide to its evolution.
In a city undergoing a dramatic cultural shift, balancing social and political upheaval, the need to document Hong Kong’s traditional livelihoods has seldom been greater. Capturing the true personality of this metropolis, Sunset Survivors is a vital piece of history.
