|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
給 訪 客 的 話
Hong Kong blogs in English are predominately penned by expats, Westerners living in HK, though not exclusively. The range, characteristics, and quality of these bloggers' writing vary greatly. Some bloggers are scholarly, some are even literary, some write in obscure slang and regional English, and some are condescending and disrespectful. But by and large, many HK blogs are well-written and impressive; the bloggers are thoughtful and well-meaning.
Through blogging, some Westerners, members of a relatively small insular community in HK give the general public a glimpse into part of their world, thoughts and conversations that normally are not accessible to outsiders. It's natural that the views expressed in these expats' blogs reflect the Western culture, and the degree of their remoteness or isolation from HK's mainstream.
However, Hong Kong Blogs Review takes a cross-cultural approach on reviewing HK blogs; its opinions are from both native and broad perspectives.
Things we like you to know: The reviews here are written in the reviewers' second language. The majority of HK blogs reviewed here are given a favorable or neutral rating. Less than six of them are rated negatively, and it's for being derogatory or having a racist overtone. We understand this could cause resentment from these bloggers. The negative rating is given reluctantly and based on our honest opinion, not malice.
In general, most HK blogs presented here are worthy of your time; the bloggers have interesting things to say and their HK blogs are enjoyable or fun to read.
Moreover, this is a non-profit, non-commercial web site; it contains no ads.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our Thanks:
|
The Baroness of Tao.
We'd like to convey our thanks for a new link from THE BARONESS OF TAO. The baroness loves many things Chinese. This blogger's literary taste is similar to that of SSPB's. Go read this blog, especially the book lovers.
| |
|
|
|
Samples of Some Reviews by Category:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Visiting or Moving to HK
|
Batgung. 八公
* Recommended
This blog has two co-bloggers. After you read some entries in this blog, you'd come away to feel these two British expat bloggers are some sensible, level-headed, affable people. If you're moving to Hong Kong, especially with your family and kids in tow ...
| |
Take a Ride to Hong Kong.
* Top blog
TAKE A RIDE TO HONG KONG, is a Hong Kong blog for the foreign tourists, but it might serve just as well for the HK locals who like to escape for a day or a few hours from the hustle and bustle of city life. Some of the places highlighted in this blog are ...
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Breath of Fresh Air |
Living in Hong Kong.
* Top Blog
You don't have to be Catholic, affiliated with Hong Kong's Filipino community, or in the computer field to enjoy this blog. The blogger, Elmer, writes in concise and crystal clear sentences; his blog is interesting and delightful to read. It is refreshing to ...
| |
Do You Hate it Too?.
* Recommended
The blogger, Michael Rivera, is not your typical Hong Kong teenager. He apparently attends an expensive International School; his school mates are mostly children of English-speaking expats. An offspring of bi-cultural parents, aside from Filipino and Chinese, his family ...
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Humor |
Mhgoi.
* Top blog
This HK blog, MHGOI, is truly a unique blog by an extraordinary person. The blogger is a published author of two critic-acclaimed novels, Boy Genius and Las Cucarachas. He is also a filmmaker and a playwright. This gifted storyteller and noted ...
|
|
Gornt.
* Recommended
This blog is one of the most humourous HK blogs Sham-Shui-Po Boy has ever read. It's tied in to the once international bestselling novel, Noble House by James Clavell and its subsequent American TV mini-series starring Pierce Brosnan. Mr. Gornt would ...
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Arts & Artists - without art life is a brutality
|
Hong Kong Paintings.
* Recommended
This blog is by a talented professional artist, an American expat, Jim Feldman. The writing in his blog is much like his paintings; he writes sparingly, and he paints in a simple yet elegant style. In his paintings, ordinary scenes you see everyday in ...
| |
Hong Kong Digital Vision.
* Top blog
The photos in this HK photo blog, HONG KONG DIGITAL VISION, are like poetry. How can one adequately describe poetry? The poetry in this blog is expressed in a visual form, and it is dazzling. The blogger doesn't have a written profile available within the blog. But, besides ...
|
|
One Photo a Day.
* Top blog
Not many actual words are in this blog, but it speaks volumes through an artful and gorgeous photo everyday. Sham-Shui-Po Boy cannot find words to describe adequately how beautiful these photos are. The starry-eye Sham-Shui-Po Boy says ...
| |
An Aussie in Hong Kong. 河國榮
* Recommended
If you don't know who this fellow is, you must have been living under a rock in HK, or a hermit who doesn't watch HK movies or local TV. This blogger's name is Gregory Rivers; his Chinese name is 河國榮, "河" means "river". He's a HK movie ...
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Business - capitalism is alive & well in HK & China |
Sun Bin.
* Top blog
This is the best bi-lingual Hong Kong/China/business blog. This native blogger, Sun Bin, whose blog bears his name, is equally articulate in both Chinese and English. This blogger writes like a well-educated individual; he looks at the political, economic and ...
|
|
Beneath the Peak.
* Top blog
This blogger has sharp eyes and possibly quick typing hands. Reading his blog is like reading some quick pithy notes taken from a class. The comments on his daily life and international business, social or political issues, big or small, are written with ...
|
|
Global Property Guide.
We recommend this business website. It's informative
on HK's property market, though it's not a blog per se.
Mr. Matthew Montagu-Pollack of GLOBAL PROPERTY GUIDE has been generous to us by providing a link from his business website to Hong Kong Blogs Review. We appreciate it and here we reciprocate.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Fun to Read |
Lola in Hong Kong
/Paris to Hong Kong.
* Recommended
If you are a Brit, you should have no problem understanding this blogger's English. But for Sham-Shui-Po Boy, who learned his English mostly from reading publications written in "standard" English, it's another matter. It took some time and hard work for ...
| |
Miss Fong in Hong Kong.
* Recommended
This is the second review on Miss Fong's blog, MISS FONG IN HONG KONG. In an e-mail to Hong Kong Blogs Review, it's of the blogger's view that our first review was all about what Sham-Shui-Po Boy thinks of Miss Fong as a person but there was nothing mentioned about ... | |
|
|
|
|
|
HK Living & HK Life |
The Searchlight of Insight.
* Recommended
Dim Sum Mum.
* Recommended
If it's true that in life it's the little things that count the most, then these two blogs count a great deal. One of these two blogs is kept by a Canadian expat, the other by his wife. Judging by their writing, the husband is a bit formal, though not stuffy, and the wife ...
|
|
Mhgoi.
* Top blog
This HK blog, MHGOI, is truly a unique blog by an extraordinary person. The blogger is a published author of two critic-acclaimed novels, Boy Genius and Las Cucarachas. He is also a filmmaker and a playwright. This gifted storyteller and noted ...
|
|
Only Change is Forever.
* Recommended
By reading this blog, the readers can see the blogger is a friendly, westernized HK native with good and amiable intentions. A prolific blogger, he is reflective and philosophical. In his blog, he mostly writes about his infant son, the happenings in his personal life, and subjects that ...
| |
Hemlock's Diary.
* Top blog
Hemlock's Diary is one of the best Hong Kong blogs. Hemlock knows Hong Kong like the back of his hand. He is keenly observant, and uncommonly unpompous for a Brit. His blog is witty, entertaining, and informative, all rolled into one, even occasional ...
|
|
Hong Kong Diaries.
* Top blog
According to this blog's description for itself, it is modeled after Alistair Cooke's famed radio program, "Letter from America". This blogger aims high, but like most of us, he lacks Mr. Cooke's grace and flair for the English language. That being said, it doesn't ...
|
|
Joyceyland.
* Top blog
Joyce is a competent journalist. She can explain some complicated political or economics issues in just a few of her sentences --- no non-sense but not totally void of humour. And she can paint a relatively clear picture of the comings and goings of HK with ease ...
|
|
Simon World.
* Top blog
SIMON is one of the best-known bloggers based in Hong Kong. He has a wife and three kids, not to mention what seems to be a demanding, high-paying investment job. It's amazing he can find free time to churn out so much ...
|
|
Gweipo.
* Recommended
This is a blog by an expat lady. She is well-read and well-traveled,
having lived in nine cities in 14 years. In her blog, she mostly
writes about her day-to-day life in Hong Kong with her two young
children and the wrongs of the world at large. This blogger reads ...
| |
Chinese blood; Irish heart.
* Recommended
This Irish born HK blogger is not afraid to speak his mind and he has a lot of fire in his belly, whether it's on politics or controversial HK public issues. And he has a gift of gab. Perhaps, all that comes from his Irish side. At times, the tone of his writing is ...
| |
Fragments.
* Recommended
In one of her entries, referring to a group of spectators at a rugby match in HK, this British expat blogger wrote: "What do the Chinese think of us? Yes, we're all fat, pie-eating, drunken bastards. Aren't we?" That answer is quite extraordinary to Sham-Shui-Po Boy; it's rare ...
| |
Living in Hong Kong.
* Top blog
You don't have to be Catholic, affiliated with Hong Kong's Filipino community, or in the computer field to enjoy this blog. The blogger, Elmer, writes in concise and crystal clear sentences; his blog is interesting and delightful to read. It is refreshing to ...
| |
Lesley in Hong Kong.
* Recommended
Through Lesley's eyes you'll see Hong Kong's soft and green side(what's left of it) in a different light. This blogger is a British expat who has been living in Sai Kung(a district of HK) with her family for five years and loving it. The photos in this site are ...
| |
Learning Cantonese.
* Top blog
Never mind about learning Cantonese, this blogger can teach her readers a thing or two about writing(in English). She is eloquent; some entries in her blog read like literature. It took Sham-Shui-Po Boy some time to go through her blog and find out ...
| |
Ordinary Gweilo.
* Recommended
In many ways, Ordinary Gweilo is very ordinary. This blogger, Chris, writes about ordinary things in his not so extraordinary life living in New Territories --- shopping; complaints about the price of this and that; how to save money on this and that ...
| |
Splinter of the Minds Eye.
* Recommended
This expat blogger called the snobbish and racist attitudes still prevalent in HK's British expat community today, an embarrassment. He enjoys living and working here in HK, it's an improvement from what life had to offer him back home in England ....
| |
Happy in Hong Kong.
* Recommended
HAPPY IN HONG KONG is a blog by a happy young couple happily living and teaching in HK. As they stated in their blog, they did encounter things that they found difficult to adjust to at the beginning; so far it seems nothing has affected their ...
| |
The Valley.
This is a blog by a happy and content expat who lives
in Happy Valley. Most of the things he writes about
are centered around where he lives, some are about his
short trips to HK's neighbouring cities, Macau and
Shenzhen, and the entries contain ...
| |
Sailinghome.
* Recommended
This blog has a certain charm. The blogger, Nick, regularly makes light-hearted comments about the news and interesting articles that appeared on newspapers in England or elsewhere. He writes unmistakably like a Brit and his sense of humour is ...
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Politics & Society
|
Hemlock's Diary.
* Top blog
Hemlock's Diary is one of the best Hong Kong blogs. Hemlock knows Hong Kong like the back of his hand. He is keenly observant, and uncommonly unpompous for a Brit. His blog is witty, entertaining, and informative, all rolled into one, even occasional ...
|
|
Alice Poon.
* Top blog
This blog, ALICE POON has sophistication. It's a reflection of its author of the same name, Alice Poon. The articles and translations(from Chinese to English) by this blogger are mind-boggling -- full of stories across a wide spectrum of human ...
| |
Eldon -- Online.
* Recommended
HSBC is one of the biggest and most respectable banking groups in the world. It has its roots and a long history in Asia. Outside of Asia, it's not widely known what the initials, "HSBC", stand for. The "H" actually stands for Hongkong (old spelling) and "S" for ...
| |
EastSouthWestNorth.
* Recommended
While some bloggers have too much personality, but essentially say nothing meaningful in their blogs, this blog, EAST-SOUTH-WEST-NORTH, is the opposite. It has no personality but delivers illuminating contents. This is a a bi-lingual ...
| |
Hong Kong or Bust.
* Newly Updated.
This blog has an insincere, sarcastic, nagging tone. It leans heavily on faultfinding. If you want to know how the people and movers-and-shakers of the past HK establishment, how the colonial power see Hong Kong, China and the Chinese before ...
| |
Daai Tou Laam.
Daai Tou Laam means "big tummy" in Cantonese. The blogger might be referring to his own physical appearance. This American expat has a passion for politics of all types and locales. In his blog, among other things, he mostly writes about Chinese politics and the goings-on at ...
| |
|
|
|
|
|
See HK through Their Eyes
|
Nury Vittachi.
This is a second look at a peculiar group of blogs by one person (particularly peculiar to the HK Chinese natives). Calling it delusional may be too strong of a word; perhaps, out-of-touch, or "living in a separate reality", we'll let you be the one to decide.
| |
Big White Guy.
It is often the case that a white man married to a Hong Kong woman would automatically fancy himself as some sort of expert on Hong Kong. Big White Guy is no exception. He's a self-styled Hong Kong culture expert
--- a self-appointed "culture interpreter" for ...
| |
China Droll.
This blog is named CHINA DROLL, apparently it's a clever word-play by its author, Cecilie. From what Sham-Shui-Po Boy can gather, if you see this blond blogger in person, she actually resembles a Barbie Doll instead of a China Doll. Cecilie is a ...
| |
Dread... ful.
This blog was sent to Sham-Shui-Po Boy with a short note that had no explanation, he'd presume the blogger would like to see him review her blog here on Hong Kong Blogs Review. Here he shall oblige:
This blogger is a local girl/woman (self-proclaimed), but ...
| |
Flagrant Harbour.
It seems this blog is frequented by a Lan-Kwai-Fong crowd, the bar hoppers and pub dwellers. The entries and responses are full of inside jokes and wisecracks. This beer-party of a blog is inhabited by a bunch of not exactly high-minded and deep ...
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Miscellaneous
|
Live Better with Your Executive Life in Hong Kong.
On the outset, Sham-Shui-Po Boy must say that he normally would not review a HK blog such as this one. However, there are always exceptions to the rules. The main reason for the exception: the blogger Phyllis Law asked him to review her blog, and this blog is ...
|
|
Amy in a Crazy Hong Kong.
* Recommended
This blogger, like Sham-Shui-Po Boy, is writing her
blog in their second language. Amy may think Hong Kong
is somewhat "crazy", but she also sees it as a land of
opportunity. She's a financial/business journalist
from the mainland and has been working for ...
| |
MadeInHK.net
This blog at MADE IN HK .NET is all about macro-economics and big-time geopolitics. It is as dry as the Gobi Desert, and cold and humourless at the same time. Some would call it a blog of repetitious, uninspiring academic mumbo-jumbo. And the blogger probably ...
| |
Tom Wood.
This blogger, Tom Wood, writes in long, winding sentences, in a round about way, never directly to the point. Mr. Wood is a talented artist, he maybe well-known in some circles. The blogger would have enjoyed Hong Kong ...
| |
Hong Kong Blong.
* Recommended
This blog is humorous. But Sham-Shui-Po Boy must confess he doesn't understand everything this blogger writes in this blog, maybe only 85 to 90% of it. If he understood 100% of it, this blog would probably even be funnier. This blogger doesn't write in ...
| |
Ang Tuk.
* Personal favourite
What more can one ask for in a blog? This Hong Kong blog is about a beautiful princess and it is full of joy and love. Sham-Shui-Po Boy says, read this blog; this blog is one of his personal favourites --- the cutie in the photos is ...
| |
Clear the Air.
* Recommended
CLEAR THE AIR, strictly speaking, is not a blog; however, it does have a news blog within its website. The ever increasing air pollution problem in Hong Kong these days has become a crucial public health issue that threatens not only Hong Kong's ...
|
|
| |
Mr. Jam.
Mr. Jam writes like a tabloid reporter and is not shy about constantly promoting himself as a Hong Kong literary figure. For someone who does not share our language, culture, and not to mention our literature, he has made some outlandish ...
| |
|
|
|
|
|
The Bottom Few - beyond the pale
|
Fumier, Nude King, Piece of Mind, See Lai, Shaky Kaiser, et al.
* We do not provide link to pornographic or racist sites.
The expression, "beyond the pale" means a behavior that is considered as outside the bounds of being proper, which is improper or unacceptable. This saying appeared in The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, dated 1837. Sham-Shui-Po Boy would have kept his opinion to himself if he was ...
| |