Following the success of an earlier book, Shop in Shenzhen, author Ellen McNally has delivered a logical encore, Shop in Hong Kong, An Insider’s Guide (2006, Roundtree Publications, Hong Kong, 191 pages, US$16).
Reluctant to tinker, the publisher stuck to the same format and design. Again, the tiny book conveniently fits into hip pockets.
The myth of Hong Kong as a shoppers’ paradise persists. Sections titled “In Hong Kong, You’ve Got to Go Shopping”, “Quick Lessons in Hong Kong’s Geography” and “Getting Around the City” should help tourists.
But there’s a serious contradiction. In the earlier book, McNally suggested shopping across the border in Shenzhen. Suddenly readers are urged to pry open their wallets in Hong Kong.
Still, McNally’s insight and savvy should assist anyone prowling among the neon signs and urban canyons. Even long-time residents can mine the contents for advice.
The easy-to-navigate book runs the gamut from street markets to department stores and shopping centres. Starting on page 97, the focus shifts from retail neighborhoods to particular items, everything from bras to jade, toys to antiques, groceries to garden supplies and cars to tropical fish.
With motherly thoughtfulness, McNally includes charts on clothing sizes, pages to jot friends’ dimensions, a notable-shops phone directory and even a Mass Transit Railway map.
An investment to buy this book should outpace returns on the Hang Seng Index or at the racetracks. If bargains prove elusive, as they often do in Hong Kong, then try Shenzhen.
For more information: www.shopinhongkong.hk.
Approval rating: 70 per cent.
(September 29, 2006)
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