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Fragrant Harbour
Fragrant Harbour - which is the surprising literal translation of Hong Kong. Though it is a literal translation which much be received with some scepticism by those who know the port, for the armchair traveller it conjures up all the sounds and spices of the Orient. But what is this British colony really like? FD Ommanney - unlike most travellers who hope to understand a city's soul within a few days - lived there for three years. Fragrant Harbour is, he says, a sort of memorial to those years.
- GenresTravel
223 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1962
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 6, 2023
As most people know, Fragrant Harbour is a literal translation of Hong Kong, and this book by FD Ommanney provides a perfect snapshot of Hong Kong in the late 1950s.
I though this was a little dry at first, with Ommanney setting out the basics in the first two chapters entitled Two Cities and People which in a precise and orderly fashion describe Hong Kong and its residents. Ommanney was a Head of Department at the Hong Kong University - a non-teaching role - technically a researcher, but is responsible for the maritime and fishery research and development of the country. Throughout the book, but primarily in the chapter aptly named Fishes he describes his forays into prawns, oysters, carp and fishing techniques, resources and over-fishing all of which he was tasked with overseeing.
After the initial chapters, the author starts to share a bit more about his own life in Hong Kong. A chapter called Joe's which describes the hostess bar he spends plenty of time in and another called Ah Yok about his live in maid and her children are separated by Festivals which carefully describes the year in festivals - what the mean, how they are celebrated etc. Others on New Territories which describes the area of Hong Kong excluding Kowloon and Hong Kong Island and The Sea and the Sun fill in yet more of the Hong Kong landscape and culture, then chapters Eating Out, and Bath-House bring us closer to Ommanney's life again, with his personal experiences of these tasks.
A side trip to Macao by ferry at Chinese New Year with his 'friend' Lisa gives us a glimpse of the monstrosity Macao has become with the Las Vegas style glamour of its casinos and sports cars, from its humble beginnings, even in the 1950s.
Nearing the end now, Alma Mater explains more about the University and the circumstances around the ending of his contract there, which throws some turmoil into his life, that he considered was quite settled. Typhoon describes the typhoon warnings and arrival of Typhoon Mary in June 1960, causing damage to the homes of 10,000 squatters on the hillsides above Kowloon and Victoria.
For me the enjoyment of this book built as it progressed. It appears a very authentic view of Hong Kong at this time - late 1950s. It is the second of this authors books I have read - the first Isle of Cloves about his time in Zanzibar, was a similar format, but less successful. It was published several years before this one, so I am glad to see the improvement.
4 stars
I though this was a little dry at first, with Ommanney setting out the basics in the first two chapters entitled Two Cities and People which in a precise and orderly fashion describe Hong Kong and its residents. Ommanney was a Head of Department at the Hong Kong University - a non-teaching role - technically a researcher, but is responsible for the maritime and fishery research and development of the country. Throughout the book, but primarily in the chapter aptly named Fishes he describes his forays into prawns, oysters, carp and fishing techniques, resources and over-fishing all of which he was tasked with overseeing.
After the initial chapters, the author starts to share a bit more about his own life in Hong Kong. A chapter called Joe's which describes the hostess bar he spends plenty of time in and another called Ah Yok about his live in maid and her children are separated by Festivals which carefully describes the year in festivals - what the mean, how they are celebrated etc. Others on New Territories which describes the area of Hong Kong excluding Kowloon and Hong Kong Island and The Sea and the Sun fill in yet more of the Hong Kong landscape and culture, then chapters Eating Out, and Bath-House bring us closer to Ommanney's life again, with his personal experiences of these tasks.
A side trip to Macao by ferry at Chinese New Year with his 'friend' Lisa gives us a glimpse of the monstrosity Macao has become with the Las Vegas style glamour of its casinos and sports cars, from its humble beginnings, even in the 1950s.
Nearing the end now, Alma Mater explains more about the University and the circumstances around the ending of his contract there, which throws some turmoil into his life, that he considered was quite settled. Typhoon describes the typhoon warnings and arrival of Typhoon Mary in June 1960, causing damage to the homes of 10,000 squatters on the hillsides above Kowloon and Victoria.
For me the enjoyment of this book built as it progressed. It appears a very authentic view of Hong Kong at this time - late 1950s. It is the second of this authors books I have read - the first Isle of Cloves about his time in Zanzibar, was a similar format, but less successful. It was published several years before this one, so I am glad to see the improvement.
4 stars
January 13, 2017
One could ask why read a book about Hong Kong written in the early 1960s recounting the author's three years of residence in the 1950s. The answer is that it's important not to forget history. When the author wrote of his experiences working as a fisheries expert in a Hong Kong university, the year 1997 was thirty-five years off and no one was really concerned about the colony's future.
Author Ommanney first arrived in HK with a naval force at the end of the second World War in August 1945. His early history of Hong Kong is very well written, in fact so well written that I instantly recognised several verbatim paragraphs that can be found on current internet sites that cover the subject (missing the quote marks and source--shame shame--why not give credit where credit is due?).
I lived in Hong Kong twice (once in the 1980's and again in the mid 1990's) and I found Ommanney's descriptions of the New Territories, the people, the food, HK customs, all very evocative and nostalgic. But I also found his words musing about HK's future instructive. The colony, he wrote, "is due to return to China in thirty-five years from now if the lease is not renewed. No one knows what the intentions of the Chinese People's Republic are with regard to this tiny foreign appendage to its territory. China could swallow it up easily enough, but at present seems content to use it as a source of foreign exchange and a window on the free world" (pp. 12-13). As I write this, China is building bases in the South China Sea on tiny atolls, staking its claim and smarting over President-elect Trump's taking of a phone call from the Taiwan President (as it challenges the PRC's 'One China policy'). This book reminded me that China has a very long history and views time differently than many of us do. One of its dynasties alone (the Han, 220 BC-206 AD) lasted longer than all of the USA's history since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts. It will be interesting to see where China's borders are in another thirty-five years.
Author Ommanney first arrived in HK with a naval force at the end of the second World War in August 1945. His early history of Hong Kong is very well written, in fact so well written that I instantly recognised several verbatim paragraphs that can be found on current internet sites that cover the subject (missing the quote marks and source--shame shame--why not give credit where credit is due?).
I lived in Hong Kong twice (once in the 1980's and again in the mid 1990's) and I found Ommanney's descriptions of the New Territories, the people, the food, HK customs, all very evocative and nostalgic. But I also found his words musing about HK's future instructive. The colony, he wrote, "is due to return to China in thirty-five years from now if the lease is not renewed. No one knows what the intentions of the Chinese People's Republic are with regard to this tiny foreign appendage to its territory. China could swallow it up easily enough, but at present seems content to use it as a source of foreign exchange and a window on the free world" (pp. 12-13). As I write this, China is building bases in the South China Sea on tiny atolls, staking its claim and smarting over President-elect Trump's taking of a phone call from the Taiwan President (as it challenges the PRC's 'One China policy'). This book reminded me that China has a very long history and views time differently than many of us do. One of its dynasties alone (the Han, 220 BC-206 AD) lasted longer than all of the USA's history since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts. It will be interesting to see where China's borders are in another thirty-five years.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews