Hong Kong Noir

by Feng Chi-Shun

Hong Kong pathologist Feng Chi-shun was once part-owner of a dive bar in Kowloon City: a rough part of town which was home to the Sun Yee On triad gang. During that time, he heard a lot of stories.

How about the street sleeper who was a secret millionaire, or the man who chose to end it all in Chungking Mansions? Do you want to know the details of Kowloon's gruesome Hello Kitty murder, or what the taxi driver from hell did to his passengers? How about Elvis of the Orient, the ancient movie star who fooled hundreds of people for his final performance, or the student who stumbled into the 1967 riots and entered the world of girlie bars? And what was the truth about the girl with the eagle tattoo?

The 15 stories in Hong Kong Noir offer a glimpse of what happens in the shadows.

Genres: Short Stories, Nonfiction, China, Mystery, Crime

212 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Feng Chi-shun is a naturalized US citizen, but considers Hong Kong — where he grew up and attended medical school — his home. His formative years were spent in Kowloon’s Diamond Hill district, where people were poor but life was rich.

Trained as a pathologist, he has published close to 100 scientific articles on his medical research. He has also been a columnist for the South China Morning Post, the leading English-language newspaper in Hong Kong.

Feeling deprived as a child, he is making up for lost time by living life to its fullest. He is an aficionado of wine and cigars, and a part-time punter attracted to roulette, poker, mahjong and horse racing. In his spare time, he plays golf and tennis, and shoots a mean game of pool. He intends to live in Hong Kong for the rest of his life.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad, heartbreaking and one story that was gory but they were never the less a read I will not forget. Altogether human and heartbreaking.

[Missy J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hong Kong Noir includes a collection of 15 short stories. Some are based on the city's most outrageous crimes, while others are personal stories of the author. All in all, this short book provides an amazing insight into this crazy city called Hong Kong!

The first 5 stories are about "losers and boozers." Basically, men with addiction problems (drinking, gambling, women...) that all end up badly. The stories were mediocre, but all ring true to the reality of this city that puts so much emphasis on monetary success.

The next 5 stories are dedicated to "villains and victims". Two stories are based on Hong Kong's most shocking crimes, the "Hello Kitty murder" and the "Taxi driver serial killer". These stories were well written. But my favorite story of the entire book was "Mommy's Boy", which was a personal story of a childhood friend whose mother was a drug addict. I cried so much reading that story!

Finally, the last 5 stories are about sex. All were very disturbing but well written. The author's background as a pathologist helps to provide some crucial details on why humans can behave so badly.

Definitely recommend this to those who want to learn more about Hong Kong. There are many more heinous crime stories I can tell you of that were not documented in this collection.
The Milkshake Murder.
Rurik Jutting, the young expat banker who brutally killed two Indonesian domestic helpers who were moonlighting as prostitutes.
Andrea Bayr, the young 24 year old Austrian-Filipina mother of 4 who was killed by her Pakistani boyfriend.
The Cousins, British-Filipina girls who lived their entire lives in Hong Kong, but didn't possess any identification papers and never attended school because their mother was in Hong Kong illegally and their father (despite his executive managerial position in a big corporation) didn't bother to provide them with legal papers until the eldest daughter committed suicide.
And on and on and on.

[Laura Besley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feng Chi-shun is a pathologist and has, therefore, seen a fair amount of deaths, whether they be natural or unnatural. He is also "not unfamiliar with the underbelly of Hong Kong society". He tells us in the prologue "When I was in my forties, I made my worst financial decision ever [...] I invested in part-ownership of a bar in Kowloon City: a part of town where the Sun Yee On triad faction originated." These fifteen true tales are divided into three sections: Losers and Boozers, Beyond Villains and Victims and Sex and the City.

These stories in Hong Kong Noir don't happen in my Hong Kong. The city that I live in is clean, safe, full of polite and friendly people. I have been morbidly fascinated to read about these tales of sordid Hong Kong: triad members, arranged marriages, street sleepers, riots, tattoos, girlie bars.

One thing I really like is that each story has a quote at the beginning of it, for example: Story 12. A Hardcore Childhood, "Of all known tortures in the whole wide world, those originating from China are the cruelest" - Anon. Each quote has been chosen very carefully and is very apt for the story. They effectively foreshadow for the reader what the story will be about.

Extremely varied, each story is intriguing and compelling in its own way. I highly recommend this collection.

[Philia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fast reading! I enjoy the Hong Kong background, of names and places that I am familiar with. It's a special touch for me.

As a Chinese saying goes, " 80-90% of events in life do not turn out as we wish." so it shouldn't be alarming to read about the downfalls of others, especially when this book is written about the dark side of our city. Nevertheless, it is still sad and it sends shivers down my spine about how easy a person could take a wrong turn in life which lead them to their final destruction, and how scarily easy that it could happen to any of us!

Elvis of the Orient who died broke and received no love from his bought-wife; Ah Ming the once successful contractor who jumped off from his public housing estate; Clive the expat who ended his last days in Chungking Mansions; Ron who was capable of great success for Hong Kong and for mankind through his brilliant work at the UN but drunk himself to death； Herbert the golden child who failed to become a doctor in the end. They've all shown that the world had given them great opportunities with the talents they possessed. But poor financial planning, indulgence in booze and women had killed the potential happy endings they could possibly achieve.

Ah Chun who earned millions of dollar as an amah but died as a street sleeper, she's got the admirable hardworking and independent qualities, yet, the guarding of her pride for not being able to read and the handicap in social skills had caused much more devastating outcomes. Ah Ling the checkout girl at 7-eleven who did not stand up to bullies; and Lang Mo who naively believed that having sex with a Taoism monk could bring good luck to her modeling career, may sound laughable, but the silly things that girls submit to at their vulnerable moments are really understandable and probably not uncommon!

The Hello Kitty murder and the Taxi driver from Hell are extremely coldblooded murder cases. I hope they would never happen again in any society at any time!

Despite the long struggle and hardship experienced by Stephen in Mommy's Boy, and Charles/Cynthia, they give hope that endurance will triumph in the end, and brighter days will come to those who persist!

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most horrifying, yet eye opening books that shows the dark side of humanity. While Hong Kong may look like a massive metropolitan city. A successful fusion of western and native traditional Chinese influences. That make it such a successful city. It also has it's dark side.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feng Chi-shun captures a part of Hong Kong most tourists never see. His book includes 15 stories that are broken into three sections. One of my favorites is about a former British civil servant who loses everything and finds himself living in Hong Kong's notorious Chungking Mansions. If you've been to the Mansions, you know what I'm talking about. Another one I enjoyed was a story about a devoted son who would not give up on his junkie mother no matter what. While the concept of noir is usually associated with bad outcomes, not all of these stories fit that bill. If you've traveled to Hong Kong, lived there, or are interested in the many layers of Hong Kong society, you'll enjoy this book just as much as I did!

[Anita George · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the idea of this collection--dark stories about life in Hong Kong--but the execution of it felt short, in my opinion. I started with the story of the "Hello Kitty Murder" and was put off by what comes across as the author's lack of empathy for the murdered girl. Dealing with such a heinous story of torture and murder by reciting only cold facts and using irony (and even wit) just struck me as wrong. That is not necessarily a comment on the author's character or personal view, and might be instead a result of the author's writing ability. For whatever reason, it is hard to feel compassion and care for the central figures in the stories, and without a compelling narrative (which the stories are generally lacking), the book comes across as detached, and ultimately left me cold. Some of the stories, while they might be interesting to discuss over a drink are just not that compelling as written stories without the added pull of some sort of emotional attachment to the central figure. The author may be an animated and charismatic storyteller in person, but in my view at least this did not translate well to the page.

[Kirat Kaur · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only read this all the way to the end because it is so rare to find stories about Hong Kong life written in English and I wanted this book to be so much more than it was. Instead, the stories were told in the driest of manners, as a pathologist would write a fact-based medical article, perhaps. Plus the writer's latent sexism, homophobia and transphobia glared insistently at the reader from the page. None of the characters evoked empathy, and the stories were inane and uninteresting. Don't waste your time with them.

[Yee · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://chyneyee.com/2016/02/18/hong-...

The stories I liked the most are the true crime ones. However, I felt the author seems to be using a lot of bombastic words in his writing, which sometimes felt irrelevant and can be replaced with simpler words. The stories are interesting, but feels affected by the dull storytelling which is quite hard to get the readers to have the same feelings when reading the stories.

[Finbarr · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up in a local bookshop expecting a James Ellroy or David Simon-esque account of Hong Kong's underworld. Instead, this reads like a sub par Hardy Boys novel. The writing is awful, the stories glossed over and dull. I had to eventually put it down when the author gave a paedophile credit for showing restraint, before going on to toast his life at the end of the story. Just plain weird.

[Martin Roth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review from Asia Thrills - https://asiathrills.com/hong-kong-noi...

I got this book assuming it was part of the excellent “noir” series of books from Akashic Books. Instead, it turns out to be a collection of “fifteen true tales from the dark side of the city.” (In fact, when I check Amazon, I find three books with the same “Hong Kong Noir” title.)

The author, Feng Chi-Shun, who died in 2019, was a pathologist, although the stories in the book are apparently based, at least in part, on his experiences in running a Kowloon City bar.

It is divided into three segments – “Lovers and Boozers,” “Beyond Villains and Victims” and “Sex and the City.” And so we read about the Elvis of the Orient, the taxi driver from hell, bar girls, transsexuals and more.

It is a well-written book, and because it is about real people and their foibles it is an easy read. Nevertheless, I felt the stories were rather lightweight, and indeed many of them could have happened anywhere. Some recount true crimes that have been well covered in the media. But still worth reading if you are interested in Hong Kong.

[Gnuehc Ecnerwal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stories, amateurish writing.
Many of these stories had been widely reported by local tabloids in decidedly more salacious and explicit details. Therefore these stories, as told by the author, are a pale comparison to the versions printed by the local media and gossip columns. However, outside of Hong Kong, few has heard of them and this author's relatively restrained retelling served as one of very few channels where foreign readers could be exposed to them. For that reason, this book has some value.

The language the author used could be described as plain or cliche. It was sufficient to related the facts and plot of each story, but the characters are a little flat. It might be that he was writing in his second language (English), resulting in a tendency to lean towards clarity and simplicity, and away from nuance and subtlety.

Overall, a quick read, (a guilty pleasure?) that gives you a glimpse into the underside of a shiny modern city.

[Joey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got attracted to the promise of true stories from the perspective of a pathologist and assumed that it was about true criminal cases in Hong Kong. However, I was disappointed to find that the bulk of it was narrative tales about some people's dark lives or rather less than perfect lives and had a fair amount of fiction. Only a couple of the stories were about true cases. Frankly speaking, I expected more than this so it is worth noting that what's described on the cover does not correspond entirely to the book's contents. And honestly, even though a pathologist wrote this, there is nothing special about the way how the stories were written nor any special perspective was added to the stories save for a couple of points about dead bodies.

[Jamie Wan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible book with the writing so subpar that I cringed more over that rather than the murder stories.

This should just be a book of “collection of news clipping” or “police reports” since its obviously not written to draw one in.

If you just want some short stories or catch up with the happenings and dark side of Hong Kong without caring too much about how it’s written, this book is for you.

If not, don’t even bother.

[Ramon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat clumsily written true crime stories, all from Hong Kong. I had misunderstood Feng Chi-Shun's role in relaying these stories, believing that they were stories he heard while running a bar, but that's on me.

There are some pretty harrowing stories in here, and he's not afraid to tell the sordid and gross details, and two or three of the murder cases get grisly for sure.

Good enough that I'm curious to read more of his work, not so good that I'm racing out to get them today.

[Петр · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed with this book, more a collection of the author's recollections of news stories and personal anecdotes. Not really interesting to be honest. Great concept but wide of the mark.

[Connie Tay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very brief description of each event.

[Tore Knudsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not always sunshine in a perfect city

[Josephine E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting perspective for anyone looking to learn about Hong Kong’s pre- and post- handover societal underbelly. Pretty dark and uncomfortable at times.

[Cole Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting more of a deeper look into the darker side of Hong Kong and not the brief one off stories that make up this book. It’s still a pretty good read for some quick true crime.

[Tim Pendry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is a Hong Kong pathologist who educated himself out of the slums of Hong Kong and tells fifteen stories, in fictional form, of cases he has dealt with, cause celebres and people he has known.

The stories are short and to the point - to the point where his writing can be a little too pedestrian though the book comes alive half way through when he deals with the worst, most brutal of crimes.

His clinical approach to writing strikes me to be as detached as the psychology required to pursue his profession. He knows what is right and wrong and shows empathy but within a distanced carapace.

The reportage is the opposite of 'gonzo' journalism, the facts are stated and we are invited to react. It will be hard to maintain the same detachment when presented with some of these tales.

You will need a very strong stomach for at least two of the stories involving a brutal low level triad murder and the actions of a serial killer but the sexuality section shows Chi-Sun at his best.

The treatment of women in the lower ranks of Chinese society in the last century (and no doubt things have not improved for the poor) is laid out in terms that will cause pain to any decent person.

But he is nothing if not even-handed. For each case that involves the brutalisation or exploitation of women, there is one of callous manipulation of men by cynical or neurotic and disturbed women.

The fifteen stories tell us that our species is neither good nor bad but that individuals can be foolishly trusting or mindlessly cruel and that these can be two sides of the same coin.

Indeed, some of the stories taken together seem to confirm an old observation that the normal relationship is psychologically sado-masochistic and this is not peculiar to Chinese society.

This is not the whole story because there is another theme - relationships conducted under conditions of poverty. It is the poverty of many of these people that forces their hand.

The book ends with a story that tends to prove the point - a struggle by a strong Hong Kong European with means and intelligence to undertake a sex change and be accepted.

Chi-Shun shows the humanity that he hides under clinical detachment. 'Cynthia' is clearly difficult but determined and a pioneer. She is also complex. Chi-Shun's account is liberal and sex-positive.

She can be what she wants to be because she has resources - just as the English family could be kind to their amah (who later died in the street with a million dollars in her belt) because of their security,

Chi-Shun slightly lets the family in that second story off the hook because it seems they did little to find out how this meek uneducated woman actually lived while she lived with them for many years.

This poor woman, a victim of a traditionalist culture and poor education, was simply exploited in a more kindly and decent way by the English - though that is progress of sorts. Things progress slowly ...

There is a lot of valuable suggestive material here not made explicit - about the power of the street gangs, about the workings of the sex trade, about authorities keeping a lid on things.

One suspects that Hong Kong is already very different - the death of the first European beggar in the making shows something of how the mighty were falling - but much will have remained the same.

This last story 'Leaving Chungking Mansions' might easily be abstracted for school study as an allegory of globalisation, crime and the loss of security for the previous masters of the world.

Although not masterfully written, it is clearly written and easily read and might be useful for anyone who has simplistic ideas about how to solve the world's problems. It is a book about our 'crooked timber'.

[Bradley Valentine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read. I’m doing general reading about Hong Kong (particularly in its Wall of Kowloon days), and this rather informal sort of gossip memoir of the ol’ fabled HK “underbelly” provides what I’d call texture. Most of these stories could happen almost anywhere. So if you’re looking for stories providing incidental insight to the slums (like i was), you’ll not be hugely rewarded. A little bit.

One thing that irks me is how much is made of the writer being a pathologist. That’s really neither here nor there. The book doesn’t even pretend that it does. None of the stories are from his experiences nor came exclusive of his time working as a pathologist.

I suspect so much is made of it in the selling of the book is because it gives the writer a sense of authority. Because a janitor giving tourists a nickel tour of the area could have written the same exact book. They’re just gossip or tabloid stories any HK resident could have collected.

Still, being American, I’m happy to have been able to hear some of these stories somewhere. That’s great.

Also be warned. The writer adds plenty of color of his own (or else the person telling him the story could have, like with the Elvis story where incidentals and asides are added simply for comic affectation).

In the end, this book is a mixed bag in almost every way.

[Jeremy Blum · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd little collection of HK tales written in a very stoic, straight-to-the-point style. The title and back cover summary both make a point to stress the word "noir," but actually only half of these, like the Hello Kitty murder case, are dark crime stories. The rest are just random tales, some of which reveal the author's conservative background - for example, we get one chapter devoted to the story of a guy who gets involved in a student movement, becomes depressed, and then bangs a prostitute (not really that weird if you think about it) and another one about the author's transgendered friend (also not weird). Ah well, still a brisk, interesting read if you've visited Asia's World City at least once in your life.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've just finished reading the book and honestly I'm not sure what to make of it.

I picked up the books with expectations of reading about the triads in Hong Kong. After reading 4 stories, it was clear my expectations were not to be fulfilled. Even so, I have to agree this is a compelling book, with stories of different themes. I think it would be a great read for anyone interested in an alternative side of Hong Kong.

This book is an easy read and can be finished pretty quickly.

On a sidenote, I now have a proper reason why I do not like Hello Kitty.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the stories contain fascinating characters, some I struggled to understand why they were written about at all. None of them are told in a compelling way, just an unengaging journalistic style. I liked hearing about the dark side of Hong Kong and reading about places i know well, but this collection doesn't thrill.

[Marilynn Larew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feng Chi-Sun is a Hong Kong pathologist. The fifteen stories he tells here are not for the faint of heart, but if you’re looking for the dirty underbelly of Hong Kong society, this is the book to read. Feng’s style is a bit cliché ridden, but the stories always interesting and readable.

[Gab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting mix of stories from the dark side of Hong Kong ... makes me feel so innocent and blind to think that this stuff goes on around me! I probably would have liked less stories and a bit more detail on each one though.

[Lh Chow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book -- it opens our eyes to the dark side of Hong Kong's flourishing society...

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and quick read of tales from the dark side of Hong Kong. Some old and some new. Thought it would be better if there was more first hand recollections.

[Vanessa Tran · Rating 5 out of 5]

love dis book