An ethnic minority in Hong Kong remembers…

Once upon a barren rock 

this island became my home 

Many flew into the city 

over Kowloon Tong 

Entered some early version

of an Astrodome 

It’s been quite a strange trip 

Where one quickly learned 

right from wrong 

Even remember being 

introduced to Pinky’s Tattoo 

and The World Of Susie Wong

Run Run and Runme Shaw

Two visionaries from Singapore 

put Hong Kong on the map 

Shaw Brothers was a brand new 

world of movies and stars

That really opened things up 

Enter The Dragon with 

those Fists Of Fury  

And Bruce Lee 

broke down doors

He might not have 

stayed too long 

But he made a difference 

And left audiences 

wanting more 

Ferry To Hong Kong 

And we were on our way 

The barren rock had become 

The new place to stay

It was mysterious and exotic 

International and bold

With a cast of characters 

who wrote their own roles 

Love is a many

splendoured thing 

And Hong Kong was

coming of age 

The world came to see 

what the city was about 

And how we always 

turned a new page  

Cheongsam ladies

were turning heads 

And the Hong Kong Hilton 

meant a five star stay 

Hollywood came and 

liked what it saw 

Sammy, Frank and 

William Holden 

Everyone was having 

a good Doris Day 

(Whoever Doris was)

We were kicking goals 

We were having fun 

We were moving fast 

And getting things done 

KGV and DBS

Maryknoll girls 

and HKIS

Tea dances and 

making The Scene 

Met the pretty Wrangler Girl 

wearing very tight blue jeans

Golden Arches and 

Ong Lok Yuen

$1.89 Box lunches and 

McHappy Meals

Jimmy’s Kitchen and 

Beef Stroganoff 

Arts Mansion and 

meeting Aussie ladies 

They were busy 

making deals

Colonial Taipans ruled 

Hong Kong those days

The Noble House was 

out of reach for us

So we made other 

business plans 

While jumping on a tram

and riding the magic bus 

There was the Levi’s

Battle Of The Bands

And then came 

what I named Canto Pop

Aces were going places

Gamblers played games 

And some in the know 

won the whole darn lot 

Spaghetti House and 

forming bands

Playing guitar and 

trying to sing songs 

Chicks were girls 

And girls were chicks 

Strike Double Happiness  

And grey clouds were gone 

There was the Mocambo 

Golden Phoenix tea dances

and bands on the run

RTHK and Uncle Ray

Playing the horses 

at Happy Valley 

And trying to pick

the winning ones 

Uptown traffic and 

Shanghai Tang chic

Hong Kong was quickly 

changing its tune 

Canton disco and 

Get Rich Quick schemes 

Some went the distance 

Quite a few got creamed 

JJs and Jimmy’s Kitchen 

We had slow dinners 

though we were in a hurry 

We were young and restless 

And wanted it all 

The best red wines

with a Madras Chicken Curry 

That Hong Kong

 “Can Do” spirit 

has kept us going on

It’s kept us young  

and hungry 

With that very important  

third eye  

seeing through 

the weirdos and the 

pretentious ones 

We didn’t know to worship 

The colour of money 

It was never ever our god 

It was not who we were 

We just went with the flow 

And seldom got lost 

If we ever did 

We found ourselves 

in the lap of Club BBoss

If not part of Hong Kong 

back when the city 

was taking shape 

You’ll never know what 

you have missed  

And when good things

might come around again

Hong Kong was about 

home and family  

An international city 

in what’s known today 

as positivity 

We might not  

have been perfect 

And maybe that was it 

To learn from mistakes 

and make those lessons stick

Even when I close the door 

and leave this place for good 

Hong Kong will always 

be my only home 

For better or for worse 

And against all odds 

We made things happen 

Without even having 

a mobile phone! 

As for me,

I might not have been 

part of the majority 

But I have done my bit 

For us ethnic minorities 

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