Joseph Holliday

A snapshot of life in Hong Kong in the mid-20th century as RCMP Constable Dale investigates a Chinese people-smuggling operation -- the kind where "paper families" were formed to circumvent the harsh, discriminatory immigration quotas. (It seems a bit tough on the Chinese, reflects Dale, but the RCMP's role is to enforce laws not critique them.) There's a lot of mild, casual racism from Dale and his British colleagues. On the other hand, I reflect that (then and now) there was a lot of mild, casual racism directed by the Chinese at the "big noses" as well. It's definitely a recognizable nostalgic picture of Hong Kong, which hadn't changed much from Dale's 1962 visit until I visited in 1979 (it's totally unrecognizable today), except that Holliday describes Kai Tak airport's fine, long runway... I'm guessing those airplanes in 1960 were a lot smaller. And young Dale and all his fellow passengers were puffing away on cigarettes like there was no tomorrow. How times have changed.… (altro)