Other Voices, Other Eyes Expatriate Lives in Hong Kong

The stories of expatriates in Hong Kong – the most dynamic, dramatic and diverse city in the Asia-Pacific region – come to life in this book.

Why did they come? Why do they stay? How did Hong Kong change them and their view of the world? What did they gain and what did they lose?

Human beings are on the move, driven by economic globalisation, political persecution, love or simple curiosity; and this global flow defines the age in which we live. From these expat stories, larger themes loom: identities transformed; racism, naked and clothed; blended relationships; and the tensions and tolerance engendered through peoples, languages and cultures in contact.

David Nunan has been an expatriate for much of his professional life. He has lived and worked in many countries, including Australia, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Japan, Oman, the United States and Singapore. He received the United States Congressional Award for Services to Education in 2015. For the last 25 years he has lived and worked in Hong Kong, where he is Professor Emeritus of Applied Linguistics at the University of Hong Kong. He has published over 30 books on linguistics, culture and education. His textbook series 'Go For It' is a number one best-seller, with worldwide sales exceeding 4 billion copies.

Selected previous books: When Rupert Murdoch Came to Tea: A Memoir, ISBN 9781938757044; Roadshow: A Personal Odyssey, ISBN 9781452050850; What is This Thing Called Language?, ISBN 9780230291379

I. TO BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING 7

II. EXPATRIATE STORIES 11
1. A happy hunting ground 13
2. Just another Wan Chai Sunday 27
3. The graveyard of relationships 31
4. One for the road 33
5. How the war was won 45
6. No place like home 61
7. A near death by drowning 65
8. The ruins of the day 79
9. Cosi fan tutte 83
10. Toilet seat rule 99
11. Only in Hong Kong 101
12. The shock of the new 113
13. Fit for purpose 125
14. A perfect couple 129
15. The man who knew too much 139
16. One little death 157
17. Go back to where you came from 171
18. I just wanted to get him fired 181

III. CULTURES IN CONTACT 193
19. After the ball is over 195
20. The letter of the law 203
21. White boys 209
22. The devil's language 227
23. Through other eyes 243

IV. WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED AN EXPATRIATE? 261
A last word: global flow 281

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