Golden Boy (40 page)
Authors: Martin Booth
It had never been my intention to write an autobiography. To do so smacked of arrogance: it was not as if I were a rock star, an explorer, a footballer or a member of the miscreant aristocracy. It is true that I have had an interesting and remarkably lucky life, but that is far from unique and I never thought to document it. I have never kept a diary, except when travelling, but I do have a very retentive memory, all the more so for its being permanently exercised by my being a writer.
Then, in October 2002, I was diagnosed with the nastiest type of brain tumour around. A craniotomy did little but confirm I was suffering from a curiously named cancer known as a
glioblastoma multiforma grade IV.
It was incurable, essentially inoperable and immune to chemotherapy. Whilst I was convalescing, with a metal plate and half a dozen screws in my head, and most of the cancer still
in situ,
my two children â both in their twenties â asked me to tell them about my early life.
glioblastoma multiforma grade IV.
It was incurable, essentially inoperable and immune to chemotherapy. Whilst I was convalescing, with a metal plate and half a dozen screws in my head, and most of the cancer still
in situ,
my two children â both in their twenties â asked me to tell them about my early life.
Having tried, without even a smidgen of success, to persuade my father to do the same for me, and tell me about our forebears â he went to his grave in adamant silence on the matter and I had
never thought to ask my mother, who had died suddenly and at a comparatively young age seven years earlier â I decided I would tackle the task of writing about my childhood, which was spent in Hong Kong.
never thought to ask my mother, who had died suddenly and at a comparatively young age seven years earlier â I decided I would tackle the task of writing about my childhood, which was spent in Hong Kong.
Once I had set out upon the task, the past began to unfold â perhaps it is better to say unravel â before me. I did have some assistance in the form of a scrapbook and several photograph albums my mother had compiled, yet these did not so much prompt as confirm certain memories, flesh out anecdotes that have spun in my mind for years, rekindle lost names and put faces to them.
If the truth be told, I have never really left Hong Kong, its streets and hillsides, wooded valleys, myriad islands and deserted shores with which I was closely acquainted as a curious, sometimes devious, not unadventurous and streetwise seven-year-old. My life there has been forever repeating itself in the recesses of my mind, like films in wartime cartoon cinemas, showing over and over again as if on an endless loop.
This is hardly surprising. Hong Kong was my home, was where I spent my formative years, is where my roots are, is where I grew up.
Martin Booth
Devon, 2003
The colophon â
â used in this book is of a dragon riding the waves. It dates to the pre-Christian Han dynasty and is thought to suggest that the legends of dragons were based upon saltwater crocodiles then extant in South China but now long extinct.
â used in this book is of a dragon riding the waves. It dates to the pre-Christian Han dynasty and is thought to suggest that the legends of dragons were based upon saltwater crocodiles then extant in South China but now long extinct.Â
Gweilo
â Chinese slang for a European male â translates literally as
ghost
(or
pale
)
fellow
, but implies a ghost or devil. Once a derogatory or vulgar term, referring to a European's pale skin, it is now a generic expression devoid of denigration. The feminine is
gweipor.
â Chinese slang for a European male â translates literally as
ghost
(or
pale
)
fellow
, but implies a ghost or devil. Once a derogatory or vulgar term, referring to a European's pale skin, it is now a generic expression devoid of denigration. The feminine is
gweipor.
NON-FICTION
CARPET SAHIB: A Life of Jim Corbett
THE TRIADS
RHINO ROAD: The Natural History and Conservation of the African Rhino
THE DRAGON AND THE PEARL: A HONG KONG NOTEBOOK
OPIUM: A HISTORY
THE DOCTOR, THE DETECTIVE AND ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE:
A Biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
THE DRAGON SYNDICATES
A MAGICK LIFE: A Biography of Aleister Crowley
CANNABIS: A HISTORY
Â
FICTION
HIROSHIMA JOE
THE JADE PAVILION
BLACK CHAMELEON
DREAMING OF SAMARKAND
A VERY PRIVATE GENTLEMAN
THE HUMBLE DISCIPLE
THE IRON TREE
TOYS OF GLASS
ADRIFT IN THE OCEANS OF MERCY
THE INDUSTRY OF SOULS
ISLANDS OF SILENCE
Â
CHILDREN'S FICTION
WAR DOG
MUSIC ON THE BAMBOO RADIO
PANTHER
POW
DR ILLUMINATUS
SOUL STEALER
A
T SEVEN YEARS OLD, Martin Booth found himself with all of Hong Kong at his feet. His father was posted there in 1952, and this memoir is his telling of that youth, a time when he had access to the corners of a colony normally closed to a “Gweilo,” a “pale fellow” like him.
T SEVEN YEARS OLD, Martin Booth found himself with all of Hong Kong at his feet. His father was posted there in 1952, and this memoir is his telling of that youth, a time when he had access to the corners of a colony normally closed to a “Gweilo,” a “pale fellow” like him.
His experiences were colorful and vast. Befriending rickshaw coolies and local stallholders, he learned Cantonese, sampled delicacies such as boiled water beetles and one-hundred-year-old eggs, and participated in vibrant festivals. He even entered the forbidden Kowloon Walled City, visited an opium den, and wandered into a secret lair of Triads.
From the plink plonk man with his dancing monkey to the Queen of Kowloon (a crazed tramp who may have been a Romanov), Martin Booth saw it allâbut his memoir also illustrates the deeper challenges he faced in his warring parents: a broad-minded mother who embraced all things Chinese and a bigoted father who was enraged by his family's interest in “going native.”
Martin Booth's compelling memoir, the last book he completed before dying, glows with infectious curiosity and humor and is an intimate representation of the now extinct time and place of his growing up.
THE SPELLING OF CANTONESE WORDS DOES NOT NECESSARILY FOLLOW the accepted Pin Yin or other linguistic systems (such as Wade-Giles) but is the roughly phonetic spelling of how Cantonese was spoken by the average European (
gweilo
) at the time. It may well be inaccurate, for which I apologize. The spelling of pidgin English is also phonetic.
gweilo
) at the time. It may well be inaccurate, for which I apologize. The spelling of pidgin English is also phonetic.
atap a woven bamboo and/or rice straw matting used to cover bamboo windbreaks, peasant buildings and temporary structures
ayarh!
a common expletive: it has no literal meaning
a common expletive: it has no literal meaning
baksheesh
alms (of Middle Eastern origin) cf.
kumshaw
alms (of Middle Eastern origin) cf.
kumshaw
cash
ancient Chinese copper coins with round or square holes in the centre
ancient Chinese copper coins with round or square holes in the centre
chau
island
island
cheen
money
money
chop
noun: an ivory carved seal; verb: to attack with a meat chopper or knife
noun: an ivory carved seal; verb: to attack with a meat chopper or knife
chop! chop!
pidgin English for
get a move on/hurry up
pidgin English for
get a move on/hurry up
chow
food: a generic word (
small chow
means canapes)
food: a generic word (
small chow
means canapes)
congee
a form of rice gruel-cum-porridge eaten for breakfast
a form of rice gruel-cum-porridge eaten for breakfast
dai
big â e.g.
dai fung
(typhoon) means big wind
big â e.g.
dai fung
(typhoon) means big wind
dai pai dong
a street-side cooked-food stall (not a fast-food purveyor)
a street-side cooked-food stall (not a fast-food purveyor)
dim sum
small steamed dumplings containing bite-sized lumps of shrimp, pork, beef and other ingredients
small steamed dumplings containing bite-sized lumps of shrimp, pork, beef and other ingredients
diu nei lo mo
Literally
go fuck your mother
but often used coarsely as an epithet the equivalent of
You don't say!
or
Well, I'll be damned
; also used vindictively or pejoratively
Literally
go fuck your mother
but often used coarsely as an epithet the equivalent of
You don't say!
or
Well, I'll be damned
; also used vindictively or pejoratively
dofu
known in the West as tofu or soya bean curd
known in the West as tofu or soya bean curd
dor jei
thank you
(for an item or gift)
thank you
(for an item or gift)
Fide! Fide!
literally
Quick! Quick!
but implying the more impolite
Get a move on!
literally
Quick! Quick!
but implying the more impolite
Get a move on!
fung shui
pronounced
fong soy
, it is the art (or science) of achieving harmony in one's surroundings by balancing the influences of wind (
fung
) and water (
soy
)
pronounced
fong soy
, it is the art (or science) of achieving harmony in one's surroundings by balancing the influences of wind (
fung
) and water (
soy
)
gai doh cheen
how much?
Literally,
how much money?
how much?
Literally,
how much money?
Gai duk toh
a Christian
a Christian
garoupa
a large sea fish, a delicacy frequently served in Chinese cuisine
a large sea fish, a delicacy frequently served in Chinese cuisine
godown
a warehouse
a warehouse
golden pagoda
an ossuary urn
an ossuary urn
heui la!
go!/let's go!
go!/let's go!
ho
good
or
yes
good
or
yes
Ho! Ho! Nei ho ma?
Good! Good! How are you?
(a common polite greeting)
Good! Good! How are you?
(a common polite greeting)
ho pang yau
good friend
good friend
Ho sik!
Good to eat/eating/food
Good to eat/eating/food
hutong
alley or passageway
alley or passageway
kai fong associations
Chinese social charities
Chinese social charities
kam taap
golden pagoda: see above
golden pagoda: see above
kang
a traditional Chinese sleeping bed or platform made of wood or stone, the latter often having a fire beneath it for warmth
a traditional Chinese sleeping bed or platform made of wood or stone, the latter often having a fire beneath it for warmth
kukri
an exceedingly sharp, curved fighting knife used by Nepalese Gurkha troops
an exceedingly sharp, curved fighting knife used by Nepalese Gurkha troops
kumshaw
alms (of Cantonese origin)
alms (of Cantonese origin)
kwai
a ghost; more accurately a disembodied spirit
a ghost; more accurately a disembodied spirit
Kwan Ti
the god of war and literature, and the patron god of secret brotherhoods, the police and many others
the god of war and literature, and the patron god of secret brotherhoods, the police and many others
lai see packet
a red paper envelope printed with gold lettering and containing money: usually given as a gift at Chinese New Year
a red paper envelope printed with gold lettering and containing money: usually given as a gift at Chinese New Year
loh siu
a rat (or mouse)
a rat (or mouse)
mai dan
the bill
the bill
Mat yeh?
What?
(rudely implying
What do you mant?
)
What?
(rudely implying
What do you mant?
)
m'ho
bad or no
bad or no
m'ho cheen
Literally,
no money
Literally,
no money
m'koi
thank you
(for a service or act); also, on occasion by implication,
please
thank you
(for a service or act); also, on occasion by implication,
please
muntjak
a small, indigenous deer, also known as a barking deer on account of its dog-like call
a small, indigenous deer, also known as a barking deer on account of its dog-like call
Nei wui mui gong ying mun?
Do you speak English?
Do you speak English?
Nei giu mut ye meng?
What is your name?
What is your name?
Nei ho ma?
How do you do?â
a common greeting
How do you do?â
a common greeting
nga pin
opium
opium
ng mun
five dollars
five dollars
Ngo giu jo
My name is
â¦
My name is
â¦
nullah
an open drain, varying in size from two feet wide and three deep up to sixty feet wide and fifteen deep; usually built to cope with heavy rain or effluent
an open drain, varying in size from two feet wide and three deep up to sixty feet wide and fifteen deep; usually built to cope with heavy rain or effluent
pi lau
a ceremonial archway
a ceremonial archway
praya
a stone-fronted dock or esplanade
a stone-fronted dock or esplanade
pu-erh
a variety of Chinese tea
a variety of Chinese tea
roorkee chair
a folding camp chair used in India and rather like a film director's chair
a folding camp chair used in India and rather like a film director's chair
sarong
a Malay (usually Tamil) ankle-length cotton skirt worn by men
a Malay (usually Tamil) ankle-length cotton skirt worn by men
saw hei
combed or combed back (of hair)
combed or combed back (of hair)
Sei Hoi Jau Dim
Fourseas Hotel
Fourseas Hotel
shadouf
an ancient Egyptian crane-like irrigation mechanism for raising water
an ancient Egyptian crane-like irrigation mechanism for raising water
sheh
snake
snake
skink
a common lizard
a common lizard
suq
an Arab market or bazaar
an Arab market or bazaar
taipan
a wealthy businessman, traditionally the expatriate head of a major trading company or ânoble house'
a wealthy businessman, traditionally the expatriate head of a major trading company or ânoble house'
ushabti
a small ancient Egyptian funerary sculpture
a small ancient Egyptian funerary sculpture
wan
bay or inlet
bay or inlet
wei!
hey!
or, if used on the telephone,
hello
: the American equivalent would be
Yoh!
hey!
or, if used on the telephone,
hello
: the American equivalent would be
Yoh!
wok
a type of cooking pot, used especially for shallow frying or searing
a type of cooking pot, used especially for shallow frying or searing
won ton
a deep fried dumpling of minced beef and pork, water chestnuts and onions
a deep fried dumpling of minced beef and pork, water chestnuts and onions
yamen
a building housing the home and office of a mandarin, magistrate or other regional administrator in dynastic times
a building housing the home and office of a mandarin, magistrate or other regional administrator in dynastic times
yat, yee, sam, sei, ng, lok
⦠one, two, three, four, five, six â¦
⦠one, two, three, four, five, six â¦
yum cha
literally
drink tea
literally
drink tea
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