Novels and memoirs describing Hong Kong’s generations past are a popular genre, especially amongst expat crowds. And understandably so, the majority of these English-language books are written by, or from the point of view of, a Western expat. Successful examples include Gweilo and Fragrant Harbour, which both detail the lives of well-to-do expats working towards cultural integration in Hong Kong. The newest book on this genre’s shelf, Diamond Hill, however, hopes to stand out from the crowd by offering a different perspective – that of Feng Chi-shun, a local Hong Kong boy from the squatter village of Diamond Hill.

Feng gives a frank and candid recollection of his teenage upbringing in Diamond Hill from 1956 to 1966. His is the first book in Chinese or English to be written about the neighbourhood’s past. He proudly proclaims in the story’s prologue that the people, places and events he describes are real, and that he has “no reason to refrain from writing about them”. Indeed, the stories he shares with his readers tell all, including sad stories of childhood friends whose futures succumbed to gambling or drug addiction, and the desperate ways in which the poorer townspeople went about making ends meet.

Unlike many memoirs, Diamond Hill doesn’t progress in chronological order. The many stories and tales from Feng Chi-shun’s upbringing are instead organized into chapters, such as The food we ate, The Walled City and the white powder, and Schools. This poses a challenge to the casual reader, as the book constantly jumps back and forth between Feng’s early and late teenage years, according to the theme of the chapters. Without a chronological anchor, the stories, albeit vividly described, are often disjointed and difficult to follow.

Yet, despite its stylistic limitations, Diamond Hill offers an interesting look into a neighbourhood and lifestyle that no longer exists. Feng describes in detail what life was like not only in his home neighbourhood, but also his schooling in Kowloon City, how the well-off lived in Kowloon Tong, and the deep, dark corners of the Walled City. In Diamond Hill, Feng shows Hongkongers today that Diamond Hill is more than just an MTR stop. Andrea Yu

Diamond Hill is published by Blacksmith Books