The Hong Kong I Knew: Scenes and Stories from a Childhood in Kowloon, written by Mark Issac-Williams and illustrated by Lucy Parris, tells a story of Issac-William’s childhood growing up in the city including everyday sights that have since then disappeared.

Issac-Williams was born in Hong Kong in 1939 at the cusp of the Second World War, and at just 7 months old his mother boarded a ship with him to Austraila. His father, who was at sea during the time could not join them, and was later imprisoned in the Stanley Internment Camp until the end of the war in 1945.

Soon after, his father was able to get passage to Austrailia where the family were finally able to reunite, and in 1947 they returned to Hong Kong. He writes about living in Tsim Sha Tsui at the Peninsula hotel, which during the war had suffered structural bombing damage and required repairs, as well as his school years at what is now known as King George V School.

In the second half of the book, he writes about ‘Sights and Scenes of Everyday Life’ that have now disappeared. These sights include pulled rickshaws, traditional funeral processions, and fire crackers which were eventually banned in 1967. Each sight or scene is accompanied by lively illustration created by Lucy Parris, bringing the scenes, now lost to history back to life.