The Hong Kong Diaries
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Narrated by:
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Chris Patten
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By:
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Chris Patten
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
In June 1992, Chris Patten went to Hong Kong as the last British governor, to try to prepare it not—as other British colonies over the decades—for independence, but for handing back in 1997 to the Chinese, from whom most of its territory had been leased 99 years previously. Over the next five years, he kept this diary, which describes in detail how Hong Kong was run as a British colony and what happened as the handover approached. The book gives unprecedented insights into negotiating with the Chinese, about how the institutions of democracy in Hong Kong were (belatedly) strengthened and how Patten sought to ensure that a strong degree of self-government would continue after 1997. Unexpectedly, his opponents included not only the Chinese themselves, but some British businessmen and civil service mandarins upset by Patten's efforts, for whom political freedom and the rule of law in Hong Kong seemed less important than keeping on the right side of Beijing. The book concludes with an account of what has happened in Hong Kong since the handover, a powerful assessment of recent events and Patten's reflections on how to deal with China—then and now.
©2022 Chris Patten (P)2022 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Known in health care circles for his ability to fix ailing hospitals, Dr. David Shulkin was originally brought into government by President Obama, in an attempt to save the broken Department of Veterans Affairs. When President Trump made him VA secretary, Dr. Shulkin was as shocked as anyone. Yet this surprise was trivial compared to what Shulkin encountered as the VA secretary: a team of political appointees devoted to stopping anyone - including the secretary himself - who stood in the way of privatizing the organization and implementing their agenda.
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A Powerful Account by an Impressive Public Servant
- By Tom on 12-10-19
By: David Shulkin
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The Education of an Idealist
- A Memoir
- By: Samantha Power
- Narrated by: Samantha Power
- Length: 21 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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In her memoir, Power offers an urgent response to the question "What can one person do?" and a call for a clearer eye, a kinder heart, and a more open and civil hand in our politics and daily lives. The Education of an Idealist traces Power’s distinctly American journey from immigrant to war correspondent to presidential Cabinet official. In 2005, her critiques of US foreign policy caught the eye of newly elected senator Barack Obama, who invited her to work with him on Capitol Hill and then on his presidential campaign.
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Sam's Power: Privilege in U.S. Politics
- By RelizzScholar27 on 11-09-19
By: Samantha Power
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Landslide
- The Unmaking of the President, 1984-1988
- By: Jane Mayer, Doyle McManus
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 19 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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The explosive tale of the unraveling of an American president. For six years, Ronald Reagan seemed invincible. But behind the glowing image of success was an administration courting disaster. In this spellbinding book, two top Washington reporters trace the origins of the Iran-Contra affair and the unraveling of the Reagan presidency, taking us deep inside a white house that cared more for stagecraft than statecraft and that mistook a landslide reelection for an unlimited mandate.
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Great reporting
- By daisey on 09-03-23
By: Jane Mayer, and others
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The Ambassador
- Joseph P. Kennedy at the Court of St. James's 1938-1940
- By: Susan Ronald
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Acclaimed biographer Susan Ronald reveals the truth about Joseph P. Kennedy's shockingly controversial tenure as ambassador to Great Britain on the eve of World War II.
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Needs a bit of editing
- By Mike From Mesa on 09-02-21
By: Susan Ronald
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Ike and Dick
- Portrait of a Strange Political Marriage
- By: Jeffrey Frank
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Richard Nixon was a young Navy officer when he first saw Dwight D. Eisenhower through a storm of tickertape as Manhattan celebrated the end of the war in Europe. Seven years later, Nixon was Eisenhower's running mate on the Republican presidential ticket-the beginning of a political and personal relationship that lasted for nearly twenty years. Despite a gulf that separated them by age and temperament, their association evolved into a collaboration that helped to shape the nation's political ideology.
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He's against NIxon
- By James A. Bretney on 01-20-14
By: Jeffrey Frank
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Lessons from the Edge
- A Memoir
- By: Marie Yovanovitch
- Narrated by: Marie Yovanovitch
- Length: 17 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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By the time she became US Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch had seen her share of corruption, instability, and tragedy in developing countries. But it came as a shock when, in early 2019, she was recalled from her post after a smear campaign by President Trump’s personal attorney and his associates—men operating outside of normal governmental channels, and apparently motivated by personal gain. Her courageous participation in the subsequent impeachment inquiry earned Yovanovitch the nation’s respect, and her dignified response to the president’s attacks won our hearts.
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Heroic patriot's amazing story
- By Victoria Eriksson on 03-19-22
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JFK
- Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956
- By: Fredrik Logevall
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 29 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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By the time of his assassination in 1963, John F. Kennedy stood at the helm of the greatest power the world had ever seen, a booming American nation that he had steered through some of the most perilous diplomatic standoffs of the Cold War. Born in 1917 to a striving Irish American family that had become among Boston’s wealthiest, Kennedy knew political ambition from an early age, and his meteoric rise to become the youngest elected president cemented his status as one of the most mythologized figures in American history.
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Excellent Portrait of JFK & His Times
- By John David on 12-14-20
By: Fredrik Logevall
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Team of Five
- The Presidents Club in the Age of Trump
- By: Kate Andersen Brower
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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From the number one New York Times best-selling author of The Residence and First Women - also a New York Times best seller - comes a poignant, news-making look at the lives of the five former presidents in the wake of their White House years, including the surprising friendships they have formed through shared perspective and empathy.
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Fascinating
- By Jean on 06-18-20
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31 Days
- The Crisis That Gave Us the Government We Have Today
- By: Barry Werth
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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In 31 Days, Barry Werth takes listeners inside the White House during the tumultuous days following Nixon's resignation and the swearing-in of America's "accidental president", Gerald Ford. The congressional hearings, Nixon's increasing paranoia, and, finally, the devastating revelations of the White House tapes had torn the country apart. Within the White House and the Republican Party, Nixon's resignation produced new fissures and battle lines and new opportunities for political advancement.
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The politics of 1974
- By D. Littman on 11-27-06
By: Barry Werth
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Outpost
- Life on the Frontlines of American Diplomacy: A Memoir
- By: Christopher R. Hill
- Narrated by: Stephen Bowlby
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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An "inside the room" memoir from one of our most distinguished ambassadors who - in a career of service to the country - was sent to some of the most dangerous outposts of American diplomacy. From the wars in the Balkans to the brutality of North Korea to the endless war in Iraq, this is the real life of an American diplomat. Hill was on the front lines in the Balkans at the breakup of Yugoslavia.
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Fascinating
- By David on 01-26-15
What listeners say about The Hong Kong Diaries
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Ryuji
- 01-09-23
Lost but never forgotten
Highly insIghtful, providing a detail encounters and experiences in Hong Kong, but he repeats himself multiple times.
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- Mike
- 04-09-24
Amazing book, a great historical memoir
I have recommended this book to everyone I know that is interested in Asia. An incredible perspective from the last British governor of Hong Kong. The HK diaries is at its heart a book about diplomacy and the dealings between the UK and China in the final years of British Hong Kong. Patten has an interesting and insightful perspective on the end or the British Empire as a moderate conservative of Irish Catholic heritage. The book shows how China will lie and manipulate in diplomacy in order to get what it wants, and when China gets any concession it perceives them as weakness and demands more.
Patten deserves a place in the history books for his admirable attempts to bring democracy to Hong Kong in the closing days of British rule. Patten did this against the wishes of the home office and much of his own party. In Pattens quest for democracy he makes enemies of several great figures of his generation who supported stability such as Lee Kuan Yew, Rupert Murdoch, and head of Jardine Matheson, Henry Keswick. In a great line Patten says that Keswick “will never forgive him for failing to understand the purpose of the British Empire was to make Keswick money.”
In the end this is a tragic story as nearly every thing Patten accomplished in the way of democratization was thrown out by the incoming Chinese and Hong Kong fell into a state of oppression described in the end of the book. I personally was tear gassed and baton charged in one of the protests described in a final chapter and Pattens words on that issue hit me hard.
This book is also historically relevant as a great historical record of the final setting of the sun on the British Empire. Despite Pattens modern liberal views and Irish identity he still fits the mold of a great old British colonial official. Patten had incredible power over the city and great autonomy in his actions, he alone could improvise and set policy even against the wishes of many in London to do what he thought right. Patten should be remembered as the last great British colonial governor. Ultimately I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in politics, history, or Asia, it was a book I will never forget.
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- Esme Sung
- 08-17-22
Extraordinary
My first experience of finishing a book with Audible, highly recommended for those who are interested to learn about this lovely city and what has been happening in the past decades.
Excellent narration by Sir Pattern as well ,salute!
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