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Amazon.co.uk Review
The last governor of Hong Kong addresses three issues in East and West. First, he defends his policies of widening the base of democracy in Hong Kong; second, he explains his philosophy of good governance with reference to the experiences of Asian and Western countries; and third, he suggests that China is treated with excessive deference to the detriment of those who deal with it and ultimately to the detriment of the Chinese themselves. The book contains few new revelations and it bears little relation to the book by his confidant Jonathan Dimbleby, The Last Governor--which is not even mentioned. The nearest Patten comes to controversial matters is in the dismissal of the arguments of his critics--the unnamed Old China Hands and OFOCs (Old Friends of China). Readers of the Dimbleby book will have no difficulty in naming them.
Patten is rightly critical of the so-called Asian values, but he is not vindictive. He even exonerates Singapore's elder statesman, Lee Kuan Yew, who had done much to make life difficult for Patten as governor. The bulk of the book, however, may be seen as an eloquent plea for the virtues of small government, the market, liberty and democracy. It is the manifesto of the "best Conservative politician of his generation" rather than the reflections of the last governor that many had hoped. --Michael Yahuda
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'Patten's East and West is a must for anyone who wants to understand the forces that will shape the world of the 21st century.' New York Times
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I went to Hong Kong and was so impressed that I picked up this book.
Admittedly it has only about two or three chapters on Hong Kong but a great deal about China and the future. In this sense I absorbed an enormous amount of well thought out material. Patten is obviously cautious about embracing everything Chinese in the context of the Communist Party there. This book would be loved by those who long for Chinese freedom and it makes some interesting predictions about what the future may hold.
The quotations in it from Confucius, and various Western great thinkers like Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill and Carl Popper were highly illuminating. Patten uses Chinese ideas to undermine the face saving rhetoric from the Communist party.
This is a well written, well thought out, monumental book from the last Governor of Hong Kong. I hope it helps Hong Kong to remain rich and free, the way Patten tried to make it as Governor.
Truly the last great British colony to go ...
Admittedly it has only about two or three chapters on Hong Kong but a great deal about China and the future. In this sense I absorbed an enormous amount of well thought out material. Patten is obviously cautious about embracing everything Chinese in the context of the Communist Party there. This book would be loved by those who long for Chinese freedom and it makes some interesting predictions about what the future may hold.
The quotations in it from Confucius, and various Western great thinkers like Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill and Carl Popper were highly illuminating. Patten uses Chinese ideas to undermine the face saving rhetoric from the Communist party.
This is a well written, well thought out, monumental book from the last Governor of Hong Kong. I hope it helps Hong Kong to remain rich and free, the way Patten tried to make it as Governor.
Truly the last great British colony to go ...
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio Cassette
Last Governor of British Hong Kong Chris Patten argues that a combination of Chinese hard work and the rule of British law - that is, fair play - led to Hong Kong being an oasis in the Far East, a Far East better known for police states and dictatorships. If this combination can be maintained, Patten argues, Hong Kong will continue to be something of a candle in the darkness. This is a "best case scenario" kind of book about Hong Kong's future under the rule of the present regime in Peking from which so many millions of Chinese refugees fled for the safety of Hong Kong. But it is nice to hear again the old civilized voice speaking out for tolerance and fair play. When I lived in Hong Kong in the Nineties, Patten's was practically the only voice talking back to Peking, reminding the mainland regime that it was its responsibility now to reassure all the millions of Chinese refugees who had fled into Hong Kong that this time the average Chinese would be treated fairly. Patten also includes a few anecdotes about life in Hong Kong. There could easily be more of these, but again it was nice to hear the funny stories about Hong Kong's "elite" (i. e. property developers, speculators on the local stock market, etc) ostentatiously spending enormous sums on expensive claret only to cut it with sparkling lemonade. One thing Patten could have played up more was the high number of skilled and talented Chinese who escaped from China proper who then emigrate further to new lives and careers in the First World, where their talents could flourish. Still, this is an optimistic book about Hong Kong's future, by a decent man in a region better known for ruthless crooks in government.
4 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I found this book an excellent read. I have lived there for many years, and so has the author. A true tale of the changing face of Hong Kong. You need to have lived there to really understand the problems facing the Hong Kong peoples.
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