Walking the Tycoon's Rope: How ambition drove a poor boy from Ningbo to compete with the richest men of Hong Kong and Singapore

Great book . Enjoy it .The author family history is very colourful and his candid views on his happenings and the tycoons way of life and their outlook can be admired or disliked. No matter how much wealth one can gather , there is.always some body ahead of him. Wealth can be such a paradox, a curse to some but envied and dreamed of by many. However, most would like to have a taste of it and a chance to mix and rub shoulders with the likes of those tycoons . Robert Wang tasted the sweetness and bitterness of it all and come out of the fire truly well although in smoke. Congratulations, Robert. Thank you for giving us a insight into this imperfect world. Despite the book spanning almost 4 generations, and some may think it represent the HK of yesterdayyears, I disagreed. Something in human nature never change. Now, it will be interesting to hear the tycoon views on Robert's book. Most are still alive. Has anybody try asking them?

This is an incredible rags to riches story of Hong Kong attorney Robert Wang. As a young refugee from China, Wang and his family struggle in 1950s Hong Kong. They often go hungry and have to share already cramped living space with several families. In his late teens, Wang sees his friends travel overseas to continue their studies. Although not a top student, Wang applies himself to his studies and gains admittance to a college in the UK. But his financial troubles are far from over there. In fact, it's his own compatriots and relatives who treat him like an indentured servant in the UK. His luck changes after a while and he dates a French au pair who has recently graduated from the Sorbonne. Following a surprise break-up, Wang returns to Hong Kong alone and sad about his lost love. From then on, he works hard and finds success in his profession and family life. As a well-known and respected attorney, he secures permanent residency in Singapore for Hong Kong's wealthiest tycoons in the years leading up to the 1997 handover. Although a unique story, Walking the Tycoons' Rope is a testament to the people of Hong Kong who have overcome troubling times, be it the influx of refugees in the 1950s and 1960s, the fear of the Handover in the 1980s and 1990s, or the economic crisis of the 1990s and 2000s. This is a perfect book for anyone who is interested in modern Hong Kong history or enjoys a story about hard work and perseverance.

I am a reluctant reader, but had to due to the various degree's requirements. Indeed I bought hundreds of books whilst Amazon only had the ".com" site and when it was charging good sum for the international carriage.Having since been to many book launches, and met many great authors (mostly in London, but they travel far & wide worldwide here). (see some top guys I have had the honour to meet: http://pix.garethwong.com ).I have always seen a gap in the market, which is really top Asian (particularly Hong Kong, China) business leaders or their friends telling how it is from the very top (although I am thankful we have heard plenty from many great diplomats/governors, but some might argue that they are a foreigner's view). I've always wondered and had always been looking for one that is from 'ground up' and "top down"...Finally, look no further, Robert's book fits that gap perfectly! Not only does it cover key moments of history of Hong Kong, but also Singapore (from a Chinese' perspective) and most importantly the intricacies of how top Chinese High Society/ Businesses works (some cases not work). Essentially a real life "Dallas" but without the oil & hats & murders, but still a lot more to come, as the Tycoons mentioned are still alive & well!The fact that it was written all in English and with references in Chinese also strike the right balance of being honest but inclusive of the world audience.Mark my words, movie rights will be snapped up soon (hope by some of my film industry friends) and the film version will be in the theatre sometime in the future (fingers crossed no litigation that will stop it all though!).

You either love or loath this. I would not have read this even not for someone. Overt wealth is much envied and dreamt off, but book serves as a gentle reminder those who pursue it relentlessly..or shall we say, blindly. The differences tycoons and their behaviors (between the 2 countries) reflects how certain values were shaped through its respective manipulation of media, policies .perhaps heritage was involved, i don't know.. I was told by friends of even more "distorted" values among so-called tycoons, those were not explicitly mentioned in the book. This book fulfill people who knows barely about such scenes, but shall not impress people who has indulged in all the periodicals coming from HK, Taiwan and then likes. However, was a reflectively easy book to read.