Hong Kong is the crossroads of many worlds, many pasts, and many futures, and in it we might read our own fortunes as individuals and nations. Hong Kong is not only the most unique of world marketplaces, it is a city-state (or "colony," since it is still that too) on the apex of history, as the twilight of the British Empire unfolds into the uncertain future of Chinese communism, but the very certain future of control by the mighty commercial engine that is China. Hong Kong is also a world library of cultures and peoples and wisdom from both Asia and the West, a petri dish of enterprise and modes of humanity. It is London, New York, Beijing, and Tokyo, all rolled into one. And, especially in view of the historic transition from British to Chinese rule, it is the world's window onto tomorrow. Come lean on the sill, take a deep breath, and wonder.

Stories include: A Perfect Pig, Loving the Alien, A Leg up on Fate, The Food Doctor, City of the Main Chance, Bright Yellow and I, and A Case of Immaculate Conception.

Notable authors in this collection: Paul Theroux, Jan Morris, Bruce Chatwin, Simon Winchester, David Yeadon, and Suzy Gershman.