Armchair Travel: Hong Kong Coffee Table Books

greetings — Tue, 20 May 2025 08:59:00 +0000

Although we’d prefer to show you around Hong Kong in person, it’s simply not possible right now. For the moment, the only way to travel to here is from your armchair. So, if you are hankering for Hong Kong, why not treat yourself, or gift a friend one of these ‘tickets’ to our fair city.

Here is our top 5 favourite Coffee Table Books.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Should you click through and make a purchase, this means that at no additional cost to you, we may make a small commission.

History and Culture

Sunset Survivors

Lindsay Varty’s Sunset Survivors is a unique book. It captures traditional craftspeople and small business owners working in industries that are fast fading from Hong Kong. When these people retire, it’s unlikely that they will be replaced. Varty tirelessly tracked down each person in the book and interviewed them giving a very personal insight into the lives and disappearing skills.

These intimate and fascinating snapshots capture a unique slice of Hong Kong life, preserving it for posterity. Author Lindsay Varty grew up in Hong Kong and is one of our famous rugby stars.

City of Darkness: Revisited

Guy Giraud’s original City of Darkness is now in limited supply, but for the next best alternative you can find this version of the photobook just as satisfying and an updated version of the original. The Kowloon Walled City was once the most densely populated place on earth; an organically grown enclave that due to combination of history and circumstance found itself growing as an uninhibited maze.

Whilst it was demolished in 1993, you can still visit the Walled City Park and enjoy the updated exhibition of what the city once looked like, thanks to the record breaking Hong Kong movie: Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

Hong Kong Then and Now

Hong Kong Then and Now®">Hong Kong Then and Now captures the city’s breakneck speed of development, from a collection of sleepy fishing villages, to a skyscraper thicket.

Author Vaughan Grylls has achieved this temporal juxtaposition by presenting contrasting old black and white photographs of well known Hong Kong locations alongside contemporary photographs.

Architecture

Hong Kong Corner House

Alongside the glittering and famous skyscrapers of Hong Kong, there is the more utilitarian and often brutal architecture of dense public housing. Michael Wolf documented this in his brilliant Architecture of Density, sadly this book is not easily available and has become rather pricey.

Instead, his Hong Kong Corner Houses book is a cosier alternative and is both more affordable and readily available. We love these curved and aesthetically pleasing buildings.

We love the interesting story behind how Hong Kong’s corner houses came to exist. You’ll have to buy the book or come on one of our tours to find out more.

Trope

Trope brings together a smorgasbord of modern images by emerging photographers both from Hong Kong and further afield. You’ll find dense skyscrapers, neon lit streets and instagram hotspots.

Furthermore, the images are accompanied by maps and location details should you want to explore any of the locations in person.

Food

Jeremy Pang’s Hong Kong Kitchen: Classic Recipes for Baos, Noodles, Street Food and More…

For all you home cooks craving a taste of Hong Kong, Jeremy Pang’s Hong Kong Kitchen recipe book will enable you to recreate classic Hong Kong comfort food from your own kitchen. Technically, this is a recipe book. Nevertheless, we think it would look great on any coffee table and provide a mouthwatering talking point. Don’t forget his first book, Hong Kong Diner, which we have previously recommended!

Watch him in action on ITV’s This Morning!