James Hayes is also a scholar, known for his books on the Hong Kong region and its people, with a Ph.D. from London University and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters bestowed by the University of Hong Kong in 1992. In this, his latest work, he gives an engaging first-hand account of what it was like to be an expatriate government officer in an ever-changing Hong Kong, paying particular attention to the government and people relationship over that time, and its transformation over the years.