Book excerpt: Consumption forms an essential part of Hong Kong people's lives today, but until now little serious attention has been paid to it. This book fills this gap, in a fascinating way. The contributors to this volume explore such topics as: - the coming of shopping malls to Hong Kong - tenants' senses of home in cramped public housing - the experiences of movie-going - alcohol as a marker of social class - the pursuit of fashion - Chinese art and identity among Hong Kong collectors - the dream and reality of owning a flat - Lan Kwai Fong and its mystique - the McDonald's Snoopy craze of fall 1998 - cultural identity and consumption in Hong Kong today This book shows how the detailed ehtnographic study of consumption in Hong Kong can lead to a deeper understanding of Hong Kong life as a whole, as well as of consumption in the world at large.