Hong Kong has a bewildering range of sex businesses offering services to suit all imaginable tastes: from the glitzy nightclubs of Tsim Sha Tsui, through the saunas, karaoke lounges and one-woman brothels of Mong Kok, to the street corners and short-time hotels of Sham Shui Po. Chinese-language sex magazines print reviews of individual prostitutes, and promote an ever-widening array of bizarre sexual practices. Even mainstream newspapers engage pimps as columnists. Business appears to be booming -- but there are hungry newcomers to this underground economy. How do local prostitutes deal with the ruthless competition posed by an endless supply of girls from mainland China? To find out, Yeeshan Yang spent a year gaining the trust of the city's sex workers, interviewing nearly 50 hookers, hostesses, toy boys, transsexuals, mama-sans and brothel owners. The result is an eye-opening book which shows the human side of sex for sale. Whispers and Moans contains tales of easy money, financial ruin and desperate love -- and rare first-hand insights into Hong Kong's huge but hidden sex industry. *In 2007, Whispers and Moans was adapted into a movie of the same name.

Just a few days before Japan's surrender in 1945, its Manchurian colony was attacked by the Soviets. Many unarmed Japanese settled in colonial villages died or committed collective suicide, while others starved in refugee camps. Some survived. They did so by entering Chinese families as wives or adopted children. After decades, they have been repatriated to Japan, often with their Chinese extended family members of three generations. Their repatriation brought up complex feelings of historical indebtedness within the Japanese public. Such guilt began to fade away when Japan has been distressed by these rural migrants. Tensions deepened when the repatriates accused the state of abandoning them at court. What they really want is to negotiate for advancement through whatever means between metropolitan Japan and rural China to "hitchhike" a modern life.

This intelligent fable is written for young readers of all nationals. The tale vividly depicts the wisdom of a naive Tibetan girl, named Pal, who asked the most silly question -- "Tears? What are they?" With her characteristic sense of humor, Pal made friends and met mischievous spirits on her journey. She learned about deception, greed, and cruelty as well as human warmth. Pal came to taste all kinds of tears.