The main theme of this book centers on an acute concentration of economic power and wealth in the hands of a few economic powerhouses. This can be linked to Hong Kong’s land system and the lack of competition in key sectors. The author discusses how the land system, inherited from the British, has helped to create unrivalled wealth for the ruling class and how the lack of competition law has encouraged industrial and economic concentration in the same entities. The land system, industrial concentration and phenomenal wealth imbalance have given rise to a host of social and economic ills.

The author concludes the book with some suggested solutions to heal Hong Kong of those ills. This second edition has been thoroughly updated using the most current economic data from 2010. It also features the addition of a new prologue.

Alice Poon spent a total of 20 years in the real estate industry, 17 of which were with two property developers in Hong Kong. She worked for 8 years as a Personal Assistant to Kwok Tak Seng, the late Chairman and founder of the Sun Hung Kai Properties Group in Hong Kong. In the 1990s, she joined another property developer, Kerry Properties, and was responsible for land and property valuation and acquisition. She was also involved in rezoning application and lease modification procedures.

In 2000-2001, she worked as a senior financial journalist, analyzing the property companies and market in Hong Kong. Since the autumn of 2003 she has been living and working in British Columbia, Canada.