"I can always tell which clients work in stock markets, " says Yvonne Lam, whose beauty salon is only steps from the Hong Kong exchange.

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Through the 2 companies, Li is world's largest operator of container terminals, world's largest health and beauty retailer by number of outlets, a major supplier of electricity to Hong Kong and a real estate developer.

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Despite its stunning beauty and culturally rich life, the archipelago has failed to enrapture novelists in the way Hong Kong, Thailand and Japan have.

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