Hemlock is primus inter pares amongst Hong Kong's blogging community. His daily writings inevitably combine wit and charm in skewering the great and good of HK and his HK Blog Guide remains a great reference (although it's time for an update).

But now the game is on. HKMacs started by pondering if this could be the work of more than one? John Swaine picks up the baton and delves into the topic in depth (both links via Shaky), drawing from the archives the few crumbs Hemlock has left as to his identity. Previously I noted an interview he gave to Slate, naming his price as a couple of pints of lager. I'd say John's analysis is interesting but Hemlock has in times past mentioned the IFC mall and its splendour as well as frequently mentioning the Pacific Coffee there, unless he picks up his cuppa while passing from his Mid-Levels flat at Perpetual Oppulence Mansions on the way to his office. The puzzle remains as to the true identity of the Big Boss as John rightly points out the similarities to both Canning Fok and Richard Li. Both seem to fit, and the Big Boss could easily be Mr. Fok and the seldom-mentioned son Richard Li.

And that's where I draw a line under the inquiry. The beauty is that Hemlock chooses to remain anonymous, for good reason. There's no point trying to find out who he is, for that would simply end one of the best journals on the web today. Fact or fiction is besides the point. So let's just leave it at this: Hemlock is a great writer and a discovery worth making on his own terms.