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The Financial Times agony uncle answers all the questions about society you never knew you needed to ask.

About the Author

Sir David Tang (1954 - 2017) was the founder of the China Club, Shanghai Tang and China Exchange, an entrepreneur, philanthropist, confidant to plutocrats, founder of fashion label Shanghai Tang and the Financial Times' agony uncle columnist. Prior to his career in business he taught philosophy at Peking University. Sir David was a great ambassador for his native Hong Kong and was awarded a knighthood in 2007 for his services to charity. In his much-loved weekly column for the Financial Times, he answered readers' questions about property, interiors, architecture and gardens - although he often strayed beyond his remit to debate concerns about everything from etiquette to grammar. He died of cancer, aged 63, and was survived by his wife Lady Lucy Tang and his two children Edward and Victoria.

Reviews

Brilliant... Hugely entertaining
*The Times*

Useful and, more importantly, vastly entertaining
*GQ*

Incisive, outrageous and preposterously entertaining. Reading these essays in style, manners, gossip, grace and good sense is like sharing a private railway carriage with a mad but marvellous maharajah. I never wanted the journey to end

Funny, clever and disgraceful. In terms of a useful guide to modern living, it knocks the New Testament into a cocked hat

Excellent advice that we didn't know we needed

Sir David Tang is the second funniest David in the world

A trenchant and entertaining guide to negotiating the pitfalls of contemporary living
*Daily Mail*

I absolutely love Rules for Modern Life! David's amazing sense of humour and wit keep one glued to this 'pop culture bible' that everyone MUST read. It is not only educational but enlightening as well. Bravo David!

David Tang always brings something extra to life, which is what we all want

Uncompromising and full of style. You will laugh out loud

Sir David Tang is effortless in his sense of style and being. And that's how it should be

I feel a curious joy of life when I am around David Tang. He knows best

A degree course in 21st-century decorum. It will make an aristocrat out of an arriviste

Sharply funny and surprisingly informative. I would rather read style notes from the pen of Tang than any other source on the planet

Eloquent and humorous

David is a life-changer

Filled with valuable advice. Amusingly written and a real pleasure to read

David Tang is the thinking woman's Fu Manchu. If you are allergic to the combination of wit, brains and mischief you won't enjoy this book

A marvellous compendium of good manners and good sense in society, reinforced with insight and sly humour

Anyone who wants to move up the social ladder, or avoid sliding down, must read Rules for Modern Life. It is the essential primer for 21st century social success

Hilarious and edifying. Absolutely essential reading about the nuances as well as the complexities of life today

I have long admired David's irrepressible humour, quick wit and keen eye for style. This anthology is a collection of indispensable wisdom

A perfect compendium of distinguished, humorous and polished advice for a gentlemanly way of living

David Tang has never held a commonplace opinion in his life. He is the most provocative, amusing, sophisticated, counter-intuitive and energetic man I know, and these qualities are present on every single page of this remarkable anthology

Wise, witty and wicked, with useful advice for living

David Tang is a living treasure, a unique polymath, equally at ease thinking inside and outside the box, East, West, modern, old, refined or not. His 'rules' are anything but conventional, they are refreshing and humorous reflections on our daily actions, much more than a code of conduct

Genuinely hilarious. David was the only person who could make my father laugh (and who incidentally rated him and only him as being at his level as a club owner)

David Tang is an astute observer of the social scene with a wicked sense of humour. A most welcome read in these dark times

David Tang is my 'UNCLE DAVE': Unique, Notorious, Charismatic, Lovable, Eccentric, Daring, Anal, Vivacious, Enigmatic

Can't wait to read it