Lomax quickly befriends most of the hotel's bargirls, but is fascinated by the archetypal "hooker with a heart of gold", Suzie Wong.

[1] The novel was adapted into a stage play in 1958 by Paul Osborn, directed by Joshua Logan, produced by David Merrick, and starred William Shatner and France Nuyen.

The story was later adapted into the 1960 film largely based on the earlier play, directed by Richard Quine and starring William Holden, Nancy Kwan, Sylvia Syms, and Michael Wilding.

In March 2006, the Hong Kong Ballet premiered a dance adaptation by Stephen Jefferies, entitled Suzie Wong.

[5] In 2010, scenes from Stephen Jefferies' ballet were used by director Brian Jamieson in the film biography To Whom It May Concern: Ka Shen's Journey, to draw parallels between the screen character of Suzie Wong and the life of actress Nancy Kwan.

The novel explores 60 years of changes in Hong Kong, and themes include poverty, the rise of China, employment instability in the world in 2008, outsourcing, and the failings of capitalism.

Kevin De Ornellas, "The World of Suzie Wong", in Melissa Hope Ditmore, ed., Encyclopedia of Prostitution and Sex Work, 2 vols, Westport: Conn., 2006, pp.