Eleven-year-old Ying Xiong’s name means ‘hero’. And that’s what hewants to be. But what’s the best way to be a hero?
Ying Xiong finds it hard to navigate through his troubled growing-upyears in 1950s Singapore. He has an absent father who left him forhis home village in China. His mother has little time for him as sheslogs hard all day to support their family. At first, he looks up to his Silat Road neighbour Dave, a mild police inspector who likes to harpon about the value of exercising patience and self-control. Then, animpressive senior officer John Wei turns up in his rough neighbourhood and shows him what it’s like to take action and get things done.
When Xiong runs into a series of difficulties, he isbewildered about who he wishes to emulate and the kind of person he wants to become. As he stumbles through his choices and the paths to take, Xiong discovers what it means to be a real hero.
