Hong Kong, China

October 8, 1998

My name is Bolin Li; I am the CEO of an extensive corporation that will remain nameless. In 1998, I was kidnapped and held for ransom by Hong Kong's most famous gangster, “The Gambler.”

The following is my account of what happened.

It was Friday afternoon, January 16th. I was in my office on Salisbury Road in Hong Kong. The 10th floor of the building looks out over Victoria Harbour. There are two ways up to my office: the stairs or the elevator.

I had just finished a conference call with my business partners, Lui Wei and Wang Yong. We were discussing the week's business before the day's end. It was about 6 pm, and the office had closed an hour earlier. Still, I stayed to finish some paperwork to prepare for Monday morning.

There was a knock on my office door, and I replied to enter. I assumed it was the cleaning lady. It was not. The door opened, and The Gambler walked into the room. He wore a lovely black business suit with a golden silk tie against a crisp white blouse. He wore a golden watch with a leather band on his left wrist.

I greeted him and asked what he was doing in my office. I knew who he was and felt fear for his intentions. He walked over to my desk and informed me he intended to kidnap me for ransom.

I had no interest in being taken hostage, so I moved to the door to exit my office. In the hall were two tall men, much taller than I am. They were westerners. 6ft tall, with blond hair and a strong body. They, too, were dressed in expensive suits.

That is when I noticed one of them was pushing a cart with a large wooden box about the size of a man. The box was dark wood and beautifully carved with many dragons on the outside. Two hinges were on the top of the box, and a lock was on the side.

The two men forced me back into my office, bringing the box with them. One of the two Westerners grabbed me while The Gambler opened the box. He told me he would keep me in the box until he received the ransom.

The man who was holding me then picked me up and forced me into the box. I protested, but to no avail; the man was much stronger than I. I was forced to sign a letter stating I was alive and well.

That is when they closed the lid on the box and locked me inside. The box was about five and a half feet long, long enough for me to lay flat. Inside was silk lining, and there was enough room for me to roll over if I needed to.  I could see small shafts of light through air holes but couldn't know how much time was passing.

I could not read my watch inside the box, but when he would open it to feed me, I could see the time. That is how I knew that day had passed inside the box.

Sincerely,

Bolin Li