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Tai-Pan (novel)
Encyclopedia
Tai-Pan is a novel written by James Clavell
about Europe
an and American
traders who move into Hong Kong
in 1842 following the end of the First Opium War
. It is the second book in Clavell's "Asian Saga".
victory of the first Opium War and the seizure of Hong Kong. Although the island
is largely uninhabited and the terrain unfriendly, it has a large natural harbour that both the British government and various trading companies believe will be useful for the import of merchandise to be traded on mainland China
, a highly lucrative market
.
Although the novel features many characters
, it is Dirk Struan
and Tyler Brock
, former shipmates and the owners of two massive (fictional) trading companies who are the main focal points of the story. Their rocky and often abusive relationship as seamen initiated an intense amount of competitive tension. Throughout the novel, both men seek to destroy each other in matters of business and personal affairs. Struan is referred to throughout the novel as Tai-Pan
, indicating his position as head of the largest of all the trading companies in Asia
. Clavell translates Tai-Pan as "Supreme Leader," although as described in the Tai-Pan
entry, "Big Shot" might be more accurate. Brock, owner of the second largest of the trading companies, constantly vies to destroy Struan's company and reputation in an attempt both to exact revenge on Struan and to become the new "Tai-Pan" of Chinese
trade.
Other important characters of the novel include:
, an ardent individualist and anti-fascist - the novel alludes to these concepts through the often critical depiction of both European traders and hostile Chinese and to a lesser degree, the British Parliament
and their trade policies and practices, especially where the opium
trade was concerned. Dirk Struan embodies Clavell's concept of the Hero
whose vision for a proper form of cultural integration between East and West finds Dirk throwing off much of what he disliked of both Chinese and European society, yet fusing all that he does admire into a new way of living.
Struan's "Noble House" trading company of the novel is based on Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited, a major Scottish trading company that operates out of Hong Kong.
The firm Cooper-Tillman is loosely based on Russell & Co.
The Brock family is loosely based on the Dent family and the firm Dent & Co.
Shevaun Tillman is loosely based on Harriette Low.
Gordon Chen is loosely based on Sir Robert Ho Tung.
James Clavell
James Clavell, born Charles Edmund DuMaresq Clavell was an Australian-born, British novelist, screenwriter, director and World War II veteran and prisoner of war...
about Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
traders who move into Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
in 1842 following the end of the First Opium War
First Opium War
The First Anglo-Chinese War , known popularly as the First Opium War or simply the Opium War, was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty of China over their conflicting viewpoints on diplomatic relations, trade, and the administration of justice...
. It is the second book in Clavell's "Asian Saga".
Plot summary
The novel begins following the BritishUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
victory of the first Opium War and the seizure of Hong Kong. Although the island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
is largely uninhabited and the terrain unfriendly, it has a large natural harbour that both the British government and various trading companies believe will be useful for the import of merchandise to be traded on mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
, a highly lucrative market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
.
Although the novel features many characters
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, it is Dirk Struan
Dirk Struan
Dirk Lochlin Struan is the fictional main character of James Clavell's 1966 novel Tai-Pan. The title comes from a Cantonese term that Clavell loosely translates as "supreme leader", and Struan is the taipan or head of his own trading company in China, Struan's...
and Tyler Brock
Tyler Brock
Tyler Brock is a fictional character in the novel Tai-Pan. He is the Tai-pan, or "supreme leader" of Brock & Sons Trading Company, and the novel's antagonist. He is married to Liza Brock and has several children, including his sons Gorth, Morgan and Tom, and daughters Tess and Elizabeth...
, former shipmates and the owners of two massive (fictional) trading companies who are the main focal points of the story. Their rocky and often abusive relationship as seamen initiated an intense amount of competitive tension. Throughout the novel, both men seek to destroy each other in matters of business and personal affairs. Struan is referred to throughout the novel as Tai-Pan
Tai-Pan
The term tai-pan was originally used to describe a foreign businessman in China or Hong Kong in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Cantonese colloquialism is now used in a more general sense for business executives of any origin...
, indicating his position as head of the largest of all the trading companies in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Clavell translates Tai-Pan as "Supreme Leader," although as described in the Tai-Pan
Tai-Pan
The term tai-pan was originally used to describe a foreign businessman in China or Hong Kong in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Cantonese colloquialism is now used in a more general sense for business executives of any origin...
entry, "Big Shot" might be more accurate. Brock, owner of the second largest of the trading companies, constantly vies to destroy Struan's company and reputation in an attempt both to exact revenge on Struan and to become the new "Tai-Pan" of Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
trade.
Other important characters of the novel include:
- Culum Struan - Dirk Struan's son and future Tai-pan
- Robb Struan - Dirk Struan's half-brother and business partner. Dies of malariaMalariaMalaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. - William Longstaff - first Governor of Hong Kong
- Jeff Cooper, American trader and secret partner to the Noble House
- Wilf Tillman, American trader and partner to Jeff Cooper. Guardian to Shevaun Tillman. Advocate of slaverySlaverySlavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
. Dies of malariaMalariaMalaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. - Count Zergyev - Russian diplomat and spy to gauge British influence in Hong Kong
- Gorth Brock - Tyler Brock's boat-captain son. Sadist, enjoys torturing prostitutes to compensate for his impotence. Arranges unsuccessfully for Culum to catch syphilisSyphilisSyphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
, is killed by thugs in a back alley brawl. - Jin-Qua, Chinese tea and opium trader, lends Dirk Struan 1 million in silver bullion to get out of debt to Tyler Brock. He is the originator of the "coin debt" to which Dirk and future Tai-Pans must swear to uphold (revealed as well in Noble HouseNoble HouseNoble House is a novel by James Clavell, published in 1981 and set in Hong Kong in 1963.It is a massive book, well over 1000 pages, with dozens of characters and numerous intermingling plot lines. In 1988, it was adapted as a television miniseries for NBC starring Pierce Brosnan...
) - May–May - Dirk Struan's Chinese mistress, granddaughter of Jin-Qua, instructed to teach Dirk "civilized" (Chinese) ways. Killed with Dirk in a typhoon. Arranges Gorth's death to protect Dirk.
- Liza Brock, wife of Tyler Brock and Tess' mother
- Aristotle Quance - Painter and hedonist, always in debt. The Struan family own several of his paintings.
- Shevaun Tillman, ward of Wilf Tillman and hopeful bride to Dirk Struan. After Dirk's death, it is suggested she becomes romantically involved with Count Zergyev. She also secretly poses nude for a portrait painted by Aristotle Quance.
- Captain Orlov, "The Hunchback" Finnish opium ship captain under Dirk Struan. Often has visions of precognitionPrecognitionIn parapsychology, precognition , also called future sight, and second sight, is a type of extrasensory perception that would involve the acquisition or effect of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information or laws of physics...
of future events. - William Skinner, editor of the island newspaper, privy to secrets handed to him by Dirk Struan to keep his rivals off balance
- Gordon Chen - Dirk Struan's Eurasian son by a Chinese mistress and secret head of the first Hong Kong Triad (underground society)
- Tess Brock, daughter of Tyler Brock and eventual wife of Culum Struan. She is disowned by her father when she marries Culum. Also known as Hag Struan in later novels.
- Mary Sinclair, secret English prostitute and devotee/spy of Dirk Struan, and sister of Horatio Sinclair. She marries Captain Glessing.
- Captain Glessing, former ship captain of Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and harbor master. Has a peninsulaPeninsulaA peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
named after him. Loses an arm in the typhoon. Marries Mary Sinclair. - Horatio Sinclair, clerk to Dirk Struan, church fanatic and harbors incestuous desires for his sister Mary. Killed in the typhoon at the end.
- Wolfgang Mauss, renegade priest and teacher to Gordon Chen. Killed in the typhoon.
- Roger Blore, gambler, makes an unheard of record time journey to Hong Kong, later becomes Dirk Struan's horse racing club owner.
- Captain Scragger, pirate and negotiator for Wu Fang Choi, a pirate king. Killed by dismemberment for betraying Wu Fang Choi for insulting his honor. Scragger's family line is mentioned several times in the following books of the Asian Saga.
- Wu Fang Choi, pirate king and secret partner to Jin-Qua, as the bullion for the deal came from him. Meets his end by Captain Orlov in an ambush.
Political subtext
As per normal for Clavell's novels, there is quite a bit of subtext to Tai-Pan. Clavell was a proponent of free tradeFree trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
, an ardent individualist and anti-fascist - the novel alludes to these concepts through the often critical depiction of both European traders and hostile Chinese and to a lesser degree, the British Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
and their trade policies and practices, especially where the opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
trade was concerned. Dirk Struan embodies Clavell's concept of the Hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
whose vision for a proper form of cultural integration between East and West finds Dirk throwing off much of what he disliked of both Chinese and European society, yet fusing all that he does admire into a new way of living.
Historical basis
As with Clavell's other novels, the setting and many characters are based on actual events, which set the stage for the novel.Struan's "Noble House" trading company of the novel is based on Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited, a major Scottish trading company that operates out of Hong Kong.
- Dirk Struan is loosely based on William Jardine.
- Robb Struan is loosely based on James MathesonJames MathesonSir James Nicolas Sutherland Matheson, 1st Baronet , born in Shiness, Lairg, Sutherland, Scotland, was the son of Captain Donald Matheson, a Scottish trader in India...
.
- The artistArtistAn artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
character Aristotle Quance may be loosely based upon George ChinneryGeorge ChinneryGeorge Chinnery was an English painter who spent most of his life in Asia, especially India and southern China.- Early life :Chinnery was born in London, where he studied at the Royal Academy Schools...
, as he painted a portrait of William Jardine.
- Jin-Qua is loosely based on HowquaHowquaHowqua was the most important of the Hong merchants in the Thirteen Factories, head of the E-wo hong and leader of the Canton Cohong–Gong1 hong2 . He was once one of the richest men in the world.-Biography:...
.
The firm Cooper-Tillman is loosely based on Russell & Co.
Samuel Russell
Samuel Wadsworth Russell, born in Middletown, Connecticut , was an American entrepreneur and trader, and founder of Russell & Company, the largest and most important American trading house in China from 1842 to its closing in 1891.- Early life :Orphaned at the age of 12, Russell did not receive any...
The Brock family is loosely based on the Dent family and the firm Dent & Co.
Dent & Co.
Dent & Co. or Dent's, was one of the wealthiest British merchant firms, or hongs, active in China during the 19th century. The company was a direct rival to Jardine, Matheson & Co...
Shevaun Tillman is loosely based on Harriette Low.
Gordon Chen is loosely based on Sir Robert Ho Tung.