Tai-Pan: The Second Novel of the Asian Saga

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Even the word “Tai-Pan” is used somewhat incorrectly, as it implies in the novel that the Tai-Pans (Definition: The head or owner of a business establishment), have great political power, maybe even more impressive power than the British Government itself, certainly something that Struan leaves an impression on from time to time, but not an emphasis which the word lends itself to. They hate and despise each other, but more than once as the plot unfolds they find themselves allied in a common cause. Clavell sets his novel just after the 1842 Opium War which won Britain the right to deal smack to the Chinese, and got them the island and surrounding bay of Hong Kong. Clavell is best known for his epic Asian Saga series of novels and their televised adaptations, along with such films as The Great Escape, The Fly and To Sir, with Love.

The well-fleshed out, interesting characters, the witty dialog, the contrast between the European and Asian cultures (although as always, Clavell may have exaggerated a bit here and made the Chinese seem more superior to the Europeans in many ways than they probably were) and most of all - the romance between Struan and his mistress, Maymay. I really loved the words used and how the language used is an older and some words I need to look up.

He adapts Chinese ways more readily than others, bridging the gap between Britannia’s steel fist and the effective habits of the people who actually live where the novel is set and putting him ahead of the pack. E ammetto della tristezza per la conclusione, avrei voluto davvero un minimo di gioia per la Tai Tai. He is always at least one step ahead of them and uses his superior intellect and influence to manipulate them into doing whatever benefits him - from the artist to the plenipotentiary, everybody obeys him, whether they realize it or not. It conjures up some excellent historical imagery and introduces many of the most important historical developments of the era. Truth be told, I think this was better written than Shōgun even though I actually liked the 1975 book set in Japan better.

Dirk Struan and Tyler Brock left many children, legitimate and illegitimate, who take up their respective fathers' mantles and continue the battle. It is a wide ranging story about Western trade interests in China and the establishment of Hong Kong as a British colony. I read Shogun when I was 14, and remember liking it enough to read through the 1000+ pages (and that sex scene with the anal beads? Whatever rules Cullum may believe exist in England dinna necessarily translate to the rough and ready wilds of empire building.Their occasional forays into intrigue are ultimately motivated by their desire to protect their families and help their men. If Queen Victoria was the biggest drug dealer in the history of the world, then Dirk Struan, the 'Tai-pan' is her Main Dealer in Hong Kong. This works for the most part because, according to Clavell, foreigners were pretty much strictly forbidden from going anywhere other than those two places. There are better options, half a dozen at least of the women/girls he knows who would help to open more doors for him, but there is just one damn problem. To a 1960's reader this wouldn't have been unacceptable, but in 2012 I have to agree that it might be difficult to swallow.

There are other more minor scenes and references, but the story is always planted more firmly in British soil. As has been pointed out by others there is no grand battle to fight in this story, no Uber Villain to be brought down, no single event at all.

But it doesn’t get more, because it doesn’t significantly deliver on its promise on the cover to be part of an ASIAN SAGA; one in which two cultures encounter one another, and the political and cultural consequences that follow. I'll admit that the first 100 pages or so are difficult to get into, as the author flits from one new character to the next, explaining their backgrounds before getting on with the storytelling. Next up is Gai-Jin, kind of oddly his last book and one that a lot of people seem to think was kinda boring. Having inhaled Shōgun (and the excellently terrible miniseries adaptation) on a trip through Japan, I was well prepared for the way this novel would go. Immediately, the fact that Dirk Struan is relentlessly Scots attached itself to the image of a snake and somehow I ended up with an inability to imagine him as anything other than Sean Connery in Zardoz.

Why, if this is an Historical fiction, are there not major, or even minor fictional characters finding themselves in the time period, experiencing things for themselves, and addressing what they see are the main issues? The book's got great ambience, impressive characters - villains and good guys - and a fine plot, but what really have stuck with me through all these years is the larger-than-life persona of Dirk Struan, the "Taipan", or "supreme leader. However, he does suffer from being made to look like the less intelligent, alcoholic and abusive version of Struan.

And then fate and chance work their inevitable twists and unforeseen disasters into the mix, and we are plunged into a complex, interrelated web of schemes, ploys, conspiracies, violence, lusts, and desperation, as the House of Struan strives to recover from happenstance misfortune without selling the British portion of Hong Kong's soul, whilst the House of Brock, under the glint-eyed, heavy-handed leadership of Brock and the brutal energies of his hulking son, Gorth, do everything in their power to ensure that Struan and Company flounder and sink, thus enabling Brock to assume to title of Tai-Pan that he holds by right should be his. All in the brand-new Hong Kong revolves around him: he built the place, he saves it, and all others can suck it. 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 in mainland China, a highly lucrative market. So while there is obviously massive historical context here, Clavell relies on his huge cast of fictional characters to churn up the plot and propel the story for themselves.