| Tai-Pan | |
1982 paperback edition |
|
| Author | James Clavell |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Asian Saga |
| Genre(s) | Historical fiction, Novel |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
| Publication date | 1966 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 590 pp |
| ISBN | NA |
| Preceded by | Shogun |
| Followed by | Gai-Jin |
Tai-Pan is a novel written by James Clavell about European and American traders who move into Hong Kong in 1841 following the end of the first Opium War. James Clavell, born Charles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell ( 10 October, 1924 – 7 September, 1994) was a British (later The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders For the game see 1841 (board game. Year 1841 ( MDCCCXLI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link The Opium Wars ( also known as the Anglo-Chinese Wars, lasted from 1839 to 1842 and 1856 to 1860 the climax of a trade dispute between China under the Qing It is the second book in Clavell's "Asian Saga". The Asian Saga is a series of six novels written by James Clavell between 1962 and 1993.
Contents |
The novel begins following the British victory of the first Opium War and the seizure of Hong Kong. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 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. An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at In Marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a Market that might satisfy a want or need Mainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term synonymous with the area that is under the jurisdiction Sao Paulo Stock Exchangejpg|thumb| Virtual market arena where buyer and seller are not present and trade via intemediates and electronical information
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. Dirk Lochlin Struan is the fictional main character of James Clavell 's Novel Tai-Pan. Tyler Brock ( 1787 - 1863 ? is a fictional character in the James Clavell novel ''Tai-Pan''. 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 (which author Clavell translates as "Supreme Leader," although this is not the accepted translation of the term) indicating his position as head of the largest and most profitable of all the trading companies operating in Asia. A tai-pan ( Chinese 大班 was an influential foreign businessman doing business in China or Hong Kong in the 19th century 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. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National
As per normal for Clavell's novels, there is quite a bit of subtext to Tai-Pan. Clavell was a proponent of free trade, 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. Free trade is a system in which the trade of goods and services between or within countries flows unhindered by government-imposed restrictions The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories Opium is a Narcotic formed from the Latex (ie sap released by lacerating (or "scoring" the immature seed pods of opium poppies ( 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. A hero (from Greek grc ἥρως hērōs) in Greek mythology and Folklore, was originally a Demigod, the offspring of a mortal and
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 massive Scottish trading company that operates out of China. Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited (,) often called Jardines or Jardine's (怡和 is a Multinational corporation that is incorporated in
The artist character Aristotle Quance may be loosely based upon George Chinnery. The definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of Activities to do with creating Art, practicing the Arts and/or demonstrating George Chinnery (Chinese name zh 錢納利 January 5, 1774 &ndash May 30, 1852) was an English painter who spent most
There was a 1986 motion picture (Tai-Pan) based on the novel, poorly received due in part to the film being disloyal to the novel, due in part to on-set censorship by the Chinese Communist Party. Tai-Pan is a 1986 Film directed by Daryl Duke, loosely based on the 1966 James Clavell 's novel Tai-Pan Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) Tai-Pan is a 1986 Film directed by Daryl Duke, loosely based on the 1966 James Clavell 's novel Tai-Pan Censorship is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable harmful or sensitive as determined by a censor The Communist Party of China ( CPC) ( also known as the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP) is the founding and ruling political party of the