Tai-Pan (novel) facts for kids
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First edition
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| Author | James Clavell |
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| Country | United Kingdom, United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Asian Saga |
| Genre | Historical fiction, Novel |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
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Publication date
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May 16, 1966 |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| Pages | 727 |
| Preceded by | Shōgun (in chronology of Asian Saga) |
| Followed by | Gai-Jin |
Tai-Pan is an exciting historical novel from 1966 by James Clavell. It tells the story of European and American traders. They move to Hong Kong in 1842. This happened after a big trade conflict called the First Opium War ended. It's the second book in Clavell's popular Asian Saga series. This book is also the first to introduce the fictional Struan family.
Contents
The Story of Tai-Pan
The novel starts right after the British won a major trade war. They took control of Hong Kong Island. At first, Hong Kong was mostly empty and wild. But it had a great natural harbor. Both the British government and many trading companies saw its value. They believed it would be perfect for bringing goods into mainland China. China was a very profitable market for trade.
Main Characters and Rivalry
The story has many characters. But the main focus is on two powerful men: Dirk Struan and Tyler Brock. They used to be shipmates. Now, they own two huge trading companies. Their relationship was difficult and competitive from the start. Throughout the book, both men try to ruin each other. This happens in business and in their personal lives. Dirk Struan is known as the Tai-pan. This means he is the top leader of Struan & Company. This company is the biggest private trading company in Asia during the 1800s.
Dirk Struan's Early Life
Dirk Struan's adventures began when he was just seven years old in 1805. He worked on a king's ship during a famous sea battle. He loved the sea his whole life. Later that year, he worked on a merchant ship called Vagrant Star. This ship belonged to the East India Company and sailed to China. On this ship, he was treated very badly by Tyler Brock. Brock was the third mate and would become Struan's biggest enemy. Dirk Struan promised himself that he would get revenge on Brock one day. Later, both Dirk Struan and Tyler Brock became very powerful in trade.
In 1812, the Vagrant Star hit a hidden rock and sank. Struan was only fourteen. He swam to shore and eventually reached Singapore. Later, he found out that Tyler Brock had also survived.
Building Trading Empires
By 1822, Dirk Struan was a captain and owned his own ship. Tyler Brock was his main business rival. That same year, Dirk Struan married Ronalda in Scotland. But he soon traveled back to Macau.
In 1824, Struan's son, Culum Struan, was born. Ronalda and Culum were sent to Glasgow and Ronalda never returned to China. Also in 1824, Gordon Chen was born. He was Dirk Struan's son with his Chinese partner, Chen Kai Sung.
In 1826, the British East India Company tried to stop Struan and Brock. The Company took away their trading permits. Both men lost almost all their money. Brock still had his ship, but Struan had nothing. Brock then made a secret deal with another trader. Dirk Struan took a small boat called a lorcha from some pirates. He started secretly moving goods for other traders. He took over more pirate ships. Using these ships, he made dangerous trips along the China coast. He earned even more money this way.
New Opportunities and Rivalry Grows
In 1834, new laws allowed more freedom in trade. The British East India Company's special trading rights ended. This meant British trade was now open to everyone. With the freedom to trade legally, Dirk Struan and Tyler Brock became incredibly wealthy. Their fleets of armed ships grew larger. Their strong rivalry became even more intense.
In 1837, a powerful Chinese merchant named Jin-qua arranged for his granddaughter, May–May, to become Dirk Struan's partner. Her secret job was to teach Struan Chinese customs and ways of life.
By 1838, Dirk Struan was seen as the most important Tai-pan of all. His company, Struan & Company, was known as the Noble House. The Noble House did many kinds of business. This included moving goods from India to China, trading spices and sugar from the Philippines, and bringing Chinese tea and silk to England. They also handled shipping papers, insurance, warehouse space, and helped finance trade. The company owned nineteen large clipper ships that sailed between continents. Their close rival, Brock & Sons Trading Company, had thirteen. Struan & Company also had hundreds of smaller ships for coastal trade.
By 1839, Gordon Chen had grown into a very smart and skilled businessman. But he really wanted his father, Dirk Struan, to recognize him. To do this, he decided to become essential to Dirk Struan and the Noble House.
A Crucial Deal and New Challenges
From January to July 1841, many important events in the novel take place.
The Noble House was in serious financial trouble. It was almost destroyed by Tyler Brock. In a desperate move, Dirk Struan asked Jin Qua for help. In return for several promises, Dirk Struan received a huge loan of silver. It was about "4 million" (around £1 million) from Jin Qua.
As part of the deal, Struan agreed to certain trade benefits for Jin Qua. Second, Struan agreed that a member of the Chen family would always manage the money for the Noble House. Third, Struan agreed to sell Jin Qua a large piece of land in Hong Kong. The land would be officially owned by Gordon Chen.
The fourth part of the deal was called the "coin debt." Four special bronze coins were each broken in half in a unique way. Dirk Struan received four half-coins, and Jin Qua kept the other four. Anyone who showed a half-coin to the Tai-pan of the Noble House had to be granted whatever they asked for. This was true whether the request was legal or not. All future Tai-pans of the Noble House had to promise to keep this agreement. This was how the silver loan would be repaid.
Tess Brock and Culum Struan fell in love and got married. They did not like the hatred between their fathers.
Because of the deal between Dirk Struan and Jin Qua, Gordon Chen managed Jin Qua's money in Hong Kong. He invested in land and lent money. Gordon Chen also secretly became a leader of a powerful group in Hong Kong. With help from his father and by running protection services, Gordon Chen quickly became the richest Chinese man in Hong Kong. He kept this a secret from his father. When his role as a leader was revealed, his position was almost ruined. Luckily, the claims were dismissed as untrue. But Dirk Struan was not fully convinced.
To protect his father, Gordon Chen arranged for Gorth Brock to be killed. He also looked for a cure for May–May's illness. The first half-coin from Jin Qua was given to Dirk Struan by a powerful leader named Wu Fang Choi.
On July 21, 1841, Dirk Struan died in a powerful storm. He died before he could fulfill his promise to destroy Brock. Culum Struan became the second Tai-pan of the Noble House. Gordon Chen started placing secret helpers on Struan & Company's ships. Gordon Chen also helped raise Duncan and Kate Struan, who were Dirk Struan's children with May–May.
The strong rivalry between the Struan and Brock families is a major theme in Clavell's Asian Saga. Dirk Struan and Tyler Brock had many children, both within and outside of marriage. These children continued their fathers' rivalry. This started a difficult cycle that lasted for many years.
Other Important Characters
Here are some other important people in the novel:
- Culum Struan – Dirk Struan's son, who later becomes the Tai-pan.
- Robb Struan – Dirk Struan's half-brother and business partner.
- William Longstaff – The first Governor of Hong Kong.
- Jeff Cooper – An American trader and a secret partner to the Noble House.
- Wilf Tillman – An American trader and partner to Jeff Cooper. He is the guardian to Shevaun Tillman.
- Archduke Zergeyev – A Russian diplomat and spy. He tries to understand British power in Hong Kong.
- Gorth Brock – Tyler Brock's son, who is a boat captain.
- Jin-qua – A Chinese tea and trade merchant. He lends Dirk Struan a large amount of silver to help him. He also created the "coin debt" agreement. This deal must be honored by Dirk Struan and all future Tai-pans of the Noble House. This is also mentioned in the book Noble House.
- May–May – Dirk Struan's Chinese partner. She is Jin-Qua's granddaughter. She was asked to teach Dirk Chinese ways.
- Liza Brock – Tyler Brock's wife and Tess's mother.
- Aristotle Quance – A painter who loves pleasure and is always in debt. The Struan family owns some of his paintings.
- Shevaun Tillman – Wilf Tillman's ward. She hopes to marry Dirk Struan.
- Captain Orlov – Known as "The Hunchback." He is a Norwegian ship captain who works for Dirk Struan. He often has visions of future events.
- Morley Skinner – The editor of the island newspaper. Dirk Struan gives him secrets to keep his rivals guessing.
- Gordon Chen – Dirk Struan's son, who is half-Chinese. He is secretly a leader of a powerful group in Hong Kong.
- Tess Brock – Tyler Brock's daughter. She eventually marries Culum Struan. She is also known as Hag Struan in later books.
- Captain Glessing – A former ship captain for the Royal Navy and the harbor master. A piece of land is named after him. He loses an arm in the storm.
- Wolfgang Mauss – A priest who teaches Gordon Chen.
- Roger Blore – A gambler. He makes a very fast trip to Hong Kong. Later, he becomes the owner of Dirk Struan's horse racing club.
- Captain Scragger – A leader of a group of pirates. He negotiates for Wu Fang Choi, the pirate king. Scragger's family is mentioned in other books of the Asian Saga.
- Wu Fang Choi – A pirate king and secret partner to Jin-Qua. The silver for the big deal came from him.
Behind the Scenes: How the Book Was Made
James Clavell had written one book before Tai-Pan, which was about his own life. After that, he was challenged to write a second book. He said he wanted to write a book about Hong Kong. He wanted it to be like what James Michener's Hawaii did for that state. Clavell said that money from the movie rights for his first book helped him write Tai-Pan.
After visiting Hong Kong in 1962, Clavell returned in 1963 with his family for a year. He said it took him five tries to start the book. Then it took him 241 days to write the first version. The second version took 12 weeks. Clavell first wanted the novel to cover Hong Kong's history from the beginning until modern times. But as he wrote, he decided to end the book with the death of the first Tai-pan. He did so much research that it gave him the idea to write a series of three books. He later wrote a novel set in 1963 Hong Kong, called Noble House.
German Gollob was the editor who worked with Clavell on the book.
Tai-Pan in Film
