The Asian Saga
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The Asian Saga is a series of six novels written by James Clavell in the later 20th century. The novels all center around the Europeans in Asia, and together they explore the impact on East and West of the meeting of these two distinct civilzations.
The books in narrative order are:
- Shogun: Set in feudal Japan, 1600.
- Tai-Pan: Set in Hong Kong, 1841.
- Gai-Jin: Set in Japan, 1862.
- King Rat: Set in a Japanese POW camp, 1945.
- Noble House: Set in Hong Kong, 1963.
- Whirlwind: Set in Iran, 1979.
Apart from Shogun and King Rat, all the books follow the dealings of the great trading company Struan's, the Noble House of Asia, its founder Dirk Struan, and his various descendants.
Some of the characters make appearances in multiple books, and many characters from one book are referred to in later books. Robert Armstrong, for example, is a major character in both Noble House and Whirlwind.
In total, there are a bewildering number of characters throughout the series, with very complex family relationships and a great deal of history that is hinted at but never described in detail.
Plot
List of tai-pans of Struan's
- 1st tai-pan: Dirk Struan, ?-1841
- 2nd tai-pan: Culum Struan, 1841-?
- 3rd tai-pan: Lochlin Struan
- 4th tai-pan: Dirk Dunross, ?-1894
- 5th tai-pan: unidentified, perhaps Lochlin Struan, 1895-1915
- 6th tai-pan: Ross Lechie Struan, 1915
- 7th tai-pan: Ross Struan, 1915-?
- 8th tai-pan: Colin Dunross
- 9th tai-pan: Alastair Struan, ?-1960
- 10th tai-pan: Ian Dunross, 1960-?
- 11th tai-pan: David MacStruan
- 12th tai-pan: Linbar Struan
Lochlin Struan became tai-pan for a second time after the death of Dirk Dunross in 1894, and lived until 1915. There is no mention of a fifth tai-pan, so presumably he is counted as both the third and fifth tai-pan.
Hag Struan was tai-pan in everything but name from 1841 until her death in 1917.
The half coins of Jin-qua
In 1841 when Struan's was on the brink of collapse, Dirk Struan received a loan of silver from the merchant Jin-qua in exchange for a series of favors. Among these were four bronze coins, split in half. Anyone who brought a half coin to the tai-pan of the Noble House would be granted whatever he asked, whether legal or illegal. All future tai-pans must swear to keep this bargain, before learning the details, if they were to become tai-pan.
Of the four coins, one was kept by Jin-qua, one given to the warlord Wu Fang Choi, one given to Gordon Chen, and one given out in secret.
The first coin was brought to Dirk Struan in 1841 by Wu Fang Choi.
The second coin was brought in 1894 by Chiang Wu-tah. He asked that Noble House give aid and sanctuary to Sun Yat-sen and to assist him to overthrow the Manchu dynasty. This is recounted in Noble House, chapter 60.
The story of the third coin is a major plot line in Noble House. The coin is owned by Struan's trusted compradore Phillip Chen, handed down to him from his grandfather Gordon Chen. However, his son John Chen learns the secret of the coin, steals it, and bargains it and its secret away to American businessman Lincoln Bartlett. Before Bartlett takes possession of the coin, John Chen is kidnapped and murdered. When Phillip Chen enlists his underworld cousin Four Finger Wu to help locate John, Wu discovers the coin in the possession of one of the kidnappers, and takes it for his own, knowing its secret.