The Jade Owl: Part 2 - Chapters 4 - 9

[Edward C. Patterson]

How many are keeping up with me? How many are well ahead? (I know of one who has reached the finish line already)  

The Jade Owl appears to project things. On the balcony scene, what does it project and what do you think it portends?

Hong Kong still clings to its colonial atmosphere, however there are signs of change.How has the author used Hong Kong and the subsequent train trip to Guang-chou as a structural device in the novel.

How would you describe Wu Ch'e-k'ai's (Dragon Lady's) role in the novel, beyond being a CTS guide?

There are a number of incongruent cultural elements protrayed in the characters in the Hong Kong and Guang-chou scenes. Can you think of some of these and how they relate to the external world about them (that  is modern China).

Would you eat the crab served at the New Year's feast? (I didn't).

Ch'en House has its parallel in Part 1. Can you idetify it and how?

If these are all too egg head for you, don't worry about it. Just enjoy the ride.

Anecdote: When my mother and I traveled soft seat to Guang-chou, we were in a tour group that consisted of me and Mom, and five Chinese Swedes. It was winter and the group was small. The Swedes were a no show, so we were a tour group of 2. We did manage to team up with 2 Brits (the basis for Jenny and Polly), but my mother was delighted when she first read the novel. Mom was Swedish. She told me over breakfast one morning, "I'm glad those damned Swedes finally showed up. It took them long enough." Bless her heart and rest her soul. I'm just glad she got the read the book in one of its early iterations. So much of the detail we shared together, including a real Dragon Lady and a completely shunned New Years feast, is peppered through the first book.

Edward C. Patterson

[Ann in Arlington]

Your questions are too deep for me.   But, they did make me think of something I wanted to ask.  There are several times when different ones of the Chinese characters mention brothers and sisters.  My understanding is that this is set relatively contemporaneously, yes?  I thought there was the whole "one family, one child" thing that's been going on since the 50's at least.  How can these 20 something and 30 somthing folks have siblings?  I am, perhaps -- maybe even probably -- woefully ignorant on the subject.  Just wonderin. . . .

[Edward C. Patterson]

Ann:

Some of the family policies will become a bit more evident in The Third Peregrination when you get to mingle with the family more and come face to face with party politics. The Ch'en have suffered for their violations of party standards (and in book 3 and 4 will pay for it). Each book delves deeper into Chinese culture. For example, Thomas Ch'en has a sister, but he also had a brother (shades of T'ien-an men Square). Mrs. K'ao is older and her sister is considerably older (you'll meet her in Book 2). Little Cricket lives in the countryside where the policy has always been loose - in fact, yesterday in Shang-hai they alleviated the 1 child law in favor of 2 children (need factory workers). In Shang-hai there has always been a liberalization of this policy. As for the Xiao family, they are older than these laws. Xiao Ao-ling's complete back story (that is the old Grandmother) is provided in Book 3.

I might point out that each book is tonal-based on one of China's five philosophical schools. Book 1 (Confucianism), Book 2 ( Buddhism), Book 3 (Taoism), Book 4 (Naturalism) and Book 5 (Legalism). Therefore, Confucianism as the tone of Book 1 dictates "family relationships," thus the John Battle tributary a la Chinese ancestral temple. The family relationships and the generational interactions is the glue for the first book, while, as you'll see in book 2 (Buddhism) we are dealing with an entirely different paradigm.

The family one child rule was established in 1979 and has been declared as a 5 year policy from 2006 - 2010. As I said, Shang hai has recinded  or expanded it this week. The policy is enforced by fines and restrictions, but in the countryside its loose. Within the party, it is stricter. Also if your first child is female, then you can safely have as second child (trying for the more preferable SON) and not get fined. Dispensations have been made for child loss, and also in the ethnic regions it is rarely enforced.

Edward C. Patterson

[Ann in Arlington]

Thanks Ed. . . .makes a lot of sense. . . .not sure when I'll get to the Buddhist book. . . large TBR pile, er, list, you know.  Sounds like I might have to get out my old "Oriental Philosophies" text, though, to remind myself of the foundations of the various schools.  It was a course I took in HS which was quite some time ago now . . . . .

[Edward C. Patterson]

Not necessary. I will guide (or at least Rowdy, Sydney and Rose will guide you through it). Besides, some of the things that happen in TTP you will not find in a philosophy book, but perhaps you'd more at home with Tolkien and King as my companions in the second book.

Ed Patterson

[AppleHeart]

The family one child rule was established in 1979 and has been declared as a 5 year policy from 2006 - 2010. As I said, Shang hai has recinded  or expanded it this week. The policy is enforced by fines and restrictions, but in the countryside its loose. Within the party, it is stricter. Also if your first child is female, then you can safely have as second child (trying for the more preferable SON) and not get fined. Dispensations have been made for child loss, and also in the ethnic regions it is rarely enforced.

Edward C. Patterson

I hope this will not be too OT. I apologize, Ed, if it is and the Mods can remove it if it has no bearing on the book discussion. That said, with apologies to all...

Boy, I'm sure glad that we were not residents in China or my parents would have been incarcerated or fined for having 9 children -- 2 older girls and 7 younger boys!

I do remember my grandfather telling my parents that their two eldest were "useless for being unable to carry the family name" and "don't send them to school. They don't need schooling."  Yet, when he was older and infirmed, guess who were the ones who took him to the movie theater to watch his Chinese movies and who took care of him when he was unable to do for himself? All of us female grandchildren! He was in alt when my 7 brothers came along and he kept telling my mother at each birth "good, good. Another one to carry my name." Arrghh!! And you should have heard him when he heard that I was taking the Pre-Nursing course..."I will not have a granddaughter become a maid! You will be a maid to those d**m doctors. I will not have that, you hear??" Like I said, he sure was happy he had me along when we took him back to Beijing... Sigh.

I am catching up rapidly with the reading, but like Ann, I am hesitant to post/answer your topic questions lest I 'monopolize', again, the discussion/read along with the author like I seemed to have done in the first week. So, I'll wait for the others to chime in...

ebc

Edited to say:

We were all pre-1979, so I guess my parents were OK, even if they were living in China. Also, I put the wrong date - my cousin just reminded me that we took my Grabdfather home in 1970, not 1967 like I posted...

[Edward C. Patterson]

As you know Appleheart, every ironclad rule in China is always broken. Daungters were always regarded a liabilities as they would be come the property of the husband's family, and even today in many places those marraige rules hold true, thus the leniency on having a second child if the first his a daughter. I wrote a flash story (500 words) on this subject (which won a cash award). I'll find it later and post it in this thread.

Ed Patterson

[Edward C. Patterson]

Here is a Flash story (500 words) that won me a small check (and purchased my HP printer). I post it as it pertains to "daughters" and their place in traditional Chinese culture. Enjoy.

Ch'i Lin and the Cup
     SHE REACHED OUT and took the cup, her eyes closing, shutting the world out. She would not see the edge as it touched her lips and made bitter the sweetened rice brew that sealed this pact. Her red veil was raised, but her heart was far from the moment. As the acrid cooling brew washed bitter over her tongue, she recalled her childhood—a recollection that had ended with that brutal cup and this heartless pact.
      “Ch’i-lin,” came the voice. “Are you here Ch’i-lin?”
      She was here. She felt the gentle breeze of the kitchen on her cheek, although she stood in the parlor surrounded by guests. She had left her father at the door with the many gifts for Master K’ung—gifts that matched the family’s expectations. She had left her mother down the road, peering over the wall, tears of mixed-joy standing in eyes like water bags on a mule’s back, stubborn to flood her arroyo cheeks. Ch’i-lin was content behind her father’s walls, content to be just a girl, flowering and useful to mother’s chores, her sister’s games and her father’s doting. Life for those who have the misfortune to be born bereft of testicles are distracted by those who had them; and those that had them had cash and good connections.
      Ch’i-lin felt the kitchen’s breeze and she knew that her new mother stood in the portal planning the life of her new charge. Life for a childless woman was set, even at the age of thirteen; and childless Ch’i-lin would be. They all knew that. She heard that voice again—Ch’i-lin, but instead she heard the call of the kettles and woks, the buckets and the carry-poles. She had a strong back—her gift to the union as no issue would be coming. She shuddered and for a moment she wanted to answer the voice.
      “I am not here. I am in my father’s gardens sewing daisies to my mother’s skirts. I am singing to the willow and making my erh-hu sigh to the west wind. I am watching the rain kiss the bean fields and praying to the radishes as they quake from the soil. I am there, but never here. Never here.”
     The kitchen breeze and her new mother’s voice cawed. “Drink and make it so.”
Ch’i-lin opened her eyes and swallowed. It was a hollow choke—a bitter vision. Beyond the toil of her new life, her husband sat slumped in a muddle beside his mother. The rice wine slurped to his chapped, blackening lips; the drops beading down his sallow cheeks like grease from a roasting duck.
     The corpse wore crimson raiment, silks much finer than its skin. Soon it would wear white funeral robes hosting another ceremonial. But first—this one; the one bonding two properties in peace and civility. Ch’i-lin shuddered and her childhood and maidenhood passed along with the cup—the cup that made her the widow K’ung and a mule to her new mother.

Edward C. Patterson

[AppleHeart]

Absolutely beautiful story! ^^

Thanks for sharing. After reading the above, I felt very sorry (and have sympathy, heck, even empathy!) for the tragic, widow K'ung, who will now be a mule for the mother-in-law. But you painted a realistic account of the poor and sad plight of the 'daughters' of China who are deemed worthless because like all of her sisters, she was "bereft of testicles". <--- Love that description!

(Too bad you only had 500 words cuz I would have liked to "see" the paid wailers and a description of the funeral procession! Oh, and maybe "hear" the sad music played by a band of musicians, as merrily -- or perhaps, sadly -- the mourners plod along after the carriage, which is then followed by open trucks with cloths of different color and materials festooned with Chinese letters/characters wishing the dearly departed peace and happiness in the afterlife, swaying in the breeze as the truck follows ever so slowly......)

Edith, now even more -- a true uber-reader!!!   

[Edward C. Patterson]

Actually Edith, when I first conceived the story back in 1979 it was called The Bride of Master Wu (sounds almost like The Lady of Fu Manchu), and it had all the detail you mention, except my refined style of writing. It was a bit of a belly flop. I wrote Ch'i Lin and the Cup for a FLASH contest where a 500 word maximum was a requirement. It came in 2nd place with a prize of $150.00 and I bought an HP printer with the prize money. I found writing a Flash story very difficult. I do not write short stories (anymore) - I did in the late 60's and throughout the 70's, but found novels and novellas more to my liking, and although it has taken me 35 years to hone my craft and style, I have now won First prize — the reward . . . an uber-reader.

Thank you
Ed P

[Edward C. Patterson]

Time to feed the kitty of Week 4 Q&A and discussion. Again, always feel free to ask questions, seek clarification or just ask me questions on style, "why did you do that?" or my BVD size (I'm open to anything . . . within reason).

The Jade Owl appears to project things. On the balcony scene, what does it project and what do you think it portends?

Well, it tends to project through women in the first book. It continues this, but in The Third Peregrination, this steps up as we shall add a few more relics. It projects scenes of the T'ang dynasty on the balcony, of the famous poem Song of Unending Sorrow, which takes place in a key setting for the story.

Hong Kong still clings to its colonial atmosphere, however there are signs of change. How has the author used Hong Kong and the subsequent train trip to Guang-chou as a structural device in the novel.

Hong Kong is a palate cleanser. Unlike many novelists, I'm not about to drop my Faithful Reader into China and let them swim. The colonial atmosphere of Hong Kong acts as a Tolkienesque bridge (a one-off setting) so that readers can acclimatize to China. In fact, in this first book, the China Hands stay in hotels and have guides (which means the readers are guided). In the subsequent books, the China Hands stay in family houses and live off the land, acculturalization having set in for the reader.

How would you describe Wu Ch'e-k'ai's (Dragon Lady's) role in the novel, beyond being a CTS guide?

Mrs. Wu is based on a real CTS guide (as are all the CTS guides), but there seems to be a connection with her and the rest of the villainy in the entire series, including a hint that she is supernatural. Hint, hint. You shall see her again, I guarantee it. (You will see all the guides again as they are permanent to the series and major characters, for all you Little Cricket fans).

There are a number of incongruent cultural elements portrayed in the characters in the Hong Kong and Guang-chou scenes. Can you think of some of these and how they relate to the external world about them (that is modern China).

The characters seem to be stuck between two worlds - modern China and ancient China, so much so that it begs for the argument that no matter how much things change they remain the same. Bradley is an old world diplomat. Joy is a society throwback. Mrs. Wu may be encrusted in the party structure, but she reeks of something ancient and foul. Ch'en Hui-an is the product of the roaring twenties, when devil-may-care Chinese landlords aspired to be Taipans and festered in luxury. P'ing Hu smacks of an old fashioned warlord. Hong Kong shows her colonial roots more than her new communist face. The travel between Hong Kong and Guang-chou is downright Edwardian (no pun intended). The view from the train of the fields is timeless. The Jade factory could have been set in Mrs. Gaskell's North and South (Milton). Why all these incongruousness? Well, that's the Tolkien touch of time travel by presenting one-off settings, both recognizable to a reader, but at the same time disconcerting. This is also fostered by a juxtaposition of different cultures trying to work on the same timeline (Swedes, Brits, Chinese, Americans, Gay Folk, Cherokee).

Would you eat the crab served at the New Year's feast? (I didn't).

Open question, but the fact that Chinese-American food that we have come to love, is not Chinese at all and that the food in China is a challenge to travelers is a bit of color that adds to the weariness of traveling there. One can travel in luxury in China and yet starve (and also become an insomniac). These dibilitations foster necessary vulnerabilities in the protagonist, our good Professor Gray.

Ch'en House has its parallel in Part 1. Can you identify it and how?

Yes, that brings us to another Tolkien technique - doppelgangers. This is an important weaving of textures to keep a story from falling off the table. Things and people happen over and over again. In Tolkien's case, how many times do we see a shining lady waving goodbye to the Fellowship, drifting into the distance. (the answer is 5 - but we'll not start a new thread for that). In the Jade Owl Legacy series there are many doppelgangers (obviously Ch'en Hui-an and Ch'en Hui-ni, but also Whiskey Han and his brother in Bei-jing etc.) However, the same things and places are also duplicated time and time again (no spoilers yet on this), but Ch'en House and the old Grandmother's ke-ting are similar setting, and the escape to the veggie truck through the basement is paralleled with the escape from Chen House. (I call it the "wok stumbling departure" in my notes). It is not by coincidence that when Box and Bird are joined that there are three costume displays that are inflated as if reinhabited, and that later at Balboa Street house, the three old women appear to be dressed in those same costumes. THREE or Triads are important to the entire series (and also the Southern Swallow series, which is the 12th Century retelling of the 3rd peregrination). I give you this key as you proceed through the tale. You'll hear references to Triads in the Shanghai sequence, and again in the other books and on symbols and in the inscriptions. In the 4th book of the series (which is still semi-drafted) it is no mistake that it opens with three visions and by three women on three different continents, go figure. Anyway, I've armed you, my Faithful Reader with a key to help you open some of the more arcane secrets of the book. But also, no spoilers. 

Please let me know if you like the book and whether you will be continuing on to The Third Peregrination.

Edward Cliffe Patterson