In 1837, Jin-qua arranged for May–May, his favourite granddaughter, to become Dirk Struan's mistress. She was secretly assigned the task of teaching "the green-eyed devil" Struan "civilised" (Chinese) ways. Captain Scragger – pirate and negotiator for Wu Fang Choi, the pirate king. Scragger's family line is mentioned several times in succeeding books of the Asian Saga.

While most famed as a novelist of the epic Asian saga series, Clavell also authored screenplays for films, including The Fly (1958), The Great Escape (1963), and wrote, produced and directed To Sir, with Love (1967). Kathleen found the tape and measured Shevaun’s waist. “Seventeen and a half inches, by the Blessed St. Mary! And when you faint, me darlin’, be sure you’re as graceful as a cloud and that everyone’s watching.” My Favorite Quotes Chinese mentality) Save a man from dying, then you yourself are responsible for him for the rest of the man’s life. That’s fair. Because if you interfere with the will of the gods, you must be prepared to assume their responsibility Warga, Wayne (4 April 1969). "JAMES CLAVELL: Filmdom's Do-It-Yourselfer". Los Angeles Times. p.h13. Clavell is most famous for Shōgun, the first of his Asian series, which was made into a mini series starring Richard Chamberlain. It was excellent & takes place about 2.5 centuries earlier in Japan. Tai-Pan is about the founding of Hong Kong about 1840 & takes place over a period of 6 months. It was made into a movie in the mid 80's, but wasn't nearly as good. Too much was left out & a movie just can't capture Dirk Struan.

He had initially planned that the novel would span the time from the establishment of Hong Kong in nineteenth-century Asia up until the present day. But when writing it, he decided to end the novel upon the death of the first Tai-Pan. This book is phenomenal. Anyone who is interested in China, past and present, should read it. Anyone who likes a brilliant historical fiction, should read it. And anyone who loves “larger-than-life, but still realistic and wonderfully developed” characters, should read it. The extraordinary story of adaptability and resilience of the Jardines conglomerate, founded in 1832 by Scotsmen William Jardine and James Matheson, is one of a kind. When you get right down to it Tai-Pan is a historical romance in the older sense (a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as having heroic qualities, who goes on a quest) only in this case Dirk Straun's quest is the never ending struggle to ensure that his company continue to thrive. 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. The journey is the story. As a result there is a never ending series of "mini-adventures" within the story. Schemes are enacted, others are discovered, moves and counter-moves, friends are enemies and enemies are friends, and sailing ships race across the South China Sea. Grand adventure - not academia.

In 1986, Whirlwind was published, and it became the fourth and last part of The Asian Saga and is chronologically the final book in the series. The book is set in Iran in 1979, at the time the rise of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khomeini.

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Four of the six books— Tai-Pan, Gai-Jin, Noble House, and Whirlwind—follow the dealings of the great trading company Struan's, the Noble House of Asia (based on Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited), its founder Dirk Struan, and his various descendants. Gai-Jin provides the major link between the Shōgun and Struan's storylines. Roger Moore became briefly attached, with John Guillermin mentioned as director of a possible mini-series. However finance could not be arranged. Moore said: "If it's offered to me again I'll do it". Quite frankly, it's one of the best scripts I've ever read". [16] For a time Sean Connery was mooted as star for director Martin Ritt. "I've always wanted Sean to do it", said Clavell. [17] Sextant = instrument used for measuring the angular distances between objects and especially for taking altitudes in navigation and surveying. “Without this beauty we’d be lost. You’ve heard of Captain Cook? He used the first one, and proved it, sixty years ago.” Chinese customs, polygamy, a romance worthy of Shakespeare, and a really hard to guess ending Historical & Geopolitical setting: