Sydney has returned because Mei Lin wanted to stand with the family and wanted Nicky to come to China at least once. Little did they know that the marraige wasn;t recognized and they would be caught in a Chinese quandary, which basically places Syndney and his son under house arrest.
Gou P'i means
, pretty close remembering it had something to do with pigs, but in Mandarin colloquoal it translates to BS.
When the Olympic construction was started, many of the hu-tung's were bulldozed. However, because of the timing issues I only inferred that "progress" was being made. The hu-tungs were still under fire until recently, when a major construction project for museum was halted, the government finally reversing its trend to destroy these old Bei-jing neighbor hoods - some dating back to the Ming. (The Yuan-Mongol city walls were destroyed to make way for T-ien An-men Square - something Rowden benoaned in the first book).
Yes, 3 is important in Chinese (triads etc). However in this case I was being Wagnerian. The three women evoke the Norns who prophesy at the beginning of Wagner's
Götterdämmerung. It's an ED thing.
The Human Rights issues will come better to light - but the Ch'en family's personal tragedy is alluded to in the First Book (in passing) by Minister Ch'en in Tien An-men, and in the second book my Thomas when he chides Rose in the hu-tung. However, now it all comes out - the reason for the political poop that the family may be in and the reason for Gamma Ch'en apparent insanity.
Magistrate Lu Xin was given the tomb key by Rowden calling it the People's Treasure (althoguh I'm never too clear on what or who is the People's Treasure, since Treasure can be plural). He is there to assure that the door opens. As for Canto - yes, he's after his dino-babies (babies no longer), but there's a lot more to that story, and I'll not spoil.
Rowden is still the overall core protagonist, especially as we approach the last book. However, in a series, author's can violate the rules and present the foremost character a little later on. In this case, I did it on purpose so the reader might anticipate (hopefully with excitement) Rowdy's first appearance. As for many protagonists - well, as a challenge for me, I have scene where I need to deal with as many as 19 of them at a time - no easy feat. You'll tell me whether I succeed or not.
Yep, Rowden's a good Dad and loves familiy life. If he didn't, he'd have no sacrifice to make as the story blooms. he relationship between Audrey and Rowden is complex, has been and will continue to be so.
Xiao Win-t'o loves Rowden's children - but remember, although mellowed, he's still Chinatown's Don, which makes him a bit of a Godfather character still. To be the big cheese of the neighbor might come in handy for a story teller.
Yosemite represents supreme serenity - a place where nature can recall the past, which it does. The deja vu is the paralell with the Open and Closed signs on the door, and Wewoka going into a trance again.
Now to backtrack on Sydney's condition. One of the side effects of being The Preserver is an aging reversal process. The character in Souther Swallow series that is The Preserver is the old Viceroy K'ang Yu-wei. He's old in the forst book The Academician and older in The Nan Tu, until he drinks the Tears of Guang-yin and becomes a member of the ch'i-t'ang. Here's an excerpt from
The Nan Tu, when "old" K'ang Yu-wei the preserve comes on board the Imperial ship The Raven and General Chang Chun notes the change in K'ang's appearance:
"K'ang Yu-wei turned toward the array of navvies who lined the way to the poop deck. Suddenly, Chang Chun appeared, hail and hearty, coming to the old gentleman with outstretched hands as if he were welcoming him to a wedding.
"Master K'ang," he crowed. "You're back among us, praise be to Guan-yin. And . . ." Chang Chun surveyed him. "Astonishing. You're as lithe as a young man of forty, sir. Your hair is white, but your face is . . . smooth. Your back, straight."
K'ang Yu-wei regarded Nan Ya.
"It's all his doing," he said.
"Well, that explains it," Chang Chun chuckled.
Li K'ai-men didn't appreciate such credit and feared that it opened up the wound that bled between him and Chang Chun. But suddenly, K'ang Yu-wei turned toward the sea - sighing, his lips trembled as if he tasted the salty air.
"This is not the gift you might think it is," he said, his voice trailing. "I looked forward to old age, the bones creaking; the breath shortened. I longed to retire to my cottage at Lake Tung-ma, with my children and their children taking their turns with me. Now the world's reversed and I grow younger every day. Some day I'll need to recall my studies and seek an infant's suck toy. This is not the way it should be. If the sun never sets, the soul burns until the brilliance and luster spends it into haze. For me, the days shall go on unending and uncounted until the world is an unhappiness that no man can bear. There once was a time when I was young and happy, and a time when I longed for death's sweet peace, every man's right under Heaven. Now, General Chang, happiness has been replaced by habit and I can see no end."
K'ang Yu-wei sighed again, and then glanced back to Nan Ya, who knew.
"And that, sir," K'ang said. "That explains it."
As for Simone . . . you've probably run into her/him by now.
And as for the coin, here's another excerpt from
The Nan Tu. K'u Ko-ling (who we've met in
The Third Peregrination and who is the narator for the entire
Southern Swallow series, at this point has been sent south, where he has fallen for a local prostitute in the ruined city of Su-chou. A glimmer summons him back and instructs him to take the woman to Lung-hua (she carries K'u ko-ling's bastard). She becomes the first Keeper of the Tears of Guan-yin and the coin. That bastard is the ancestor to Meng Ka-bao).
"The coin spun in the moonlight making it appear more golden than copper. It was a large coin - one minted by Emperor Hui, the only Son of Heaven to have presumed to make coins so big. K'u Ko-ling had cherished this coin from his youngest days in Su-chou, when his master had given him a slew of oversized cash to buy himself a moon cake. Now, he liked to practice his levitation skills with this coin and often did it at night, when sleep wouldn't come.
K'u Ko-ling smiled at the copper as it winked at him. What purpose did it serve that he could do this thing, except that his master had told him to practice? As he thought of his master, the coin brightened and then . . . flash. He thought he saw a fiery disk as round and bright as the moon. He shook his head, but didn't want to wake his companion, who snored lightly on her cushions. Still, K'u Ko-ling trembled.
Slowly, he sat up on the k'ang bed, bringing the coin softly to rest in his hand. He stared at it, and then gasped. He heard the whispers on the fricative and wanted to shut his mind to them. He arose, going to the threshold, the moon's fullness catching him. The voice was sweet at first, but then visions crowded his mind, claiming his will. He raised his palm to the moon, the coin trembling to leave his control.
"Sweetness," came a voice from the bed. "Do you play with that coin again?"
The coin levitated, this time floating toward his eye. He gazed at the woman in his bed through the coin hole. She was lovely, even in the midnight shadows.
etc. etc. etc.
Ed P