In many ways, Tai-Pan is an easier-to-digest, yet dense, prototype of Clavell's monumental novel Shogun. It's a story about power, greed, corruption, love, losses, and victories similar to that of the Shogun. Still, it feels far more straightforward despite its main character, a merchant prince, Dirk Struan, the head of the Noble House, who is a very similar character to Shogun's Toranaga. They both are men who know what they want and have planned a long game to get there, using people around them, willing to do whatever it takes to be crowned victor.
The story begins on the day the British set foot on the unsettled island of Hong Kong after their victory in the Opium War in 1842. The British and the various trading companies see the small, hostile island as a point of great importance, as it provides them a safe harbour to trade with China as well as a base they can govern themselves.
Among the trading houses that settle the island is the Noble House, or Struan and Co., the greatest of them all, led by Dirk Struan, whom the Chinese call Tai-Pan, as he is seen as the de facto leader of the traders. His greatest rival is Tylert Brock, leader of the Brock and Sons trading company. Out of the many characters in the story, these two men are the clearest focal point, as the fate of the new island more often than not hangs on what they do in their continuous struggle to reign supreme.
But it's not only the Europeans who want to lord over the world. The Chinese have their own game going on, not only in the official manner, but in the underworld as well, with the Chinese criminal organisations hedging their own bets with the traders and politicians.
In many ways, like Blackthorne in Shogun, Dirk Struan is the gateway to exploring the Chinese culture of the era through an outsider's perspective. Unlike Blackthorne, Struan has been living among the Chinese for decades when the story starts, and as such, has adopted many ways from them as well as having garnered a great amount of sympathy and insight towards them as a rising nation and people. He even has a Chinese lover, May-May, with whom he has several children, albeit in secret, as that is frowned upon by European society. May-May has her own game going on in the shadows, where her loyalties are divided between her lover and her own people.
The great turmoil in the story begins when Dirk finds out that the Noble House is about to be financially ruined after a bank collapse in England. This leaves Brock open to try and acquire the company, so Dirk has to move quickly to ensure the future of his company so he can give it into the hands of his brother Robb and son Culum, who have come to Hong Kong after a cholera outbreak back home.
This leads Dirk to strike a deal with Jin Quan, a shady merchant who has ties to the Chinese underworld, for a loan. One of the conditions of the loan is a promise to fulfil four promises for any man who gives Dirk, or anyone who is at the helm of the company, a special bronze coin half that matches a second half in the possession of the Noble House. This request can be anything, legal or not.
Culum and Brock's daughter Tess bring their own flavour to the story when they fall in love. This forces the two heads of the families to at least be civil with each other. In general, there are a lot of side stories and characters with their own passions, problems and goals. The main bulk of the narrative is reserved for Dirk, but just as it is with Shogun, even the side stories in themselves could be used for a starting ground for an entirely different book.
In some ways, I like Tai-Pan more than Shogun. Shogun, in its density, is at times an overwhelming story that requires constant attention. Now, Tai-Pan requires attention as well, but it doesn't feel as dense, and while detail-oriented, it feels like it's flowing with more ease. In a word, it feels more approachable.
I would dare to say that if you liked Shogun, you'll like Tai-Pan as well. And if you like historical fiction, you will most likely devour it.
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