Dirk Struan
Encyclopedia
Dirk Lochlin Struan is the fictional main character of James Clavell
's 1966 novel
Tai-Pan
. The title comes from a Cantonese term that Clavell loosely translates as "supreme leader", and Struan is the taipan or head of his own trading company in China
, Struan's. In Clavell's literary universe, moreover, Struan is presented as the Tai-Pan, and his company as the Noble House
, the greatest private trading company in nineteenth-century Asia
. A Scotsman
, "the devil Struan" is portrayed as a tough and resourceful rogue, endowed with vision and determination. A man of extremity, he is capable of tremendous love and terrible hate. He will stop at nothing to protect his home, his family, and the Noble House.
In the back-story
as revealed in the novel, Struan begins his nautical adventures as a powder monkey
on a King's ship
at the battle of Trafalgar
, and he remains bound to the sea for life. At the age of fourteen he finds service on an East India Company
merchant ship to China, under the command of his future nemesis Tyler Brock
. He suffers ruthless punishment from Brock and makes a holy oath to someday destroy him. On a fateful night the ship runs aground on a reef and sinks. Struan swims ashore and finds his way back to the local Portuguese
trading settlement of Macao
.
Thereafter Struan works only for himself; he starts by practising piracy on Chinese junk
s and uses them to make dangerous opium
runs up the China coast. He expands his smuggling business and eventually masses a fleet of clipper ships and a large fortune. But Tyler Brock also survives the shipwreck to found his own company, Brock and Sons. The two rivals rise to dominate the China trade. But Struan is almost always a little stronger, a little smarter, and a little richer than his nemesis.
The enmity between Struan and Brock is a prominent theme in Clavell's Asian Saga. Struan dies in a typhoon before he can fulfil his oath to destroy Brock. Both men leave many children, legitimate and illegitimate, who take up their fathers' mantles and continue the battle. Thus begins a vicious cycle which lasts many years. It is passed down through the generations. The last descendant of Tyler Brock, Quillan Gornt, dies in a boating accident over 120 years later. After this accident there is no one from the Brock line left to threaten the Noble House.
Struan has a Chinese mistress, May-may, and their romance is developed within the conventions of the genre as the basis for the novel's optimistic theme of cross-cultural fusion. The character also has several children who feature in the story, including Culum Struan, Winifred Dunross and Gordon Chen
.
Clavell's hero was inspired by the historical William Jardine
, and the Noble House of Struan's is modelled on the real-life "Princely House" of Jardine, Matheson & Co
of Hong Kong
.
James Clavell
James Clavell, born Charles Edmund DuMaresq Clavell was an Australian-born, British novelist, screenwriter, director and World War II veteran and prisoner of war...
's 1966 novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
Tai-Pan
Tai-Pan (novel)
Tai-Pan is a novel written by James Clavell about European and American traders who move into Hong Kong in 1842 following the end of the First Opium War. It is the second book in Clavell's "Asian Saga".-Plot summary:...
. The title comes from a Cantonese term that Clavell loosely translates as "supreme leader", and Struan is the taipan or head of his own trading company in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Struan's. In Clavell's literary universe, moreover, Struan is presented as the Tai-Pan, and his company as the Noble House
Noble House
Noble House is a novel by James Clavell, published in 1981 and set in Hong Kong in 1963.It is a massive book, well over 1000 pages, with dozens of characters and numerous intermingling plot lines. In 1988, it was adapted as a television miniseries for NBC starring Pierce Brosnan...
, the greatest private trading company in nineteenth-century Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. A Scotsman
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
, "the devil Struan" is portrayed as a tough and resourceful rogue, endowed with vision and determination. A man of extremity, he is capable of tremendous love and terrible hate. He will stop at nothing to protect his home, his family, and the Noble House.
In the back-story
Back-story
A back-story, background story, or backstory is the literary device of a narrative chronologically earlier than, and related to, a narrative of primary interest. Generally, it is the history of characters or other elements that underlie the situation existing at the main narrative's start...
as revealed in the novel, Struan begins his nautical adventures as a powder monkey
Powder monkey
Powder monkeys were a part of warships' crews during the Age of Sail that carried bags of gunpowder from the powder magazine in the ship's hold to the gun crews. Powder monkeys were usually boys or young teens selected for the job for their speed and height — they were short and would be...
on a King's ship
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
at the battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
, and he remains bound to the sea for life. At the age of fourteen he finds service on an East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
merchant ship to China, under the command of his future nemesis Tyler Brock
Tyler Brock
Tyler Brock is a fictional character in the novel Tai-Pan. He is the Tai-pan, or "supreme leader" of Brock & Sons Trading Company, and the novel's antagonist. He is married to Liza Brock and has several children, including his sons Gorth, Morgan and Tom, and daughters Tess and Elizabeth...
. He suffers ruthless punishment from Brock and makes a holy oath to someday destroy him. On a fateful night the ship runs aground on a reef and sinks. Struan swims ashore and finds his way back to the local Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
trading settlement of Macao
Mação
Mação is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 400.0 km² and a total population of 7,763 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of eight parishes, and is located in the Santarém District....
.
Thereafter Struan works only for himself; he starts by practising piracy on Chinese junk
Junk (ship)
A junk is an ancient Chinese sailing vessel design still in use today. Junks were developed during the Han Dynasty and were used as sea-going vessels as early as the 2nd century AD. They evolved in the later dynasties, and were used throughout Asia for extensive ocean voyages...
s and uses them to make dangerous opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
runs up the China coast. He expands his smuggling business and eventually masses a fleet of clipper ships and a large fortune. But Tyler Brock also survives the shipwreck to found his own company, Brock and Sons. The two rivals rise to dominate the China trade. But Struan is almost always a little stronger, a little smarter, and a little richer than his nemesis.
The enmity between Struan and Brock is a prominent theme in Clavell's Asian Saga. Struan dies in a typhoon before he can fulfil his oath to destroy Brock. Both men leave many children, legitimate and illegitimate, who take up their fathers' mantles and continue the battle. Thus begins a vicious cycle which lasts many years. It is passed down through the generations. The last descendant of Tyler Brock, Quillan Gornt, dies in a boating accident over 120 years later. After this accident there is no one from the Brock line left to threaten the Noble House.
Struan has a Chinese mistress, May-may, and their romance is developed within the conventions of the genre as the basis for the novel's optimistic theme of cross-cultural fusion. The character also has several children who feature in the story, including Culum Struan, Winifred Dunross and Gordon Chen
Gordon Chen
Gordon Chen is a character in the James Clavell Asian Saga novels Tai-Pan and Gai-Jin. He is the illegitimate Chinese/Scottish son of Dirk Struan, founder of Struan's Trading Company, called the "Noble House". At the time of the novel Tai-Pan, he is about twenty.Chen decided he would be "more...
.
Clavell's hero was inspired by the historical William Jardine
William Jardine (surgeon)
William Jardine was a Scottish physician and merchant. He co-founded the Hong Kong conglomerate Jardine, Matheson and Company. From 1841 to 1843, he was Member of Parliament for Ashburton as a Whig....
, and the Noble House of Struan's is modelled on the real-life "Princely House" of Jardine, Matheson & Co
Jardine Matheson Holdings
Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited often referred to as Jardines, is a multinational corporation incorporated in Bermuda and based in Hong Kong. While listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Singapore Exchange, the vast majority of Jardines shares are traded in Singapore...
of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.