Don't Cry, Tai Lake

Inspector Chen Cao #7

by Qiu Xiaolong

“Dark, gorgeous…feels authentically Chinese and it works like a charm.” --Washington Post Book World on A Case of Two Cities

Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Department is offered a bit of luxury by friends and supporters within the Party – a week’s vacation at a luxurious resort near Lake Tai, a week where he can relax, and recover, undisturbed by outside demands or disruptions. Unfortunately, the once beautiful Lake Tai, renowned for its clear waters, is now covered by fetid algae, its waters polluted by toxic runoff from local manufacturing plants. Then the director of one of the manufacturing plants responsible for the pollution is murdered and the leader of the local ecological group is the primary suspect of the local police. Now Inspector Chen must tread carefully if he is to uncover the truth behind the brutal murder and find a measure of justice for both the victim and the accused.

Genres: Mystery, China, Fiction, Crime, Detective, Asia, Murder Mystery

262 pages, Hardcover

First published May 8, 2012

About the author

Qiu Xiaolong (裘小龙) was born in Shanghai, China. He is the author of the award-winning Inspector Chen series of mystery novels, Death of a Red Heroine (2000), A Loyal Character Dancer (2002), When Red Is Black (2004), A Case of Two Cities (2006), Red Mandarin Dress (2007), and The Mao Case (2009). He is also the author of two books of poetry translations, Treasury of Chinese Love Poems (2003) and Evoking T'ang (2007), and his own poetry collection, Lines Around China (2003). Qiu's books have sold over a million copies and have been published in twenty languages. He currently lives in St. Louis with his wife and daughter.

Reviews

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite liked it, for a crime novel. I didn't take very long before it became quite clear who committed the crime, so there was no big ah-ha! moment at the end, but it was enjoyable to read anyway. There's some romance as well and I thought it was exceptionally well made. I should date someone! :P Poetry and ecology are two common themes throughout and I ended skimming a few poems near the end. Some I thought were actually really good, but when he started to make poems about nature conservation, it turned a bit... like a winning high school poem? Anyway, it was entertaining to read!

[Vikas Datta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another vintage Inspector Chen mystery .... trouble brews up in a idyllic spot where the good inspector is on vacation and our honourable hero, with a poetic bent of mind, has to confront some uncomfortable realities of the new China, especially the cost to the environment in the race for economic development and prosperity - and the fate of those who question this state of affairs...

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad read, but not up to the standard of Qiu's best work. The CEO of an important chemical plant is murdered in his "home office." Whodunit? Whydunit, and how? as no murder weapon is extant. I've always wondered why it is a crime novel/film trope that the murder weapon is left at the scene; surely it makes more sense to take it away and dispose of it secretly, far from the scene of the crime? A quick chuck into the river or a handy dumpster on the edge of town and Bob's your uncle, surely? At the same time, Chen Cao is on an enforced vacation at the High Cadre's R and R Centre in the same town--whadda coinkidink!--and of course gets himself involved in the case. There is of course A Girl, and Chen can't resist drawing parallels between himself and Bogart at one point, even as the obligatory local copper sidekick constantly compares him with Holmes.

We all know that China's environmental track record is terrible, but the soapboxing by both our Inspector and The Girl (an environmentalist attached to the chem company) is not well-woven into the fabric of the story; it stands out like a new patch on an old garment, and we all know how that parable ended! The ending has far too much telling, when a bit of showing would have been much more effective and natural. I honestly don't think cops sit around saying "And then he did this and she said that and then this other happened" for hours at a time, but in this novel entire days pass during a short conversation that takes a minute or two to read. The murder itself was a bit facile, a bit eighties TV drama, a bit (whisper it low) Murder She Wrote.

I hope Qiu continues to write novels for many years, but perhaps it's time for him to find a new theme, new fields, and a new protagonist. If he's not careful, Inspector Chen Cao is going to turn into a caricature of himself. I guess I can put up with the continuation of his foot fetish (is it a Chinese man-thing, or a Chen-thing?), but his tendency to spout classical poetry every single time he engages anyone, anywhere in conversation is probably a good indication of the reason he has no girlfriend, or even close friends beyond his partner, Detective Yu. Yu actually describes Chen as "the inscrutable inspector"--and here was I thinking that wasn't exactly a complimentary term, if you happen to be Asian! BTW, Yu, the noun is "inscrutability", not "inscrutableness."

And that's another thing. I know Qiu is working in his second language, but where were those editors he lauded so highly in the Acknowledgements? He does say that his main editor had just had a baby, which might explain why there was more than one sentence that left me open-mouthed--and not at the quality of the writing. I submit two examples:
"The curtain still drawn, the room appeared enveloped in a grey opaqueness, as if its contents were waiting to be mailed into the morning." Haiya. We won't even discuss the repetitive nonsense of "grey opaqueness."

"To his surprise, the letter didn't surprise him all that much." Well, were you surprised or not, Chen? Which is it?

Three and a half stars rounded up to four because today's my birthday, and because I hope it's not the book, it's me--though I'm afraid it is.

[☯Emily Ginder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspector Chen is a chief inspector in Shanghai who has been given a week's vacation in Wuxi, a neighboring city. He is a rising star in the Chinese government although he has ruffled feathers with Internal Security. He meets a young woman, Shanshan, and hears about a murder on his first day of vacation. These two events become related when Chen discovers that the girl and her former boyfriend are under suspicion for the murder. Why are these two suspected?

China has a terrible pollution problem which the government is ignoring in order to maintain economic growth. Their waterways are so polluted that the citizens can't even touch the water. Pure drinking water is scarce and all the fish eaten are full of contaminants. All this can be verified with doing only a limited search on Bing.

The author has taken this serious environmental issue in China and made it a crucial part of the mystery. The girl and her friend are trying to get companies and corporations to stop polluting. The leaders of these companies ignore the issue because they know their profits will decline if any safeguards are implemented. The Chinese government gives lip service to environmental issues, but they reward economic growth. So what would a greedy industrialist do? Look at America and you know.

When a leading businessman is killed, the government thinks this would be an excellent time to "solve" a murder and get rid of a perceived threat. The officials from Internal Security pin the murder on Jiang, Shanshan's friend. Detective Chen has to find a way to solve the murder while in an unofficial role.

Even though the environmental problems in the USA are no longer as terrible as they were in the 1960's, the environmental progress has slowed and is actually in decline. The reason is that the Republican party, who gets much of their wealth from corporations, want no regulations. To them, money is more important than the health of their citizens. Neither China or the US look at the true cost of environmental degradation, including medical costs associated with pollution, fracking, etc. While reading this book, I realized that there is very little difference between the objectives of the Chinese or American governments. The citizens of each country have little say compared to business and corporations.

This was a fantastic book written by a Chinese national who currently lives in the United States. The author is a poet and this book in interspersed with his poetry about the destruction of Tai Lake in Wuxi, China.

[Georgiana 1792 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ritorno in Cina dall'ispettore capo Chen Cao, che questa volta è in vacanza sul lago Tai in un residence per quadri di partito; non che lui sia in posizione così elevata: la vacanza gli viene offerta dal compagno segretario Zhao, l’ex primo segretario del Comitato centrale di disciplina del Partito, ormai in pensione. Ma mentre è sul lago, Chen si rende conto che i problemi di inquinamento non sono pochi, soprattutto a causa delle industrie che riversano i liquami nel lago non rispettando le norme ecologiche, cosicché mangiare pesce pescato nel lago Tai potrebbe essere addirittura letale. Chen conosce la giovane Shanshan, impegnata nella lotta per l'ambiente e si interessa che non venga coinvolta nell'omicidio di Liu Deming, il direttore generale di uno stabilimento chimico, il suo capo, con cui Shanshan ha avuto non pochi attriti. Chen le tiene nascosto di essere un ispettore di polizia e si presenta a lei come poeta e traduttore di romanzi gialli dall'inglese, e infatti sarà ispirato a scrivere una poesia proprio sulla lotta per l'ambiente, ispirato da Shanshan. Intanto collabora con il sergente Huang del dipartimento di polizia di Wuxi per scoprire chi abbia ucciso Liu Deming.
Naturalmente, dietro alla cortina del giallo - di soluzione piuttosto scontata - Qiu approfitta per denunciare il malfunzionamento della nuova Cina, la corruzione, i soprusi verso chi osa ribellarsi per il bene comune.

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Sentence: Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Bureau found himself standing in front of the gate to the Wuxi Cadre Recreation Center.

Chief Inspector Chen Cao is surprised, pleased and a bit suspicious when he is given an unexpected vacation at a resort reserved for only those of high cadre; influence and/or power. The exclusive resort is located on the once very beautiful and pristine Tai Lake but chemical dumping and greed for wealth are changing that. One of the executives is murdered and a young woman Chen has come to know is being blamed. It is up to Chen to find the truth before she, or her friend, are taken off to prison.

With a tranquil beginning, we are immediately brought into a different world where we learn the importance of rank. Qui excels establishing a strong sense of place. From him we see, hear, smell and taste China. There are wonderful descriptions of the food, which are enhanced by stories of the history behind some of the dishes reminding us just how old is the culture of China.

Chen is fascinating and wonderful character. He’s a policeman who had no desire to be a policeman. He’s a poet and translator of books, particularly mysteries, from English into Chinese. But he is also dedicated to do his job the best he can, realizing its importance. It’s enjoyable to see the local policeman, Sergeant Haung, admiration of Chen and his comparisons of Chen to Sherlock Holmes. Chen is a man of integrity. Although he is attracted to a female character, he knows he must not violate his responsibility as a cop. Poetry and quotation have a significant place in the story. Even the love scene is lyrically described.

We learn details of its history and customs; from the “hair” salons to environmental issues of today. In particular, it is about the changing China, economics and what a company, if permitted, will do to increase its value to increase wealth for its executives. [Chen]”Why are people capable of doing anything just for the sake of money? A partial answer might be the collapse of the ethical system…” It’s prophetic in we see the result of a non-regulated industry, yet it never becomes preach-y.

It is also interesting to see the way in which now having some freedom of religion impacts the people of today’s China. We forget that religion was banned under strict communism so when two of the supporting characters attend a church service it is a new experience for them. However, there is still the strong importance of “saving face”.

There is a redundancy in the constant reminder that the complex is only for those of high cadre of a certain rank and that Chen is only there because of his connection to such a person. However, this also supports Chen’s personality that he would be very much aware of that fact.

“Don’t Cry, Tai Lake” concludes with a wonderful, touching ending. The final revelation as to the solution of the case is summed up best by Officer Huang “The clues are all there, but it takes a master to connect them,”. However, even with the murder solved, the story shows the insular nature of China against the West. I’ve enjoyed the entire series but feel this is one of Qui’s best books.

DON’T CRY, TAI LAKE (Pol Proc-CI Chen Cao-Shanghai, China-Contemporary) - VG
Xiaolong, Qiu – 7th in series
Minotaur Books, 2012

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a while to catch my breath after finishing this book. The political power to dwarf people and trample nature for money gain is one we know exists in China (and in other countries in the free world!) but the picture of it here is crystal clear, simple, chilling. I love how Chief Inspector Chen weaves poetry into every situation, and beautiful poetry it is--some of it classical, some of it his own. One of the best parts of the book! Here, the heir to the polluting factory says his "real passion is for Beijing opera," and he wants to go for an MA in it. Characters are real people, I feel as if I know them all now. And, one of my other favorite parts of Qiu's books is walking the streets of Shanghai.
It's awful to compare a top-notch detective to another famous fictional one, but I could not help but think of Nero Wolfe as this book came to a close. A thinking detective, making connections, checking on things the regular cops don't check on, gathering suspects and revealing the real killer--really good plot work here.
And Qiu always has memorable lines: The world is meaningful only in what has meaning to you.
Last, but not least, the thread of the "unreliable narrator" is a delectable piece of meta-fiction.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC radio 4 - Drama:
Poet and gourmand Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police Bureau returns in a new drama based on Qiu Xiaolong's crime novels. Chen's lakeside holiday is interrupted by the violent death of the boss of the Wuxi Number One Chemical Company. Will his blossoming relationship with a young environmental engineer compromise his covert investigation? Dramatised by Joy Wilkinson.

Song composed by Neil Brand
Directed by Toby Swift

'Don't Cry, Tai Lake' is the seventh of Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen novels, all 9 of which have been dramatised for BBC Radio 4. They have sold over 1m copies and been translated into 20 languages.
"Witty and thrilling" The Daily Telegraph.
"A welcome alternative to Scandi-noir" The Observer.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b2...

[JBradford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every once in a while, as I am walking down the aisles at my local library, my wandering eyes will fall on a book and feel a sudden bond. Is it the oddity of the font in the title, the shininess of the plasteen cover, the peculiarity of the illustration? I don’t know, but it works … and every time it works, it makes me wonder how may other excellent books I never come across. I had never heard of Qiu Xiaolong; why is that? Qiu Xiaolong is Chinese, born and raised in Shanghai, but he now lives in St. Louis, Missouri. He probably would have to--I doubt very much that his writings are overly appreciated in China, because the mirror he holds up to the Chinese government is not very flattering … except that I might be very wrong in saying that, as the image may be so truthful that they would see it through their own cultural aspects, rather than mine.

This is a novel in a series about Chief Inspector Chen Cao, of the Shanghai Police Department. As such, it purports to give us a native-born’s view of what it is like to live in modern China, how the government operates, how the Chinese police agencies function, etc. I have absolutely no way of telling how authentic it is, of course, but it has an air of authenticity that is chilling. There are some minor flaws. On Page 44, for example, we read: “From the distance, he could see several elderly people … drinking tea, talking, and cracking watermelon seeds.” From the distance he could see that they were cracking watermelon seeds? Similarly, on Page 212: “A few doors away, a middle-aged woman with a bamboo basket of wet, green shepherd’s purse blossom looked at the two in curiosity, and then smiled pleasantly.” From a few doors away he could see that she had an expression of curiosity and then that she smiled pleasantly? He has much better eyesight than I--which may be why he is a Chief Inspector!

Actually, I am more bothered by the story-line compression flaw that lets the protagonist interact with the proprietor of a cheap café and with the head of a major industrial business, as well as all grades of people in between, with equal facility. I understand that this sort of thing has to be allowed for the sake of keeping a book’s length to no more than a couple hundred pages, but it damages the realism of the plot.

Aside from such things, however, it is an interesting look at life in China, at the way that Chinese people interact.

Inspector Chen, who did not want to become a policeman and prefers to think of himself as a poet, is away for a seminar when he gets a message from a high-ranking politician that the latter wants him to take his place at a luxury vacation spot, as he is too busy to go and he thinks Chen deserves a vacation. Chen has no choice but to go, and feels that he can relax in this luxurious location, a resort on the shore of the fabled Lake Tai. On the morning after his arrival, Chen befriends an attractive young female who is an environmental engineer for the largest industrial plant in the area … which just happens to be polluting the lake so badly that eating the fish in it makes people ill. As if that were not enough, he then discovers that there has just been a big murder; the man who manages that big firm has been killed in his home office, and one of the first suspects turns out to be none other than the lovely young engineer. Chen’s task, then is to solve the crime without distressing the local police or, even more importantly, the Internal Security agency, which has its own ideas about who to blame. He proceeds to do this, while at the same time composing lines of poetry that reads as though it has been translated, as there is no meter and no rhyme … and, to my uneducated ears, no sense in most cases. Still, it is an interesting insight into how Chinese live.l

[Melaslithos · Rating 4 out of 5]

On a ici un bon Qiu Xiaolong, avec une enquête passionnante et captivante. En effet, si ses livres sont toujours intéressant par leur richesse et ce qu’ils nous font découvrir de la Chine, je trouve que l’intrigue policière est quant à elle parfois inégale. Mais pas de soucis de ce côté là pour ce polar.

L’auteur tacle ici l’un des sujets chauds de l’actualité, dont il n’avait pas encore fait mention précédemment, mais qui prend cependant de plus en plus d’ampleur en Chine. En effet, avec toutes sortes de scandales à répétitions, les chinois commencent peu à peu à prendre conscience de l’ampleur du problème, même si cela ne se ressent pas encore dans la vie quotidienne. Ce livre montre bien le dilemme entre développement économique et conscience écologique. En effet, celle-ci se retrouve bien souvent laissée pour compte dans la course effrénée à la croissance. Faut-il gagner de l’argent à tout prix ? Ou plutôt penser à ceux qui souffriront de cela ? Jusqu’où aller pour ses ambitions/idéaux ? Dans une Chine en manque de repère, ce sont des questions que tout un chacun se doivent de se poser. Les réponses ne sont pas évidentes et mènent parfois à certains excès.

L’inspecteur Chen n’est pas près de prendre du repos, pour notre plus grand plaisir.

[Barbara ★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

To truly enjoy this series, you have to have a background in Chinese government or be a native Chinese. As an American with little knowledge of the Chinese political structure, I found this book difficult to follow.

And don't even get me started on the poetry. I find it strange that a detective is spouting poetry with every other sentence especially when he's talking to pretty young women. Maybe it's a cultural thing and I just don't get it or maybe it's just that I don't get poetry. Who knows.

The mystery wasn't new and the culprit was easy to spot. If it hadn't been for Chen's romantic interest in Shanshan, the book could have been a lot shorter.

The only reason I continue to read this series is that every year I need to read a book by an author whose name starts with X and this is the best option I've found.

[Rafa Sánchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

La sèptima entrega de la serie del inspector jefe Chen se distingue de las anteriores en que el drama colectivo de la Revolución Cultural no aparece en el trasfondo de la trama. Esta novela nos relata un crimen cometido en una laguna antiguamente idílica y turística y que ahora se ha convertido en una charca polucionada por los vertidos de fábricas que han crecido con el boom chino de los 90. Chan queda prendado de una de las personas involucradas en el crimen, como es habitual en él, pero lo vuelve a tener difícil por los condicionantes de su profesión y rango político dentro del Partido Comunista. Es una trama más convencional que las anteriores pero el personaje de Chen siempre resulta atractivo per se.

[Orion · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I like about Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen novels is their ethical examination of modern Communist China as seen through the eyes of a poet whose Party-assigned job is police detective, but whose moral upbringing comes from the Confucian studies of his father. This seventh book of the series takes place in the resort city of Tai Lake, one of the largest freshwater lakes in china that in recent years has been plagued by pollution as the surrounding region experienced rapid industrial development. The challenge of balancing ecological concerns with the need for industrial growth in China is the backstory to a investigation into the murder of one of the leading polluters of the area.

[Diane Montreuil · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'ai lu la traduction de ce livre - en français. Je l'ai choisi puisque le thème de la protection de l'environnement et la Chine m'intéressent. De fait, l'auteur a bien détaillé les tensions entre économie et environnement dans le contexte de la culture chinoise. Je ne sais pas si le système politique chinois est tel que décrit par l'auteur, mais cela paraît vraisemblable. La poésie de l'inspecteur Chen s'insère bien dans le texte. Son amourette semble aussi être inspirée de la poésie chinoise.

[Pat K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Xiaolong's writing is beautiful and intelligent, even while describing the environmental damage done to China's lakes and waterways. This book is a murder mystery, brilliantly woven into an expose of the terrible price that China's environment has paid for economic advancement. Don't Cry Tai lake, is best read as part of the series of Inspector Chen novels, the back story in the early books informs a great deal of how Chen and China got to where they are.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

8th book in Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen series. I find them oddly addictive. Classic police procedural genre fiction, but great portrait of contemporary China from the eyes of a mid-level Communist party cadre (and poet/gourmet, of course).

[Steff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't write an unbiased review of this book because I love Qiu Xiaolong's writing so much. He is easily in my top five favorite authors. I will just say I loved this book and leave it at that.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new book gives a more personal look at Chen. I also enjoyed the poetry and the timely ecological theme. I hope for more about Chen and Shanshan!!!

[Maggie Scholten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't Cry, Tai Lake is the seventh in Qiu Xiaolong's series about Chief Inspector Chen Cao, an officer of the Shanghai Police Department. The plot revolves around the murder of Liu Deming, director of Wuxi Number One Chemical Company and member of the People's Congress of Zhejiang Province. The company is just about to launch an IPO and has been dumping large amounts of chemical waste into the lake as it tries to maximize its profits. The local police and Internal Security have decided an environmental activist named Jiang is the prime suspect, based on claims that he was blackmailing Liu and the staff of other local enterprises.

Soon after he arrives in Wuxi for a short-lived vacation, Chief Inspector Chen meets Shanshan, an employee of Wuxi Number One Chemical Company who is responsible for monitoring the environmental effects of its operations. Shanshan is generally disliked at the company because of her stringent standards and is even being harassed with anonymous phone calls. It turns out that Jiang and Shanshan used to be close associates, and this may lead to Shanshan being pulled into the case.

Chen himself is increasingly doubtful of Jiang's guilt. Over the course of the novel he questions several other people who may have been involved or know more about what happened that night: Liu's secretary, Mi, who is rumored to be his mistress and was often with him at his home office; his former second-in-command, Fu, who is now in charge of the company; and his wife, who was in Shanghai that weekend, as was her usual habit for initially unclear reasons. Despite a few twists and turns, the eventual solution to the mystery is not very surprising, and ties into the story's central idea that careless destructiveness in pursuit of personal gain will inevitably harm both other human beings and the surrounding environment.

Chen and the other characters often talk at length about environmental and political issues, which makes the book appealing to Qiu's target audience of general readers who may be interested in learning more about contemporary China in addition to just casually reading a novel, and also makes it a possible teaching tool. In fact, I read it for an environmental class (as you can tell from the focus of this review). The plot moves quickly but is not particularly gripping. Still, it makes important points about the relationship between the environment, politics, and the economy in contemporary China. In Chapter Three, Chen and Shanshan discuss how Lake Tai has become polluted as a result of the mindset of the local and central governments. "'For the local government,'" explains Shanshan:

"'the most important thing is to show off their accomplishments to the Beijing authorities ... At what expense [an annual revenue increase] is achieved is not their concern. On the contrary, any environmental effort that could reduce the income is unacceptable to them. They're concerned only with how they'll move up as result of the "economic success." ... They don't care about what might happen in ten years, or even in one year after they leave Wuxi" (29).

Don't Cry, Tai Lake is filled with examples of the creeping effects of pollution on everyone and everything in society. Its details are particular but the warning is universal. One advantage of learning this in the format of a novel, rather than news reports or academic articles, is that you become drawn into the lives of the characters, which creates a personal connection that makes you pay closer attention than you might if you were trying to digest the information in article form.

Even though the novel is mediocre, then, some environmental details still left a strong impression in my mind.

This was compounded by the fact that I read the book while studying abroad in China, and witnessed some of these problems as I traveled or went about my daily life. When visiting my high school host family in Harbin, I thought back to one day three summers ago when we had taken a walk by the Songhua River. Most people by the riverside were spending the afternoon in parks, taking the ferry to Sun Island, or shopping downtown. But there were also a few people fishing with nets and hanging out on narrow strips of beach. "Can you go swimming there?" I asked my host mom. "No, it's not healthy. I wouldn't," she replied. Later I learned there had been a benzene spill upriver in 2005.

One memorable scene in the novel is when Chen walks along Lake Tai with Shanshan and they discuss the causes of the foul layer of algae growing over the water. He remarks that things have changed dramatically in recent years: "The lake used to be a scenic attraction because of its clear water. When I was a kid, even tea made with lake water was better because of it, or so my father told me" (29). Food safety is a serious concern: Shanshan warns Chen that fish from the lake are contaminated, and a sampan tour guide says that he gets his shrimp "from Ningbo, and it's still quite fresh. I live on the lake, so I know better" (22, 64). Direct contact with the water tends to cause skin rashes, as Shanshan finds out after trailing her feet off the edge of a boat several times.

These details come together to form the larger picture that Qiu wants the reader to take away from Don't Cry, Tai Lake. Chen makes this point while he is talking on the phone with Comrade Secretary Zhao. "It seems to me that the problem isn't just about one particular lake, or one specific company. Pollution is so widespread that it's a problem all over China. To some extent, it's affecting the core of China's development with GDP-centered economic growth coming at the expense of the environment. It can't go on like this ... Our economy should have a sustainable development" (248).

Unfortunately, despite Chen's strong argument for change, the end of the novel is melancholy, suggesting that the Liu case has probably not even made a dent in the disastrous pollution problem of Lake Tai. Wuxi Number One Chemical Company and all the other factories around the lake will keep churning out toxins; the government will continue to put development ahead of environmental protection.

Qiu seems to be saying that standalone efforts may not be enough to make significant changes to China's environmental policies. They are tangled up in many other issues that need to be dealt with on an overall, structural level, so that it is no longer in local officials and corporate leaders' self-interest to ruin the food they eat, the air they breathe, and the water they drink.

[Shuriu · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Chief Inspector Chen resembles MEP)

...his mind began wandering. "So many days, where have you been -- / like a traveling cloud / that forgets to come back / unaware of the spring drawing to an end?" (p. 7)

...she couldn't help taking another look at him -- possibly in his mid-thirties, tall, austerely good-looking, dressed in a beige jacket, white shirt, and khaki pants. Nothing conspicuous, yet with an air of prosperous distinction that fit well with his clothes. Slightly bookish, well-read.... (p. 27)

"There is one line in a Confucian classic, Shanshan. 'Some people may never really know each other even if they're together until white-haired, but some people may be true friends the moment they meet each other, taking down their hats.'" (p. 31-32)

"You have worked too hard, burning up the yin in your system. Consequently, both the qi and blood are at a low ebb, and the yang is insubstantially high. Quite a lot is out of balance, but nothing is precisely wrong, just a little of everything." He dashed off a prescription and added thoughtfully, "You're still single, aren't you?"
Chen thought he knew what the doctor was driving at. According to traditional Chinese medical theory, people achieve the yin-yang balance through marriage. For a man of his age, continuous celibacy wouldn't be healthy. (p. 45)

She was dressed for his company, he observed. Confucius says, "A woman makes herself beautiful for the man who appreciates her." It wasn't necessarily antifeminist, depending on the viewer's perspective. (p. 58)

There was a red paper cutting stuck to the cabin wall behind her, he noted. The cutting, though slightly torn, was a recognizable pattern of fish and flower, symbolic of passionate love and fruitful marriage. (p. 58-59)

Chen couldn't help wondering whether people in their cups were eventually all alike, too addicted to have much self-esteem or dignity left. (p. 102)

They sauntered away, hand in hand like a loving couple, which they were. It was as in a popular song, "It's the most romantic thing to live, love, and grow old with you, side by side." (p. 162)

She leaned toward him unexpectedly, her hand in his, her head touching his shoulder. He became aware of her breath, warm on his face.
They were standing close to each other, by the window. Behind her, the lake water appeared calm and beautiful under the fair moonlight. In the deep blue evening sky, the night clouds grew insubstantial.
She tilted her face up to him, her eyes glistening. He tightened his grasp of her hand, which was soft, slightly sweaty. She raised her other hand, her long fingers moving to smooth his face, lightly, as a breeze from the lake.
Several lines came back to him, as if riding on the water: "Come to the window, sweet is the night-air! ... / Ah, love, let us be true / To one another ..."
Another poet, long ago, far away in another land, looking out the window at night, standing in the company of one so near and dear to him, thinking of the reason why they should love each other: ... "for the world, which seems / To lie before us like a land of dreams, / So various, so beautiful, so new, / Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light, / Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain ..."
It was a melancholy love poem, presenting love as the only momentary escape -- from a faithless world, hopeless with "human misery, and the eternal note of sadness." .... Still, they could be true to one another. (p. 190-191)

So it had happened. He still found it hard to believe. It seemed as though he had been another man earlier, and now he was reviewing in amazement what had happened to somebody else. He looked at her again, her black hair spilled over the white pillow, her pale face peaceful yet passion-worn, after the consummating moment of the cloud coming, and the rain falling.
In the second century BC, Song Yu, a celebrated poet of the Chu state, composed a rhapsody about the liason of King Chu Xiang and the Wu Mountain goddess. At parting, the goddess promised she would come again to him in clouds and rain. A breathtaking metaphor, which had become a sort of euphemism for sexual love in classical Chinese literature.
The memory of the night surged back in the dark, intensely, illuminating Chen in fragmented details. The intensity of their passion had been accentuated by a touch of desperation that affected them both. There was no telling what would happen -- to her, to him, to the world. There was nothing for them to grasp except the moment of being, losing, and finding themselves again in each other.
With her above, she turned into a dazzling white cloud, languid, rolling, soft yet solid, sweeping, almost insubstantial, clinging, pressing, and shuddering when she came, into a sudden rain, incredibly warm yet cool, splashing, her long hair cascading over his face like a torrent, washing up sensations he had never known before. Then she undulated under him like the lake, ever-flowing, rising and falling in the dark, arching up, her hot wetness engulfing him, rippling, pulling him down to the depth of the night, and bearing him up to the surface again, her legs tightening around him in waves of prolonged convulsion.
Afterward, they lay quietly in each other's arms, languourous, in correspondence to the lake water lapping against the shore, lapping in the quietness of the night. (p. 192-193)

He didn't start all at once. He was sitting still, thinking, unaware of the time flowing away like waves in the dark. It started to rain. He listened to the rain pattering against the windows, imagining the lake furling around like a girdle. (p. 194-195)

The world is meaningful only in what has meaning to you. (p. 212)
One way or another, people pick up a given discourse, that which makes the world meaningful or sensible to them. Then they live in accordance to it, even though what they do may not make any sense to anyone else. (p. 213)
Indeed, people are complicated. They are capable of doing things that seem totally inexplicable to others, hence suspicious, but once you manage to see them from their perspective, it al makes perfect sense. (p. 235)

[Jennifer Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the early books in this series, but the last few have felt a touch too casual for me. Like the crime element is nearly unimportant compared to the other themes Xiaolong wishes to explore. Here, I would have loved a heightened sense of urgency in terms of the environmental concern or even the relationship concern if not the crime, but instead it feels as if the slow, red-tape-type concerns of the bureaucracy above the detective leak into everything else and affect a lack of urgency.

The writing was still lovely, the case and the characters still interesting, but it all felt so casual that I just didn't enjoy it as much as I'd like to. It was fine...but so far, it's probably my least favorite of the series.

[Timons Esaias · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was bogged down in a detective novel by another author that was filling the pages with long diatribes about the evils of the current regime in China, so I turned to this one for relief, only to find that much of it is a diatribe about the environmental evils of the current regime in China...

But despite that, the pages turned easily, and I tore through this relatively quickly. There are a few stylistic devices that I tell my students to avoid, but the text is grimace-free, at least. The setting, in contemporary PRC, near Shanghai, makes it a travelogue; the somewhat alien culture makes it interesting and informative; and the difficult, noir world in which a police inspector lives there is the stuff of good fiction.

In this story, Chen has been given a free vacation in the resort city of Wuxi, on the shores of Lake Tai. He is in a compound for upper cadres of the Party only, and the whole thing is way above his pay grade. It is not entirely clear to him whether this is grooming him for promotion or blowing off a benefit that the giver didn't care about in the first place. The tension around this adds a nice layer of mystery to the whole book.

Chen, of course, happens on a case, which turns into a murder case. Things get complicated when it turns out he's at cross-purposes with Internal Security, which is not something you would ever want to be, in China. (They're the bad guys in the first mystery I was reading, too.) Is there also a romantic interest? Could be, but I'm not offering spoilers.

This volume held together much better than the previous volume (you can see my review), but I'm still giving it four stars, instead of five, because of the long lectures about pollution in Tai Lake that are inserted into the dialogue and narrative. We don't need the statistics and the information, we need the characters' reactions to the information.

Let me repeat that the pages turned easily, and I was entertained. I will be reading the next volume in the series when its turn comes around, and I already own two more volumes beyond that.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
My first book from the author, I randomly picked it from library.
The story started when the Inspector Chen went for unexpected vacation and tangled in unexpected murder case.
It was interesting book mix with poetry. I enjoyed reading the book although I kinda know who the murderer is half through the book, thats the reason why it is 3.5/5.

[Félix Durand · Rating 3 out of 5]

C'est l'inspecteur Chen beubé

[Elizabeth (Betsy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grabbed out of a box on the side of the road and read it all in 3 days. Easy read, kept me interested, highly recommended listening to instrumental Chinese music in the background lmfao

[Sedonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of this series and this book did not disappoint. I enjoy the pacing and attention to detail in the narrative, which really brings me into that world with all its sounds, smells, and tastes. The Inspector Chen books often do not have wildly intense scenes full pursuit and danger but i prefer that they don't. I love the steady yet meticulous pace of the mysteries, the introductions of the various characters or should i say, suspects and the way Chen carefully looks at everything and treats everyone with his characteristic courtesy and depth. I also adore his side characters, the married couple of his police partner Yu and Yu's wife, Peiqin. They always have Chen's back and are key in helping him to answer questions that clarify the direction they should go in and without which they would remain in the dark and pointing to the absolutely wrong suspects.

This particular story also brings in the current environmental crises caused by runaway industrialization. I was curious and looked up Tai Lake, which is very beautiful. Images of it showed the thick layer of toxic green scum that is poisoning the fish and the water there.

Each Chen mystery, however, deals with some poignant aspect of China's history and political situation and i have learned a lot about the place and culture just by reading them. Oh, and if you are a foodie, you will also enjoy these mysteries, since the author, Qiu Xiaolong always gives many images and descriptions of the cuisine there, much of it mouthwatering, yet a few others a bit, well, different if you're not used to it. In any case, i do hope that Qiu Xialong will continue the series for a very long time.

[Booknblues · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t Cry Tai Lake
By Qiu Xiaolong
5 Stars
pp. 262

I was excited to learn that Qiu Xiaolong had written another Inspector Chen book, so I rushed to purchase Don’t Cry Tai Lake and it did not disappoint. I’ve read all the other of the series and appreciate the development of the characters stories through out. I love the story of Inspector Chen an up and coming cadre who has a degree in English, translates mystery stories for additional funds, writes poetry, is a gourmet, a policeman and cannot seem to get his love life together. Then there is his partner Yu who with his wife Peiqin has struggled to create a better life for themselves and their son.

In Don’t Cry Tai Lake Inspector Chen is given a vacation at an exclusive resort by his mentor Comrade Secretary Zhao. It does,of course, have strings attached. Zhao wants him to prepare a report about the area of Tai Lake in Wuxi.

This book comes with the usual poetry, descriptions of food and its preparations and the description of what life is like in China. It gives the reader a real look at the problems facing modern China with its rapid expansion of industry and its push to commercialism and the costs involved with it. The beautiful Tai Lake has become polluted and Chen’s new friend Shanshan and environmentalist is unpopular because her reports go against the “progress” of the area and are seen as a stumbling block to the regions’ productivity and wealth.

This book does much to continue the story of Inspector Chen and we find him having a moral dilemma of the heart with his concern for Shanshan, the young environmentalist. He also struggles with what he will say to Comrade Secretary Zhao in his report as pollution is a very real problem which effects the health of both the citizens and the environment but it is not a popular problem to be addressed.

My one disappointment was that Detective Yu and his wife played only a small role in this, but perhaps I can hope that the next in the series will give him a broader focus.

If you haven’t discovered this series, I encourage all to give it a try but start with the first, Death of a Red Heroine.

[Carl R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve said so much about Qiu Xiaolong and his inspector Chen in other commentaries (Death of a Red Heroine, A Loyal Character Dancer), that it seems superfluous to go into much detail about either the author or his protagonist in Don’t Cry, Tai Lake. Chen is not only a detective but a poet, one who writes his own and quotes prodigiously from both Chinese and Western classical authors. He has allies in high places, but is uncomfortable with the idea of using them, preferring to just do his job. However, his job always seems to get into politics, as apparently everything in China does. We’re treated once again to an exploration of recent Chinese history and the trials of those who underwent some of the upheavals under Mao.
In Tai, Chen’s been given a vacation at a luxurious resort ordinarily reserved for “High Cadre” officials. His mentor says there are no strings attached, but he might want to just keep his eyes open in case something interesting passes in view. Of course, something does. He discovers that the lake, despite its reputation for pristine purity is polluted, and that the pollution is ongoing by a number of chemical companies surrounding it, all of who are “in compliance” with regulations via bribery and manipulation of figures. Then there’s a murder of one of the factory owners. Seemingly unrelated. Seemingly.

Though he has no jurisdiction so far from his Shanghai base, Chen gets involved, and involved as well with a woman who has been trying to expose the whole mess. She turns out to be the affair with the unattainable which Chen encounters in each novel.

Kudos to Qiu for keeping this book about the murder rather than about the pollution, unlike Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior, which started out like a great book, then turned into a screed on global warning. The point about pollution and its dangers and corruption in high places gets made here, but never gets in the way of the mystery and relationships that are the proper focus of the book.

Qiu Xiaolong’s a real-deal writer, and I’m very glad to know him.

[Gloria Feit · Rating 4 out of 5]

While ostensibly a murder mystery, this latest Inspector Chen novel is more a polemic concerning excessive pollution, economic growth at any cost and the political and social system in China today. Still, it is so well-written, filled with poetic references as an integral part of the whole, that it is a worthy addition to the series.

Initially, Chen is invited to spend some vacation time at an exclusive resort for upper cadre (of which he isn’t one) by his mentor in Beijing who was scheduled to use a villa there. So, right off the bat, the author offers observations on how the upper layers of officials benefit, while the rest of the population doesn’t have such luxuries. Then Chen learns that the once pure waters of Tai Lake have become so polluted that fish are destroyed, the water can’t be drunk and even causes illness to inhabitants. The pollution is caused by industrial waste, unimpeded in the interest of profits and “progress.”

No sooner does Chen arrive than the general manager of a large chemical company is found murdered and Chen becomes involved, without disclosing himself as a Chief Inspector, in an unofficial investigation. He learns about the pollution from a young female engineer, and works behind the façade of a local policeman, observing, questioning and deducting in typical Chen fashion, including a long T.S. Elliot-type poem about the lake. Other than the murder solution, the criticism of societal and economic conditions in China is anything but subtle. [I wonder if the novel will ever be translated into Chinese.] Here, it is recommended.

[Ladysatel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, Qiu Xiaolong was born in Shanghai, China In 1988, hecame to the United States as a Ford Foundation Fellow, started writing in English, and obtained a Ph.D. incomparative literature at Washington University, St. Louis, MO.

This is his 8th book published, an Inspector Chen murder mystery.

Detective Inspector Chen Cao is given an unexpected vacation by his mentor Comrade Secretary Zhao. Chen is sent to a very exclusive vacation retreat for high party members in Wuxi.The lake on which the resort sits has a reputation for its beautiful and clear waters.

On arrival Chen discovers that all is not well at Tai Lake. The industries surrounding the lake are dumping industrial pollutants in such large quantities the lake and its wildlife are almost dead. None of the local residents will eat any of the fish or shellfish from the lake.

Chen meets a beautiful young woman working as an Environmental Engineer for the Wuxi Number One Chemical Company. He is appalled at what she tells him about the pollution. Then the head of the company is murdered on the eve of taking the company public.

Chen was asked by his mentor to take a look around Wuxi and report back what he sees. He can not become involved in the investigation, but with the help of Sergeant Huan Kang of the local police he begins to look into the murder. What he finds shocks him.

A well written mystery, by the author. A poet himself, he has included many poems in this story, by celebrated Chinese poets.