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Inspector Chen Cao #8
Enigma of China
The latest in Qiu Xiaolong's critically-acclaimed series about crime in modern China, featuring Shanghai Police Chief Inspector Cao
Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Department is in an unusual situation―a poet by training and inclination, he was assigned by the party to the Police Department after he graduated college, where he has continued to shine. Now he's a rising cadre in the party, in line to take over the top politic position in the police department, while being one of most respected policeman in the department. Which is why he's brought in by the Party to sign off on the investigation into the death of Zhou Keng.
Zhou Keng―a trusted princeling, son of a major party member―was head of the Shanghai Housing Development Committee when a number of his corrupt practices were exposed on the internet. Removed from his position and placed into extra-legal detention, Zhou apparently hanged himself while under guard. While the Party is anxious to have Zhou's death declared a suicide, and for the renowned Chief Inspector Chen to sign off on that conclusion, the sequence of events don't quite add up. Now Chen will have to decide what to do – investigate the death as a possible homicide and risk angering unseen powerful people, or seek the justice that his position requires him to strive for.
Qiu Xiaolong's Enigma of China is one of Publishers Weekly 's Best Mystery/Thriller Books of 2013
Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Department is in an unusual situation―a poet by training and inclination, he was assigned by the party to the Police Department after he graduated college, where he has continued to shine. Now he's a rising cadre in the party, in line to take over the top politic position in the police department, while being one of most respected policeman in the department. Which is why he's brought in by the Party to sign off on the investigation into the death of Zhou Keng.
Zhou Keng―a trusted princeling, son of a major party member―was head of the Shanghai Housing Development Committee when a number of his corrupt practices were exposed on the internet. Removed from his position and placed into extra-legal detention, Zhou apparently hanged himself while under guard. While the Party is anxious to have Zhou's death declared a suicide, and for the renowned Chief Inspector Chen to sign off on that conclusion, the sequence of events don't quite add up. Now Chen will have to decide what to do – investigate the death as a possible homicide and risk angering unseen powerful people, or seek the justice that his position requires him to strive for.
Qiu Xiaolong's Enigma of China is one of Publishers Weekly 's Best Mystery/Thriller Books of 2013
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
67 people are currently reading
639 people want to read
About the author
Qiu Xiaolong
75 books466 followersQiu 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
April 9, 2014
The three stars are for the writing, which is pedestrian for the most part. The main problem is the same as for Donna Leon: they both need to convey a lot of background information about a different culture, and they choose to do a lot of that education via clunky question and answer dialogues in which the detective asks friends about current trends that he ought to know about already. But I keep reading Inspector Chen Cao mysteries because they are an enjoyable way to learn something about China (I presume they are relatively authentic; I have no way to judge). How can you not like a poet-policeman?
I think I may have skipped one or two of the most recent novels in this series as they began to drag a bit, but this one is worth coming back for. It addresses the corruption involved in the housing market boom in Shanghai, in which developers can acquire land from the state for a pittance (along with a kick-back, of course) and then everyone gets rich as rents and prices skyrocket.
There is a good deal of complexity here as different party and government factions and organizations hover over a police investigation. Chen is assigned to ‘observe' the case: the death of an official accused of being involved in the housing schemes. It is a bit confusing, in fact. But I liked very much that Chen seems much closer to facing up to the moral quandary of his own role in China’s ‘harmonization’ policies, as a police officer, than he has been in prior installments. He accepts most of the favors that come his way as a high ranking policeman and Party mini-player; can he give them up? Along with the housing issue, China’s attempt to control internet access plays a key role. Even Ai gets a one paragraph mention.
But the best part is that Chen is immersed in poetry again, after that aspect of his life seemed to get lost for a few episodes. We get plenty of Chinese history and traditions related to those poems (e.g. the tradition of a wine, paper boat, and poetry composition party).
Plus, lots of luscious, mouth watering Chinese food. A potential new girlfriend. A short visit with Yu and Peiqin and also one with Chen’s mother, all three of whom we have come to be fond of over the years.
I think I may have skipped one or two of the most recent novels in this series as they began to drag a bit, but this one is worth coming back for. It addresses the corruption involved in the housing market boom in Shanghai, in which developers can acquire land from the state for a pittance (along with a kick-back, of course) and then everyone gets rich as rents and prices skyrocket.
There is a good deal of complexity here as different party and government factions and organizations hover over a police investigation. Chen is assigned to ‘observe' the case: the death of an official accused of being involved in the housing schemes. It is a bit confusing, in fact. But I liked very much that Chen seems much closer to facing up to the moral quandary of his own role in China’s ‘harmonization’ policies, as a police officer, than he has been in prior installments. He accepts most of the favors that come his way as a high ranking policeman and Party mini-player; can he give them up? Along with the housing issue, China’s attempt to control internet access plays a key role. Even Ai gets a one paragraph mention.
But the best part is that Chen is immersed in poetry again, after that aspect of his life seemed to get lost for a few episodes. We get plenty of Chinese history and traditions related to those poems (e.g. the tradition of a wine, paper boat, and poetry composition party).
Plus, lots of luscious, mouth watering Chinese food. A potential new girlfriend. A short visit with Yu and Peiqin and also one with Chen’s mother, all three of whom we have come to be fond of over the years.
June 20, 2022
Chief Inspector Chen is drawn into the investigation of a suicide by a man under government investigation for corruption. It initially seems straight-forward, but then the officer in charge of the case is killed and Chen starts digging deeper. As expected in this series, food plays an important role in supporting the story line. Chen is a lovely character and these books provide a glimpse of modern Chinese life.
August 26, 2020
A chore to read. There simply was too much of everything, like a hoarder on a Xmas shopping. It was boring, overdone with a purple prose that wanted to be poetic but wasn’t. There were a few moments where I didn’t know whether it was the author’s or translator’s fault...but from other reviewers I suspect it’s both, but mostly the author.
So many things were offputting, like the food, overly described and in such a details that rungs false. Do you expect 2 people from the same country to describe the reason why X is so called? It threw me off the story. Often. Like the tourist or literature commentaries... Didactic and mostly useless. As a novel it failed.
Add a very thin plot with too many characters none of whom was well cut.
I usually love “social” mysteries or noir, European literature is full of them. But I never read one so bland.
So many things were offputting, like the food, overly described and in such a details that rungs false. Do you expect 2 people from the same country to describe the reason why X is so called? It threw me off the story. Often. Like the tourist or literature commentaries... Didactic and mostly useless. As a novel it failed.
Add a very thin plot with too many characters none of whom was well cut.
I usually love “social” mysteries or noir, European literature is full of them. But I never read one so bland.
June 17, 2020
Enigma of China is a Chief Inspector Chen novel by Qiu Xiaolong. The Chief Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police Department caught a case of the murder of Zhou Keng. The Chief Inspector Chen's supervisor wants the investigation into Zhou Keng's death to be declared a suicide. However, things do not add up for Chief Inspector Chen, and he has to decide on how he will investigate this case. The readers of "Enigma of China" will continue to follow Chief Inspector Chen to find out what happens.
Enigma of China is the first book I read of Qiu Xiaolong, and I enjoyed reading this book. I like Qui Xiaolong's writing style. The Enigma of China was well written and researched by Qui Zialong. I love Qui Zialong's portrayal of his characters and the way they intertwine with each other throughout this book. The settings of Enigma of China were described excellently by Qiu Xiaolong.
The readers of "Enigma of China" will learn about law enforcement criminal investigations in China. Also, the readers of "Enigma of China" will learn about corrupt practices in government departments in China and the consequences they had on everyone involved.
I recommend this book.
Enigma of China is the first book I read of Qiu Xiaolong, and I enjoyed reading this book. I like Qui Xiaolong's writing style. The Enigma of China was well written and researched by Qui Zialong. I love Qui Zialong's portrayal of his characters and the way they intertwine with each other throughout this book. The settings of Enigma of China were described excellently by Qiu Xiaolong.
The readers of "Enigma of China" will learn about law enforcement criminal investigations in China. Also, the readers of "Enigma of China" will learn about corrupt practices in government departments in China and the consequences they had on everyone involved.
I recommend this book.
June 30, 2013
This is the latest and 8th book in the Inspector Chen series. I have read each in order and all my reviews are posted on Amazon.com. What drew me to the series was the unique time and setting in Shanghai, China as the country emerges with its new blended capitalism.
Although I have enjoyed the series none of the books have captured the quality of the first book, “Death of a Chinese Heroine”. The characters mostly carry forward from that book and have been underdeveloped as the series progresses. The lead character, inspector Chen is a poet by nature and presents an interesting way for the reader to experience this changing culture. My reviews have been consistent in stating that Qiu Xiaolong needed to do more to develop his cast of characters… even inspector Chen. Yet as each new book appears the writing style has become more simplistic and less descriptive. I liked the last book in the series “Don’t Cry, Tai Lake” but this latest book like its title is truly an enigma. It’s not awful but it sure is weak and under written and disappointing to us fans who want to see more character growth.
Enigma is more like an outline… purely a procedural crime story. No character development and limited plot. And what happened to the unique time period and cultural changes? There is not one mention as to what year we are now in although the story seems to be following current Shanghi events focused as it is on the potential bubble in the cities high priced housing boom. So how old is Inspector Chen now? I would guess early fifties. How has growing older impacted Chen and as his mother says what does he really think about his failure to get a wife? We get the hint in last two books of possible relationships but neither goes anywhere and seem to service the plot more than anything.
The story in Enigma is very promising at its start but what is to be made of a story where at the end the main character (Chen) sits at a table and explains who done it to another character (just like Columbo)? The ending then even calls out for a sequel as Chen has to make a decision about his future but that should have been part of this book which would have made the ending much more compelling.
As you may have noticed I found this perhaps the weakest book in the series and was very disappointed. It appears to have been written quickly as a straight procedural with little thought of bringing more to the setting or bring us up to date on our favorite characters. I would hope the next book is of a much higher quality. If you like the series let’s keep hoping for better.
Although I have enjoyed the series none of the books have captured the quality of the first book, “Death of a Chinese Heroine”. The characters mostly carry forward from that book and have been underdeveloped as the series progresses. The lead character, inspector Chen is a poet by nature and presents an interesting way for the reader to experience this changing culture. My reviews have been consistent in stating that Qiu Xiaolong needed to do more to develop his cast of characters… even inspector Chen. Yet as each new book appears the writing style has become more simplistic and less descriptive. I liked the last book in the series “Don’t Cry, Tai Lake” but this latest book like its title is truly an enigma. It’s not awful but it sure is weak and under written and disappointing to us fans who want to see more character growth.
Enigma is more like an outline… purely a procedural crime story. No character development and limited plot. And what happened to the unique time period and cultural changes? There is not one mention as to what year we are now in although the story seems to be following current Shanghi events focused as it is on the potential bubble in the cities high priced housing boom. So how old is Inspector Chen now? I would guess early fifties. How has growing older impacted Chen and as his mother says what does he really think about his failure to get a wife? We get the hint in last two books of possible relationships but neither goes anywhere and seem to service the plot more than anything.
The story in Enigma is very promising at its start but what is to be made of a story where at the end the main character (Chen) sits at a table and explains who done it to another character (just like Columbo)? The ending then even calls out for a sequel as Chen has to make a decision about his future but that should have been part of this book which would have made the ending much more compelling.
As you may have noticed I found this perhaps the weakest book in the series and was very disappointed. It appears to have been written quickly as a straight procedural with little thought of bringing more to the setting or bring us up to date on our favorite characters. I would hope the next book is of a much higher quality. If you like the series let’s keep hoping for better.
February 9, 2014
Enigma of China
by Qiu Xiaolong
4 stars
pp. 277
What I love about reading Qiu Xiaolong's Chief Inspector Chen series is the way Xiaolong immerses the reader in the setting of Shanghai, China and his eighth most current mystery, Enigma of China is no exception. It has been interesting for the reader to followi the changes in China through the eyes of Inspector Chen. Here we see China, a country with socialism with Chinese characteristics, which has grown progressively more materialistic and in the case of Shanghai, skyrocketing real estate prices that the urban poor struggle.
For me much of the intrigue of this series are the characters. Inspector Chen, himself always seems something of enigma, always elusive and unknowable. The police inspector who majored in English, translates mysteries and writes and recites poetry. Qiu is liberal in his use of Chinese poetry and in this work he uses shorter snippets and I am really beginning to appreciate his education:
"Who says that the splendor / of a grass blade can ever prove / to be enough to return / the generous, radiant warmth / of the ever-returning spring sunlight?"
Chen is an admirable character with a gift for exchanging favors in an upright and compassionate way. In this mystery he is searching for a way to confirm that a fellow officer died while on the job so his widow and child will receive the benefits they deserve. While involved in this investigation he offers another favor:
"Dr. Hour will admit your mother first thing tomorrow morning. Don't worry. He'll take care of everything."
"Such a huge favor," Melong said as he stood up and bowed low. "I have to say, as in a martial arts novel, 'if I cannot pay you back in this life, in the next I will be a horse or an ox working for you.' "
"You don't have to say that, Melong. But in those martial arts novels, people also say, 'The green mountains and the blue water will always be there, and our paths will cross again.' "
Now, having read this, I have to eagerly and nervously await the next Inspector Chen novel.
by Qiu Xiaolong
4 stars
pp. 277
What I love about reading Qiu Xiaolong's Chief Inspector Chen series is the way Xiaolong immerses the reader in the setting of Shanghai, China and his eighth most current mystery, Enigma of China is no exception. It has been interesting for the reader to followi the changes in China through the eyes of Inspector Chen. Here we see China, a country with socialism with Chinese characteristics, which has grown progressively more materialistic and in the case of Shanghai, skyrocketing real estate prices that the urban poor struggle.
For me much of the intrigue of this series are the characters. Inspector Chen, himself always seems something of enigma, always elusive and unknowable. The police inspector who majored in English, translates mysteries and writes and recites poetry. Qiu is liberal in his use of Chinese poetry and in this work he uses shorter snippets and I am really beginning to appreciate his education:
"Who says that the splendor / of a grass blade can ever prove / to be enough to return / the generous, radiant warmth / of the ever-returning spring sunlight?"
Chen is an admirable character with a gift for exchanging favors in an upright and compassionate way. In this mystery he is searching for a way to confirm that a fellow officer died while on the job so his widow and child will receive the benefits they deserve. While involved in this investigation he offers another favor:
"Dr. Hour will admit your mother first thing tomorrow morning. Don't worry. He'll take care of everything."
"Such a huge favor," Melong said as he stood up and bowed low. "I have to say, as in a martial arts novel, 'if I cannot pay you back in this life, in the next I will be a horse or an ox working for you.' "
"You don't have to say that, Melong. But in those martial arts novels, people also say, 'The green mountains and the blue water will always be there, and our paths will cross again.' "
Now, having read this, I have to eagerly and nervously await the next Inspector Chen novel.
July 31, 2013
Best yet in great series I'm a big fan of the Chief Inspector Chen Cao series. All of the books give a fascinating picture of present-day China, and just as China has changed over the years, so have the plots of the mysteries and Chen Cao himself. Before I read this latest book, I was skeptical of the claim in Publishers Weekly that the series "has gotten stronger with age," because I hadn't actually found that to be true of the previous book, Don't Cry for Me, Tai Lake. But in this novel, Chen has actually matured as a character: his relationship with the female journalist Lianping seems much more realistic than his relationships with women in the previous books, which always seemed a bit idealized to me. Also, a strength in the whole series is the glimpse of the kind of political maneuvering that is necessary in the latter-day Communist system in China, but in this book, the maneuvering seems to be coming closer to jeopardizing Chen's own position. This also strikes me as very true-to-life. Finally, I like that Chen is becoming more and more world-weary; it may seem like a cliched thing for a cop to be, but a cop in Communist China has an even more complicated life than a cop in a big city in the West.
March 11, 2015
QX's Inspector Chen is quintessentially Chinese. Patently obvious as that may seem Chen, the poet / police officer embodies spiritual and material aspects that reflect the modern turmoil of contemporary China. Conflicting values posturing for dominance over the Chinese psyche.
While not anti-materialistic, the soul of the inspector is committed to justice and fairness. With each volume I see a further maturing of the character of Chen. Up to this point he has managed to balance his basic ethics within the byzantine political maze that is the Chinese government. He's even managed to move up the professional and political ladder. But, by the conclusion of this story a crisis has been reached. He is becoming a hero who is now facing an unknown fate.
While not anti-materialistic, the soul of the inspector is committed to justice and fairness. With each volume I see a further maturing of the character of Chen. Up to this point he has managed to balance his basic ethics within the byzantine political maze that is the Chinese government. He's even managed to move up the professional and political ladder. But, by the conclusion of this story a crisis has been reached. He is becoming a hero who is now facing an unknown fate.
February 24, 2014
I loved this book. It's full of references to classic Chinese literature, like the Dream of Red Mansions, which is L.'s and my favourite book. It's a great detective story set in modern Shanghai. I've asked L. Wenhui newspaper and "shanggui" do exist in modern China. I'm sure if he read it, he would recognize the streets and places, maybe even the people. But the most charming part for me was not svn a compelling detective story set in modern China. Most charming part for me was the storytelling, such a beautiful, poetic prose. And when I finished reading the story I felt like I parted with an old friend, reluctant to let him go and willing to see him again immediately. I was smitten off my feet by this calm, beautiful, peaceful story.
May 4, 2015
Good story as always with Xiaolong, but rather more bare prose-wise than his 4 or 5 previous ones i had read. The profuse amount of dialog was very stilted, and the ending was so abrupt that I tried getting another copy, thinking mine was defective. Not so, I guess! I wouldn't have expected cliff-hanger endings from this author.
November 16, 2017
The non-ending of this book made me want to throw it against the wall. Over the last couple of Inspector Chen novels I have felt that Qiu was losing interest in writing detective fiction, and wanting to be more of a mouthpiece for social criticism. Which is fine if that's what he wants to do, but it makes for a lot of clunky expositionary dialogue in the mouths of people who supposedly have always lived in China and know all about it--and people don't sit around telling each other at length about things they already know, such as corruption in high places and the realities of the Chinese Internet.
Chen has no life beyond his work. No girlfriend, no real social life; he can't even find time to visit his aging and ailing mother. What is he doing? Tapdancing around party officials and events, while still trying to convince himself that he's a social crusader-cop, yet he seems to be very successfully climbing the communist company ladder! No worries about expenses now--he dines at the best restaurants and has his mom admitted to a top-cadre hospital; he always seems to have a back-pocket "connection", even as he feels morally superior to the corrupt Party officials who are merely doing the same thing on a much larger scale. When he does come into contact with an attractive young woman, he loses his nerve and starts quoting classical poetry to her every time he opens his mouth, while she gives him strange looks. In other words, he's a total geek. His "partner" Yu is left doing the work while he plays political animal and literary lion. No wonder Chen is considering leaving the Force; it's high time he did. His heart really isn't in it anymore--and sadly, neither is the author's, it seems. That interrupted barrage of tell-not-show was beneath him.
Qiu's chronology is still totally skewed; in Chen's world, he hasn't had time to finish the bottle of whisky he brought home from the US in A Case of Two Cities, and yet Yu's son is now a college student, though in that universe only about 4 years have passed since the first novel in the series, when said son was in elementary school! A contact speaks of Chen already being "legendary" when she was in college five years previously. Where is this author's editorial staff? Don't they pay attention to the parameters of the series? But then he obviously didn't, why should they? He recaps previous cases from other novels as if it were at least ten years ago, but if you follow the chronology, it can't be.
Compared to the gripping good reads of the first two novels in this series, this is a huge letdown. A couple of installments ago I speculated that it was time the author found a new character and parameters--maybe something along the lines of a Chinese person who emigrates to the US as an adult and has to adapt. Chen is in a last-bus scenario, methinks, and it's very sad to stand at the terminal and wave him off.
Chen has no life beyond his work. No girlfriend, no real social life; he can't even find time to visit his aging and ailing mother. What is he doing? Tapdancing around party officials and events, while still trying to convince himself that he's a social crusader-cop, yet he seems to be very successfully climbing the communist company ladder! No worries about expenses now--he dines at the best restaurants and has his mom admitted to a top-cadre hospital; he always seems to have a back-pocket "connection", even as he feels morally superior to the corrupt Party officials who are merely doing the same thing on a much larger scale. When he does come into contact with an attractive young woman, he loses his nerve and starts quoting classical poetry to her every time he opens his mouth, while she gives him strange looks. In other words, he's a total geek. His "partner" Yu is left doing the work while he plays political animal and literary lion. No wonder Chen is considering leaving the Force; it's high time he did. His heart really isn't in it anymore--and sadly, neither is the author's, it seems. That interrupted barrage of tell-not-show was beneath him.
Qiu's chronology is still totally skewed; in Chen's world, he hasn't had time to finish the bottle of whisky he brought home from the US in A Case of Two Cities, and yet Yu's son is now a college student, though in that universe only about 4 years have passed since the first novel in the series, when said son was in elementary school! A contact speaks of Chen already being "legendary" when she was in college five years previously. Where is this author's editorial staff? Don't they pay attention to the parameters of the series? But then he obviously didn't, why should they? He recaps previous cases from other novels as if it were at least ten years ago, but if you follow the chronology, it can't be.
Compared to the gripping good reads of the first two novels in this series, this is a huge letdown. A couple of installments ago I speculated that it was time the author found a new character and parameters--maybe something along the lines of a Chinese person who emigrates to the US as an adult and has to adapt. Chen is in a last-bus scenario, methinks, and it's very sad to stand at the terminal and wave him off.
May 29, 2018
From BBC radio 4 - Drama:
Poet and gourmand, Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police Bureau is called in to oversee the investigation into the death of the Director of The Shanghai Development Committee while under house arrest. He has to negotiate the power of the Party, an internet campaign and a new potential romance. Dramatised by John Harvey.
Director: David Hunter
"Enigma of China" is the eighth of Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen novels, all 9 of which have been dramatised for BBC Radio 4. They have sold over 1million 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/b0b3...
Poet and gourmand, Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police Bureau is called in to oversee the investigation into the death of the Director of The Shanghai Development Committee while under house arrest. He has to negotiate the power of the Party, an internet campaign and a new potential romance. Dramatised by John Harvey.
Director: David Hunter
"Enigma of China" is the eighth of Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen novels, all 9 of which have been dramatised for BBC Radio 4. They have sold over 1million 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/b0b3...
September 12, 2013
With Enigma of China as in Don't Cry, Tai Lake Qiu goes beyond the damage caused by the Cultural Revolution as he uncovers basic flaws in the fabric of life in China during the boom. Here, the enigma is simply that everything comes down to influence, while the cause for weeping into Tai Lake is the policy that economic growth trumps environmental concerns. In both books, Chen finds attractive women who do not fit into his career arc. Although both mysteries are formulaic, one learns quite a bit about current-day China.
January 20, 2015
One wonders, what with China's size, how deeply change penetrates. In a single long lifetime the country has changed beyond reckoning. There are a few---very few, I grant---alive from the time of the Qing Dynasty, who witnessed the Republic of China, the Japanese occupation, the Revolution of 1947, The Great Leap Forward (into the pit of death) and the Cultural Revolution, followed by the fractured China of today: a vast country searching for a way to uphold principle and increase the standard of living while the elite holds onto its power.
In "Enigma of China" we are shown chunks of today's China, today's politics, the on going ride of change, change, change which permeates the land, the desperate striving of the young. We also are guests at a several meals, an experience most of us would rather avoid in real life (or at least I would).
Propelling us through this kaleidoscope of information is Inspector Chen, a cop and a Party Official. A VIP has died, apparently a suicide. As Chen investigates from the periphery (politics) we meet his friends and family and are entertained by the mystery while being shown the country without particularly noticing we are being educated.
A fine whodunit wrapped in a brief James A. Michener.
Recommended.
In "Enigma of China" we are shown chunks of today's China, today's politics, the on going ride of change, change, change which permeates the land, the desperate striving of the young. We also are guests at a several meals, an experience most of us would rather avoid in real life (or at least I would).
Propelling us through this kaleidoscope of information is Inspector Chen, a cop and a Party Official. A VIP has died, apparently a suicide. As Chen investigates from the periphery (politics) we meet his friends and family and are entertained by the mystery while being shown the country without particularly noticing we are being educated.
A fine whodunit wrapped in a brief James A. Michener.
Recommended.
September 10, 2017
This book is so different from those in the same genre but written in the western style. On the cover of the one I read it says "Morse of the Far East". I agree with this but Chen is very different from Morse. I also liked that there was no drama in Chen's private life like in so many other detective stories have read. That is getting so boring now.
Most enjoyable read.
August 25, 2014
El inspector Jefe Chen, un moderno templario, mitad filósofo mitad soldado,enfrentado a la corrupción rampante de la nueva China y, por primera vez, realmente asustado ante la magnitud del caso. Chen es un gran tipo, su fama de honradez le abre los corazones de las personas que pueblan sus novelas, es un personaje entrañable y su torpeza en el ámbito sentimental lo hace más reconocible. Esta última novela hasta la fecha, nos sumerge entre distintas agencias de seguridad chinas, en un pielago de corrupción solo posible en un régimen autoritario de partido único.
September 28, 2015
This was probably, the most complex of the Inspector Chen series. Xiaolong attempts, in this murder mystery, to explore the interplay between Chen's desire to pursue justice, loyalty to his country, fear of repercussions within a corrupt system and personal self-fulfillment. While it is not my favourite of the series, It was very much worth reading for the beautiful writing and the insight into the Chinese way of life as well as an interesting murder mystery.
October 20, 2015
One of the best of the series - never have the stark choices confronting out good inspector - and a lot many other of his ilk - in the new China been brought so well - and there is an intriguing mystery also, though the full denouement has been left to the next in the series. Can't wait to get that in my hands..
October 9, 2016
I just love this series. Realistic picture of Shanghai, it´s traditional food, places, people and culture. Mixed with a nice detective story set in Chinese political scene.
January 24, 2014
Another characteristic of China's socialism was its reliance on shuanggui, a sort of extralegal detention by the Party disciplinary bodies. The practice began as a response to the uncontrollable corruption of the one-party system. Initially, the word meant "two specifics:" a Party official implicated in a criminal or corruption probe would be detained in a specific (gui) place and for a specific (gui) period of time. The Chinese constitution stipulated that all forms of detention had to be authorized in a law passed by the National People's Congress, and yet shuanggui took place regularly, despite never having had such authorization. Shuanggui also had no time limit or established legal procedure. From time to time, senior Party officials vanished into shuanggui, and no information was made available to the police or media. In theory, officials caught up in the extrajudicial twilight zone of shuanggui were supposed to merely make themselves available to the Party investigation and, once that was concluded, to be released. More often than not, however, they were handed over to the government prosecutors months or even years later for a show trial and predetermined punishment. The authorities claimed that shuanggui was an essential element of the legal system, not an aberration to be corrected. More importantly, shuanggui prevented any dirty details from being revealed and tarnishing the Party's image, Chen reflected, since everything was under the strict control of Party guidelines. (p. 8-9)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuanggui
The Moller Villa Hotel was one of the so-called elite hotels in Shanghai. It stood on the corner of Yan'an and Shanxi Road and was meticulously preserved because of its history.
Eric Moller, a businessman who had made his fortune through horse- and dog-racing in Shanghai, had the fairy-tale like mansion built in the thirties. It was designed in accordance with a dream of his young daughter. It turned out to be an architectural fantasy. It sported a northern European style, with Asian elements blended in, such as glazed tiles, colorful bricks, and even a crouching-tiger-shaped attic window, like those commonly seen in Shanghai shikumen. After 1949, it was used as a government office. Eventually the mansion was turned into an elite hotel, at which point it was completely redecorated and refurbished, its interior design and original details painstakingly restored. A new building in the same style was added next to it. (p. 13)
http://www.mollervilla.com/en/main.asp
"imperial product" ("gongping")
"In the eighties, Panda was the brand [of cigarettes] exclusively manufactured for Deng Xiaoping. It was the best in the world."
"And earlier, China was name of the brand manufactured for Mao," Chen said, nodding. "In ancient China, items like that were called imperial product -- gongping -- and were for the emperor alone."
"Nowadays, both China and Panda are available on the open market as long as you can afford them. Each of the provinces also manufactures a special brand of cigarettes designed exclusively for the top Party leaders in the Forbidden City, such as 95 Supreme Majesty. It's ever more expensive than China and Panda." (p. 22)
The blog entry was entitle "The Pig Farmer Eats No Pork." It revealed the shocking fact that most pigs were fed a so-called compound feed -- in reality, it was an additive-laced feed, who included hormones to make the pigs grow faster, sleeping pills so they would sleep all day and gain weight faster, and arsenic to make them look pink and healthy. Among the various additives, one commonly used compound was called lean meat essence: it consisted of ractopamine or clenbuterol, with which the farmers could produce more lean meat and reduce the amount of feed. The pig farmers didn't care about the consequences for the consumers. For their own use, however, they would keep one or two pigs raised on natural feed.
Knocking on the table in frustration, Peiqin wondered how reliable the information was. What she knew for a fact was that pork nowadays tasted different.
She had heard, however, that for high-ranking Party officials, there was a secret supply of pork and other meat raised on special organic farms. Such meat could be expensive, but it was all paid for by the government. It was beyond the reach of ordinary people like Peiqin and Yu. (p. 27-28)
"But there's only one bowl of eight treasures hot sauce," she said, glancing over her shoulder at the table. "With Qinqin off at college, we sometimes have nothing but noodles with a spoonful of sauce on top."
"The sauce isn't bad," Yu cut in, "fried with diced pork, dry tofu, peanuts, cucumber, shrimp, and whatnot --"
"So it's called eight treasures," Chen said with a grin. "I know. It's a Shanghai specialty. Really delicious!" ….
She put the sauce of eight treasures into the microwave and a bunch of noodles into a pot of boiling water. While those cooked, she stir-fried several eggs into an omeletlike dish called super crabmeat and roe.
Chen helped himself to a spoonful of the omelet the moment it was placed on the table. "It tastes absolutely exquisite," he declared. "You have to tell me the recipe."
"It's easy. You just need to separate the yolk from the white. Fry the white first, and then the yolk. Add a lot of minced ginger, Zhenjiang vinegar, and a generous pinch of sugar, too."
She ladled out the noodles, placed them into bowls, and poured the sauce on top of them.
"Laomian style," she said before serving a soup of dried green cabbage.
"Wow, that's the soup I've been missing."
"The fresh cabbage was so cheap back in the early spring, I bought several baskets and dried it at home," she said. She shook out several drops of sesame oil onto the greenish surface of the soup.
"When I was a child, my mother used to dry cabbage at home, too. She would boil the cabbage, then air dry it on a rope stretched across our small room." (p. 29-30)
…."The Web is also censored, but quite a number of sites aren't run by the government. Consequently, one or two fish may still, from time to time, escape the net. These are commercial Web sites, run for profit, so the contents have to be eye-catching and feature information that's unavailable in the Party newspapers."
"Thank you so much, Peiqin. That was a very helpful overview," Chen said. "But I have a specific question for you. What is a human-flesh search?"
"Oh, that. I hope you aren't the target of one, Comrade Chief Inspector Chen," she said with a teasing smile. "I'm just kidding. When and where the practice of crowd-sourced investigation started, I don't know. Possibly in one of the popular controversial Web forums, where users -- or netizens -- can post their own comments. They are called 'netizens' because the public space of Internet is a kind of nation, of which they are citizens. For many, it is the only space wherein they can act like citizens, with a limited freedom of speech. As for the term human-flesh search, it was originally used to describe an information search that is human-powered rather than computer-driven. The netizens -- the most dedicated Web users -- sift through clues, help each other, share information, intent on tracking down the target information one way or another. But the popular meaning nowadays is that it is not just a search by humans but also a search for humans, one which plays out online but is intended to have real-world consequences. The targets of this kind of search vary, from corrupt government officials, to new Big Bucks who appear suddenly with surprisingly large fortunes, to intellectuals too obsequious to the authorities, or any other relatively high-profile figure you might imagine. However, almost always there is an explicit or implicit emphasis on sensitive political and social issues somewhere in the target's background." (p. 31)
…."Do you know what the speech he made that day was about?" She went on without waiting for an answer. "It was about the absolute necessity of keeping the housing market stable. What does that mean? It means prices cannot be allowed to fall. At present, a square meter at Lujiazui costs a 130,000 yuan. I would have to work for four or five ire's to earn enough to buy one square meter. Now, for our family, the present situation is not too bad. We have one and half rooms in an okay location assigned to us through the state housing quota, thanks to your help. But what happens to Qinqin after he graduates college? He will need an apartment for himself. How can people like us possibly afford a place to live if housing costs don't come down? It's more than probable that he will have to live like we did before we moved here. Remember, we lived with Old Hunter for years, with three generations squeezed together in one wing unit…. I have to think about our son. In today's Shanghai, a young man with no apartment means no possibility of dating a young woman, let alone marrying her. People are all so realistic in this materialistic age," she said, frowning, and turning back to Chen. "Back to your question, do you know why the housing prices keep rising?"
"Because of greedy developers."
"No. Because of the even more greedy Party officials. T he land belongs to the government. Under their control, it is sold off through a so-called auction system where the rights go to whichever developer has the highest bid. Rising revenue from the sale of the land keeps pushing up the city's GDP, which the city officials point to as proof of their hard work -- without mentioning that a substantial amount goes into their own pockets. Who gets the land, how, and at what price -- it is all the result of shady dealings." (p. 34-35)
…."A friend from Beijing brought me some green bean-paste cakes, supposedly from Fangshan, the Forbidden City."
"That restaurant in the North Sea," Chen said, "on the island where chefs used to prepare all the delicacies for Dowager Empress Cixi toward the end of the Qing dynasty. The name of the restaurant alone, Fangshan, is more than enough to evoke the imperial majesty complex and its privileges from China's collective unconscious." (p. 37)
"Does Teng have an alibi?"
"He wasn't in Shanghai that night, but he's well connected, both in the white way and the black way."
"I see," Chen said. The white way referred to the aboveground -- or legal -- connections, and the black way to the criminal, such as triads or gangsters. (p. 53-54)
Northeast cuisine, known for its homely style, was not considered one of the major cuisines in China. (p. 79)
Cross-bridge Noodles Story
"Do you know the story about it?" the proprietor asked good-naturedly and went on without waiting for an answer. "In the old days, a scholar was preparing for the civil service examination on a secluded island in Yunnan. His capable wife had to carry his meals across the bridge to him. Among his favorite foods was a bowl of rice noodle soup with assorted toppings. But because of the time it took to deliver them, the noodles lost their flavor, having sat too long in the soup. So she put the steaming hot chicken soup in a special container, the toppings and noodles in two others, and then mixed them after arriving at her husband's place. That way, the noodles and the toppings still tasted fresh. Revitalized by the delicious noodles, the scholar threw himself back into his preparations and eventually passed the examination." (p. 82-83)
"The roast duck is really fresh and nice."….The compliment was true. The duck tasted delectable, its succulent skin crisp, its meat juicy. It wasn't placed on top of the noodles but in a separate white saucer, its scarlet color making a pleasant contrast to the green vegetable in the soup. (p. 83)
How far you have traveled,
I don't know. Whatever I see
fills my heart with melancholy.
The further you go, the fewer
your letters fro me. The expanse
of the water so wide, no message-carrying
fish in sight, where and whom
can I ask for your news?
That was the first stanza of a poem composed by Ouyang Xiu in the eleventh century. At that time, people still liked the romantic legend of fish carrying messages across rivers and seas for lovers. Having to wait weeks or months for communication was something almost unimaginable now, in the age of e-mail. (p. 86)
"I just received the officially approved list of 170 new expressions compiled by the Beijing Ministry. According to it, if a girl hasn't married by the age of twenty-six, she'll be called a 'leftover.' And at the age of thirty, a 'senior leftover.' And after thirty-five, a 'leftover saint,' which is a sarcastic reference to the Monkey Saint from Journey to the West."
"That's so cruel."
"But so realistic. Even our Education Ministry has approved the phrases. What's the use of saying anything against it?" (p. 88)
About seven years ago, after she graduated from a college in Shanghai, she had gone to England to further her studies. She studied hard and got an MA degree in communications. People believed that she would have a great future, but she couldn't get a job in England. In the meantime, she had used up all the money saved by her not-that-well-off parents. She couldn't stay in England any longer, so she had no choice but to go back to Shanghai. Once back, she found herself a "haigui" -- a derogatory term for a returnee from overseas, which was pronounced the same as the word for "sea turtle" -- and soon turned into "haidai," a derogative term for the jobless from overseas, pronounced the same as the word for "seaweed." (p. 189-190)
Chen understood. It was all because of a "case" Chen had helped with in the late eighties. The "suspect" in question was none other than Hou, a young doctor newly assigned to a neighborhood hospital. While in college, Hou had been involved in a so-called foreign liaison case. According to an inside control file, Hou had visited an American medical expert staying at the Jinjiang Hotel and had signed his name in the hotel register book several times. The American was alleged to have some connections to the CIA. So Hou was put on a blacklist without knowing it. After Hou's graduation, there was an international medical conference in New York, an the head of the Chinese delegation picked Hou as a qualified candidate -- someone with several English papers published in the field, whose presence could help to "contribute to China's image." But for Hou to join the delegation, it was necessary to investigate his involvement with the American. Chen was assigned to listen to the recordings of the phone conversations between Hou and the alleged American spy. As it turned out, they talked about nothing but their common interests in the medical field. In one phone call, Hou did urge the American to be more careful, but judging from the context, he was referring to the American's drinking problem. It was ridiculous to put Hou on a blacklist because of that, Chen concluded. He transcribed and translated the taped conversations carefully, submitted a detailed analysis to the higher authorities, and proposed that Hou's name be cleared.
No longer a suspect, Hou was allowed a spot in the delegation, his spec was well received at the conference, and his luck since then had been incredible. It wasn't long before he was transferred to East China Hospital, one of the most prestigious in the city, where eventually he became the head of the hospital. About a year ago, Hou had learned of Chen's help from a high-ranking cadre who stayed at the hospital. The next day Hou came to the bureau, declaring Chen was the "guiren" in his life -- the life-changing helper who had come out of nowhere.
"I knew somebody helped, but I didn't know it was you, Chief Inspector Chen. Ever since then, I've always tried to be a conscientious doctor. Do you know why? I wanted to be as conscientious as my guiren. There are so many problems in society today, but there are still a few good Party cadres like you. Now, if there is ever anything I can do for you, just say the word. As in the old saying, for the favor of a drop of water, one has to dig out a fountain in return." (p. 111-112)
"Guess how much the service costs?" she whispered.
"A thousand yuan?"
"No. Far more than that. I've checked out a brochure at the entrance. The hall rental alone costs more than two thousand -- and that doesn't include the fee for the service or the red envelopes for the monks."
"Red envelopes for the monks?"
"Have you heard the proverb, An old monk chants the scripture without putting his heart into it? That's easy for a monk to do, chanting, as they do, 365 days a year. According to folk wisdom, that would make the Buddhist service less effective. To make sure that the monks perform the service wholeheartedly, red envelopes are absolutely necessary."
In spite of her youth, she was perceptive, as well as cynical and opinionated, about the absurdities of contemporary social reality. (p. 130)
Of late, people were being urged to sing revolutionary songs again, particularly those that were popular during the Cultural Revolution, as if singing them could once again make people loyal to the Party.
"It's like black magic," she said. "Remember the Boxer Rebellion? Those peasant soldiers chanted, 'No weapons can hurt us,' as they rushed toward the bullets. Of course, they bit the dust." (p. 145)
"I have a question for you, Chen," she said. "In classical Chinese poetry, the music comes from subtle tone patterns for each character in a line. With no such tone pattern in free verse, how can you come even close to music?"
"That's a good question." It was a question he'd thought about, but he didn't have a ready answer that could meet the expectation in her gaze. "Modern Chinese is a relatively new language. It's musicality is still experimental. So rhythm may be a better word for it. For instance, the varying length of lines. It is called free verse, but nothing is really free. None of it is totally with or without rhythm or rhyme." (p. 145-146)
It was like a tai chi performance. Each of the players made a show of striking out in a direction, without really hitting the opponent. The true intention was to understand each other. Melong got it. While Chen seemed to be moving in the same direction as the netcops, he wasn't after Melong. (p. 159-160)
[After Chen gets Melong's mother admitted into a hospital when she critically needed treatment but couldn't get admittance for months.]
"Such a huge favor," Melong said as he stood up and bowed low. "I have to say, as in a martial arts novel, 'If I cannot pay you back in this life, in the next I will be a horse or an ox working for you.'"
"You don't have to say that, Melong. But in those martial arts novels, people also say, 'The green mountains and the blue water will always be there, and our paths will cross again.'" (p. 162)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuanggui
The Moller Villa Hotel was one of the so-called elite hotels in Shanghai. It stood on the corner of Yan'an and Shanxi Road and was meticulously preserved because of its history.
Eric Moller, a businessman who had made his fortune through horse- and dog-racing in Shanghai, had the fairy-tale like mansion built in the thirties. It was designed in accordance with a dream of his young daughter. It turned out to be an architectural fantasy. It sported a northern European style, with Asian elements blended in, such as glazed tiles, colorful bricks, and even a crouching-tiger-shaped attic window, like those commonly seen in Shanghai shikumen. After 1949, it was used as a government office. Eventually the mansion was turned into an elite hotel, at which point it was completely redecorated and refurbished, its interior design and original details painstakingly restored. A new building in the same style was added next to it. (p. 13)
http://www.mollervilla.com/en/main.asp
"imperial product" ("gongping")
"In the eighties, Panda was the brand [of cigarettes] exclusively manufactured for Deng Xiaoping. It was the best in the world."
"And earlier, China was name of the brand manufactured for Mao," Chen said, nodding. "In ancient China, items like that were called imperial product -- gongping -- and were for the emperor alone."
"Nowadays, both China and Panda are available on the open market as long as you can afford them. Each of the provinces also manufactures a special brand of cigarettes designed exclusively for the top Party leaders in the Forbidden City, such as 95 Supreme Majesty. It's ever more expensive than China and Panda." (p. 22)
The blog entry was entitle "The Pig Farmer Eats No Pork." It revealed the shocking fact that most pigs were fed a so-called compound feed -- in reality, it was an additive-laced feed, who included hormones to make the pigs grow faster, sleeping pills so they would sleep all day and gain weight faster, and arsenic to make them look pink and healthy. Among the various additives, one commonly used compound was called lean meat essence: it consisted of ractopamine or clenbuterol, with which the farmers could produce more lean meat and reduce the amount of feed. The pig farmers didn't care about the consequences for the consumers. For their own use, however, they would keep one or two pigs raised on natural feed.
Knocking on the table in frustration, Peiqin wondered how reliable the information was. What she knew for a fact was that pork nowadays tasted different.
She had heard, however, that for high-ranking Party officials, there was a secret supply of pork and other meat raised on special organic farms. Such meat could be expensive, but it was all paid for by the government. It was beyond the reach of ordinary people like Peiqin and Yu. (p. 27-28)
"But there's only one bowl of eight treasures hot sauce," she said, glancing over her shoulder at the table. "With Qinqin off at college, we sometimes have nothing but noodles with a spoonful of sauce on top."
"The sauce isn't bad," Yu cut in, "fried with diced pork, dry tofu, peanuts, cucumber, shrimp, and whatnot --"
"So it's called eight treasures," Chen said with a grin. "I know. It's a Shanghai specialty. Really delicious!" ….
She put the sauce of eight treasures into the microwave and a bunch of noodles into a pot of boiling water. While those cooked, she stir-fried several eggs into an omeletlike dish called super crabmeat and roe.
Chen helped himself to a spoonful of the omelet the moment it was placed on the table. "It tastes absolutely exquisite," he declared. "You have to tell me the recipe."
"It's easy. You just need to separate the yolk from the white. Fry the white first, and then the yolk. Add a lot of minced ginger, Zhenjiang vinegar, and a generous pinch of sugar, too."
She ladled out the noodles, placed them into bowls, and poured the sauce on top of them.
"Laomian style," she said before serving a soup of dried green cabbage.
"Wow, that's the soup I've been missing."
"The fresh cabbage was so cheap back in the early spring, I bought several baskets and dried it at home," she said. She shook out several drops of sesame oil onto the greenish surface of the soup.
"When I was a child, my mother used to dry cabbage at home, too. She would boil the cabbage, then air dry it on a rope stretched across our small room." (p. 29-30)
…."The Web is also censored, but quite a number of sites aren't run by the government. Consequently, one or two fish may still, from time to time, escape the net. These are commercial Web sites, run for profit, so the contents have to be eye-catching and feature information that's unavailable in the Party newspapers."
"Thank you so much, Peiqin. That was a very helpful overview," Chen said. "But I have a specific question for you. What is a human-flesh search?"
"Oh, that. I hope you aren't the target of one, Comrade Chief Inspector Chen," she said with a teasing smile. "I'm just kidding. When and where the practice of crowd-sourced investigation started, I don't know. Possibly in one of the popular controversial Web forums, where users -- or netizens -- can post their own comments. They are called 'netizens' because the public space of Internet is a kind of nation, of which they are citizens. For many, it is the only space wherein they can act like citizens, with a limited freedom of speech. As for the term human-flesh search, it was originally used to describe an information search that is human-powered rather than computer-driven. The netizens -- the most dedicated Web users -- sift through clues, help each other, share information, intent on tracking down the target information one way or another. But the popular meaning nowadays is that it is not just a search by humans but also a search for humans, one which plays out online but is intended to have real-world consequences. The targets of this kind of search vary, from corrupt government officials, to new Big Bucks who appear suddenly with surprisingly large fortunes, to intellectuals too obsequious to the authorities, or any other relatively high-profile figure you might imagine. However, almost always there is an explicit or implicit emphasis on sensitive political and social issues somewhere in the target's background." (p. 31)
…."Do you know what the speech he made that day was about?" She went on without waiting for an answer. "It was about the absolute necessity of keeping the housing market stable. What does that mean? It means prices cannot be allowed to fall. At present, a square meter at Lujiazui costs a 130,000 yuan. I would have to work for four or five ire's to earn enough to buy one square meter. Now, for our family, the present situation is not too bad. We have one and half rooms in an okay location assigned to us through the state housing quota, thanks to your help. But what happens to Qinqin after he graduates college? He will need an apartment for himself. How can people like us possibly afford a place to live if housing costs don't come down? It's more than probable that he will have to live like we did before we moved here. Remember, we lived with Old Hunter for years, with three generations squeezed together in one wing unit…. I have to think about our son. In today's Shanghai, a young man with no apartment means no possibility of dating a young woman, let alone marrying her. People are all so realistic in this materialistic age," she said, frowning, and turning back to Chen. "Back to your question, do you know why the housing prices keep rising?"
"Because of greedy developers."
"No. Because of the even more greedy Party officials. T he land belongs to the government. Under their control, it is sold off through a so-called auction system where the rights go to whichever developer has the highest bid. Rising revenue from the sale of the land keeps pushing up the city's GDP, which the city officials point to as proof of their hard work -- without mentioning that a substantial amount goes into their own pockets. Who gets the land, how, and at what price -- it is all the result of shady dealings." (p. 34-35)
…."A friend from Beijing brought me some green bean-paste cakes, supposedly from Fangshan, the Forbidden City."
"That restaurant in the North Sea," Chen said, "on the island where chefs used to prepare all the delicacies for Dowager Empress Cixi toward the end of the Qing dynasty. The name of the restaurant alone, Fangshan, is more than enough to evoke the imperial majesty complex and its privileges from China's collective unconscious." (p. 37)
"Does Teng have an alibi?"
"He wasn't in Shanghai that night, but he's well connected, both in the white way and the black way."
"I see," Chen said. The white way referred to the aboveground -- or legal -- connections, and the black way to the criminal, such as triads or gangsters. (p. 53-54)
Northeast cuisine, known for its homely style, was not considered one of the major cuisines in China. (p. 79)
Cross-bridge Noodles Story
"Do you know the story about it?" the proprietor asked good-naturedly and went on without waiting for an answer. "In the old days, a scholar was preparing for the civil service examination on a secluded island in Yunnan. His capable wife had to carry his meals across the bridge to him. Among his favorite foods was a bowl of rice noodle soup with assorted toppings. But because of the time it took to deliver them, the noodles lost their flavor, having sat too long in the soup. So she put the steaming hot chicken soup in a special container, the toppings and noodles in two others, and then mixed them after arriving at her husband's place. That way, the noodles and the toppings still tasted fresh. Revitalized by the delicious noodles, the scholar threw himself back into his preparations and eventually passed the examination." (p. 82-83)
"The roast duck is really fresh and nice."….The compliment was true. The duck tasted delectable, its succulent skin crisp, its meat juicy. It wasn't placed on top of the noodles but in a separate white saucer, its scarlet color making a pleasant contrast to the green vegetable in the soup. (p. 83)
How far you have traveled,
I don't know. Whatever I see
fills my heart with melancholy.
The further you go, the fewer
your letters fro me. The expanse
of the water so wide, no message-carrying
fish in sight, where and whom
can I ask for your news?
That was the first stanza of a poem composed by Ouyang Xiu in the eleventh century. At that time, people still liked the romantic legend of fish carrying messages across rivers and seas for lovers. Having to wait weeks or months for communication was something almost unimaginable now, in the age of e-mail. (p. 86)
"I just received the officially approved list of 170 new expressions compiled by the Beijing Ministry. According to it, if a girl hasn't married by the age of twenty-six, she'll be called a 'leftover.' And at the age of thirty, a 'senior leftover.' And after thirty-five, a 'leftover saint,' which is a sarcastic reference to the Monkey Saint from Journey to the West."
"That's so cruel."
"But so realistic. Even our Education Ministry has approved the phrases. What's the use of saying anything against it?" (p. 88)
About seven years ago, after she graduated from a college in Shanghai, she had gone to England to further her studies. She studied hard and got an MA degree in communications. People believed that she would have a great future, but she couldn't get a job in England. In the meantime, she had used up all the money saved by her not-that-well-off parents. She couldn't stay in England any longer, so she had no choice but to go back to Shanghai. Once back, she found herself a "haigui" -- a derogatory term for a returnee from overseas, which was pronounced the same as the word for "sea turtle" -- and soon turned into "haidai," a derogative term for the jobless from overseas, pronounced the same as the word for "seaweed." (p. 189-190)
Chen understood. It was all because of a "case" Chen had helped with in the late eighties. The "suspect" in question was none other than Hou, a young doctor newly assigned to a neighborhood hospital. While in college, Hou had been involved in a so-called foreign liaison case. According to an inside control file, Hou had visited an American medical expert staying at the Jinjiang Hotel and had signed his name in the hotel register book several times. The American was alleged to have some connections to the CIA. So Hou was put on a blacklist without knowing it. After Hou's graduation, there was an international medical conference in New York, an the head of the Chinese delegation picked Hou as a qualified candidate -- someone with several English papers published in the field, whose presence could help to "contribute to China's image." But for Hou to join the delegation, it was necessary to investigate his involvement with the American. Chen was assigned to listen to the recordings of the phone conversations between Hou and the alleged American spy. As it turned out, they talked about nothing but their common interests in the medical field. In one phone call, Hou did urge the American to be more careful, but judging from the context, he was referring to the American's drinking problem. It was ridiculous to put Hou on a blacklist because of that, Chen concluded. He transcribed and translated the taped conversations carefully, submitted a detailed analysis to the higher authorities, and proposed that Hou's name be cleared.
No longer a suspect, Hou was allowed a spot in the delegation, his spec was well received at the conference, and his luck since then had been incredible. It wasn't long before he was transferred to East China Hospital, one of the most prestigious in the city, where eventually he became the head of the hospital. About a year ago, Hou had learned of Chen's help from a high-ranking cadre who stayed at the hospital. The next day Hou came to the bureau, declaring Chen was the "guiren" in his life -- the life-changing helper who had come out of nowhere.
"I knew somebody helped, but I didn't know it was you, Chief Inspector Chen. Ever since then, I've always tried to be a conscientious doctor. Do you know why? I wanted to be as conscientious as my guiren. There are so many problems in society today, but there are still a few good Party cadres like you. Now, if there is ever anything I can do for you, just say the word. As in the old saying, for the favor of a drop of water, one has to dig out a fountain in return." (p. 111-112)
"Guess how much the service costs?" she whispered.
"A thousand yuan?"
"No. Far more than that. I've checked out a brochure at the entrance. The hall rental alone costs more than two thousand -- and that doesn't include the fee for the service or the red envelopes for the monks."
"Red envelopes for the monks?"
"Have you heard the proverb, An old monk chants the scripture without putting his heart into it? That's easy for a monk to do, chanting, as they do, 365 days a year. According to folk wisdom, that would make the Buddhist service less effective. To make sure that the monks perform the service wholeheartedly, red envelopes are absolutely necessary."
In spite of her youth, she was perceptive, as well as cynical and opinionated, about the absurdities of contemporary social reality. (p. 130)
Of late, people were being urged to sing revolutionary songs again, particularly those that were popular during the Cultural Revolution, as if singing them could once again make people loyal to the Party.
"It's like black magic," she said. "Remember the Boxer Rebellion? Those peasant soldiers chanted, 'No weapons can hurt us,' as they rushed toward the bullets. Of course, they bit the dust." (p. 145)
"I have a question for you, Chen," she said. "In classical Chinese poetry, the music comes from subtle tone patterns for each character in a line. With no such tone pattern in free verse, how can you come even close to music?"
"That's a good question." It was a question he'd thought about, but he didn't have a ready answer that could meet the expectation in her gaze. "Modern Chinese is a relatively new language. It's musicality is still experimental. So rhythm may be a better word for it. For instance, the varying length of lines. It is called free verse, but nothing is really free. None of it is totally with or without rhythm or rhyme." (p. 145-146)
It was like a tai chi performance. Each of the players made a show of striking out in a direction, without really hitting the opponent. The true intention was to understand each other. Melong got it. While Chen seemed to be moving in the same direction as the netcops, he wasn't after Melong. (p. 159-160)
[After Chen gets Melong's mother admitted into a hospital when she critically needed treatment but couldn't get admittance for months.]
"Such a huge favor," Melong said as he stood up and bowed low. "I have to say, as in a martial arts novel, 'If I cannot pay you back in this life, in the next I will be a horse or an ox working for you.'"
"You don't have to say that, Melong. But in those martial arts novels, people also say, 'The green mountains and the blue water will always be there, and our paths will cross again.'" (p. 162)
August 31, 2019
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. In this eighth book of the series Chen is called into the investigation of the death of Zhou Keng, the son of a major party member who was head of the Shanghai Housing Development Committee. It appears he committed suicide, hanging himself while under house arrest for his excessive life style. But like Jeffrey Epstein's death in a federal prison, the question arises: was it suicide, or an assassination made to look like suicide, to prevent him from bringing down even more powerful people with him? And how dangerous is it to investigate the cause of death in a case like this? I found towards the end I couldn't put this book down until reading the last words left me stunned and in awe. What a story! Written six years ago about China, yet so timely in the USA of 2019.
January 1, 2025
This wasn't my favorite of the Inspector Chen novels, but I always do enjoy sinking into them. This one, in particular, felt more contemporary in a way that brought home just how current the books are--earlier books in the series sometimes feel dated because of how different China is culturally, but with the internet so central to this case, it's impossible to forget that the book takes place in recent years and it's just the society that is so incredibly different. I also didn't know much about China's harmonization practices or how they deal with internet information, so the book was interesting on that front. Story-wise, I suppose I just wanted a bit more...it felt like the plot wandered in this one for a while, and then wrapped up quickly with less resolution than usual.
I do adore the series, but this probably won't be one I return to or recommend, much as I enjoyed coming back to the characters and Xiaolong's writing here.
I do adore the series, but this probably won't be one I return to or recommend, much as I enjoyed coming back to the characters and Xiaolong's writing here.
November 30, 2019
Liked the descriptions, the characters, and he locations. Just want thrilled with the reveal at he end. Seemed anticlimactic. Wanted more tension.
August 6, 2021
Me ha gustado algo menos que las anteriores pero aún así muy curiosa y disfrutable
April 26, 2022
Interesante libro para conocer un poco más de la China moderna
September 2, 2014
I picked up this book after reading a profile of its author: Qiu Xiaolong is a Chinese expat who writes detective novels in English. While people who speak a second language fluently are common, people who write novels in a second language are virtually unheard of. That Xiaolong has constructed an ongoing series is astounding.
"Enigma of China" follows Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai police force. Inspector Chen is actually a frustrated poet who was assigned to a job as a policeman and has risen through the ranks. An extremely rare cop who hasn't been corrupted by Communist Party politics, Inspector Chen has made many friends through his good deeds, but his superiors view him with suspicion.
The mystery involves a Chinese phenomenon known as a 'human flesh search', where Chinese 'netizens' band together to enforce a sort of crude mob justice, usually on corrupt politicians. As the novel begins, a Party politician named Zhao has been exposed by just such a search after he is photographed with a pack of cigarettes that no ordinary Party member could afford. Several high level Party members confine Zhao to a hotel room until he has done due penitence for his crimes. One morning, Zhao is found hanging from the beams of his old-style hotel room, an apparent suicide.
Except, of course, that it may not be. The Shanghai police are called to investigate, and Inspector Chen is a consultant on the case. Chen is quite ambivalent about whether he should actually help 'solve' the case, as there are too many powerful political forces involved and any truth that might come to light is likely to get squashed. But soon an event happens that forces his hand...
I have to admit that as a novel I found this book a little slow. After a promising beginning there is a long middle section where Inspector Chen seems to wander around getting complimented by his many friends and dating a beautiful young journalist who is casually interested in the case. For a novel set in a city where the government is corrupt at basically every level, the characters often seemed to me be a little too 'nice'.
Things pick up at the end, though, with a small but clever twist and an ending that leaves some questions unanswered in a way that feels appropriate. And I definitely appreciated the author's labors to communicate his own culture across the language barrier.
The book felt to me as though it had been translated into English from Chinese, even though it was in fact written in English to begin with. Honestly, though, this works, because as an author Xiaolong is also busy translating Chinese culture into something Westerners can understand. The book is full of expository passages and even whole scenes devoted to explaining cultural nuances. The author is very much conscious that he is our guide to a strange and foreign land. Sometimes the painstaking explanations feel forced, but unless you are Chinese yourself or already an expert on the subject they will be helpful.
From my insular Western perspective this feels like the most 'Chinese' book I have ever read. I mean that as a compliment.
The author has undertaken an impressive task - writing an authentically Chinese novel for people who are not Chinese. I applaud him for it.
If you are interested in learning a little bit about Chinese culture and don't mind a slower-paced detective novel, you might enjoy Enigma of China.
"Enigma of China" follows Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai police force. Inspector Chen is actually a frustrated poet who was assigned to a job as a policeman and has risen through the ranks. An extremely rare cop who hasn't been corrupted by Communist Party politics, Inspector Chen has made many friends through his good deeds, but his superiors view him with suspicion.
The mystery involves a Chinese phenomenon known as a 'human flesh search', where Chinese 'netizens' band together to enforce a sort of crude mob justice, usually on corrupt politicians. As the novel begins, a Party politician named Zhao has been exposed by just such a search after he is photographed with a pack of cigarettes that no ordinary Party member could afford. Several high level Party members confine Zhao to a hotel room until he has done due penitence for his crimes. One morning, Zhao is found hanging from the beams of his old-style hotel room, an apparent suicide.
Except, of course, that it may not be. The Shanghai police are called to investigate, and Inspector Chen is a consultant on the case. Chen is quite ambivalent about whether he should actually help 'solve' the case, as there are too many powerful political forces involved and any truth that might come to light is likely to get squashed. But soon an event happens that forces his hand...
I have to admit that as a novel I found this book a little slow. After a promising beginning there is a long middle section where Inspector Chen seems to wander around getting complimented by his many friends and dating a beautiful young journalist who is casually interested in the case. For a novel set in a city where the government is corrupt at basically every level, the characters often seemed to me be a little too 'nice'.
Things pick up at the end, though, with a small but clever twist and an ending that leaves some questions unanswered in a way that feels appropriate. And I definitely appreciated the author's labors to communicate his own culture across the language barrier.
The book felt to me as though it had been translated into English from Chinese, even though it was in fact written in English to begin with. Honestly, though, this works, because as an author Xiaolong is also busy translating Chinese culture into something Westerners can understand. The book is full of expository passages and even whole scenes devoted to explaining cultural nuances. The author is very much conscious that he is our guide to a strange and foreign land. Sometimes the painstaking explanations feel forced, but unless you are Chinese yourself or already an expert on the subject they will be helpful.
From my insular Western perspective this feels like the most 'Chinese' book I have ever read. I mean that as a compliment.
The author has undertaken an impressive task - writing an authentically Chinese novel for people who are not Chinese. I applaud him for it.
If you are interested in learning a little bit about Chinese culture and don't mind a slower-paced detective novel, you might enjoy Enigma of China.
October 25, 2017
It is timely that as i write, the protesters are blocking the streets of Hong Kong (http://bbc.in/1yxsWmE) and demanding more control from Beijing. The very premise of Xiaolong's book Enigma of China is a government determined - no matter the cost - to keep harmony in a country that is increasingly dissatisfied with its government.
This is the first Inspector Chen novel I have read but it is the eighth book in the series. I was surprised that it didn't feel like I was coming late to the table even when a few events from previous books were mentioned. And I very much enjoyed the mix of poetry within the prose of the story. It reminded me of theme music. If you have ever heard a movie scene without all the background music put it in, it sounds empty. That is how I would imagine Inspector Chen's world would be without poetry. It was not a distraction but an accompaniment to the story that I very much enjoyed.
The mystery in this novel is politically intriguing and complex. Inspector Chen does his best to investigate without giving reasons for himself to be investigated. Which brings up one of the reasons I like to read books set in other countries. Poor health keeps me from traveling and I find most travel journals are not entertaining enough for my tastes. So I look for stories written by someone who has actually lived in another country and understands the culture. Those books, like Xiaolong's, allows you to crawl inside that world and experience (for a little while anyway) what it is like to be there. For example, pay attention to Inspector Chen's description of food. I've moved only a few states from where I was born and can't get certain food items that were staples of my childhood diet. You can feel Xiaolong's appreciation for China's traditional food whenever Chen gets hungry; Xiaolong's now lives in St. Louis.
So why didn't I give this book - which I obviously enjoyed - five stars? I think it's because I found the ending so uncomfortable. It certainly wasn't the writing or the wrap up in the mystery; Xiaolong satisfies all the necessities on those scores so don't worry you'll know who "done it" in the end. But the very tension that Inspector Chen lives with in China hung heavy on my shoulders as I closed this book. I didn't like it. So I am torn.
The reader in me wants to leave a book satisfied and possibly a little educated. Xiaolong did both very well. So I think on that hand it deserves five stars. But I'm agitated by the book. Something in my blood is nervous and unsettled and waiting for the other shoe to drop. How can I possibly move on to another book - any book - feeling this way? I feel like I need a reading palate cleanser. So as a reviewer I have to caution readers this book will make you feel as if you are left hanging. And so I only gave it four stars.
I may be splitting hairs with my rating but I think/hope Xiaolong is pleased that his book made me feel both the thrill of a good mystery and the oppression that has brought Hong Kong into the street this week.
Learn about other books in this series:
Death of a Red Heroine (Inspector Chen Cao #1)
A Loyal Character Dancer (Inspector Chen Cao #2)
When Red Is Black (Inspector Chen Cao #3)
A Case of Two Cities (Inspector Chen Cao #4)
Red Mandarin Dress (Inspector Chen Cao #5)
The Mao Case (Inspector Chen Cao #6)
Don't Cry, Tai Lake (Inspector Chen Cao #7)
This is the first Inspector Chen novel I have read but it is the eighth book in the series. I was surprised that it didn't feel like I was coming late to the table even when a few events from previous books were mentioned. And I very much enjoyed the mix of poetry within the prose of the story. It reminded me of theme music. If you have ever heard a movie scene without all the background music put it in, it sounds empty. That is how I would imagine Inspector Chen's world would be without poetry. It was not a distraction but an accompaniment to the story that I very much enjoyed.
The mystery in this novel is politically intriguing and complex. Inspector Chen does his best to investigate without giving reasons for himself to be investigated. Which brings up one of the reasons I like to read books set in other countries. Poor health keeps me from traveling and I find most travel journals are not entertaining enough for my tastes. So I look for stories written by someone who has actually lived in another country and understands the culture. Those books, like Xiaolong's, allows you to crawl inside that world and experience (for a little while anyway) what it is like to be there. For example, pay attention to Inspector Chen's description of food. I've moved only a few states from where I was born and can't get certain food items that were staples of my childhood diet. You can feel Xiaolong's appreciation for China's traditional food whenever Chen gets hungry; Xiaolong's now lives in St. Louis.
So why didn't I give this book - which I obviously enjoyed - five stars? I think it's because I found the ending so uncomfortable. It certainly wasn't the writing or the wrap up in the mystery; Xiaolong satisfies all the necessities on those scores so don't worry you'll know who "done it" in the end. But the very tension that Inspector Chen lives with in China hung heavy on my shoulders as I closed this book. I didn't like it. So I am torn.
The reader in me wants to leave a book satisfied and possibly a little educated. Xiaolong did both very well. So I think on that hand it deserves five stars. But I'm agitated by the book. Something in my blood is nervous and unsettled and waiting for the other shoe to drop. How can I possibly move on to another book - any book - feeling this way? I feel like I need a reading palate cleanser. So as a reviewer I have to caution readers this book will make you feel as if you are left hanging. And so I only gave it four stars.
I may be splitting hairs with my rating but I think/hope Xiaolong is pleased that his book made me feel both the thrill of a good mystery and the oppression that has brought Hong Kong into the street this week.
Learn about other books in this series:
Death of a Red Heroine (Inspector Chen Cao #1)
A Loyal Character Dancer (Inspector Chen Cao #2)
When Red Is Black (Inspector Chen Cao #3)
A Case of Two Cities (Inspector Chen Cao #4)
Red Mandarin Dress (Inspector Chen Cao #5)
The Mao Case (Inspector Chen Cao #6)
Don't Cry, Tai Lake (Inspector Chen Cao #7)
September 24, 2017
Prima esperienza con Qui Xiaolong, anche se il libro è l'ottavo della serie dell'ispettore Chen Cao, decisamente positiva, non tanto per la storia in sé (come thriller in effetti è molto tranquillo, poco pathos e un intreccio abbastanza scontato), ma per l'ambientazione nella Shanghai odierna, che permette di calarsi nella realtà e nelle contraddizioni della società cinese contemporanea, complicata da afferrare per la nostra formazione occidentale, ma utile per comprendere qualcosa in più di uno dei grandi protagonisti economici e politici della nostra epoca
August 5, 2016
Another wonderful novel by Qui Xiaolong. It's part of the Inspector Chen mystery series, but also so much more. Chen is both a poet and a policeman, who holds a moderately high position in the Party. He is constantly struggling to reconcile his desire for justice, kindness, and honor with the rampant corruption he sees in his day-to-day job. Because he is a good policeman and because he has the protection of some major Party members, he has been able to survive so far.
In this particular book, Xiaolong examines the tension between China's "netizens," who believe in the power of the Internet and the Party desire for the status quo. A call from an anonymous blogger shows a housing cadre and Party member with clearly illegal ciggarettes, triggering a crowd-sourced investigation of his finances and a "shuangghui" by the Party (a sort of house arrest) in a Party-connected hotel. Later, his body is found swinging from the rafters. Was it murder or suicide? Chen at first only looks at the periphery of the investigation, distracted by his many other duties. But when the main investigator is killed in a mysterious hit-and-run, Chen's guilt and desire for justice lead him to investigate further, deeper, and more dangerously.
Ultimately, the China enigma is that the values it embraces on the surface are communism and honoring one's friends and family. But the values in current practice are the very different ones of crony capitalism. How Chen uncovers this, with the help of a young and pretty female journalist, form the backbone of the book. I found it to be another wonderful story!
In this particular book, Xiaolong examines the tension between China's "netizens," who believe in the power of the Internet and the Party desire for the status quo. A call from an anonymous blogger shows a housing cadre and Party member with clearly illegal ciggarettes, triggering a crowd-sourced investigation of his finances and a "shuangghui" by the Party (a sort of house arrest) in a Party-connected hotel. Later, his body is found swinging from the rafters. Was it murder or suicide? Chen at first only looks at the periphery of the investigation, distracted by his many other duties. But when the main investigator is killed in a mysterious hit-and-run, Chen's guilt and desire for justice lead him to investigate further, deeper, and more dangerously.
Ultimately, the China enigma is that the values it embraces on the surface are communism and honoring one's friends and family. But the values in current practice are the very different ones of crony capitalism. How Chen uncovers this, with the help of a young and pretty female journalist, form the backbone of the book. I found it to be another wonderful story!
January 27, 2016
The impact of Socialization with Chinese Characteristics has created the high ranking cadres and their children. Another group is the Big Bucks who are making fortunes in the new China. Both of these groups have influence and can persuade the authorities to look the other way if necessary. Corruption is rife in the upper levels of Chinese Society. Left behind are those who do not have acccess to either group and are still living in poverty.
Chief Inspector Chen Cao, a member of the Shanghai Police Bureau, is also a poet and member of the Writers Association.
When Zhou Keng, Director of Shanghai Housing Development Commission is arrested for corrupt practices he is "shuangguied" and detained at the Moller Villa Hotel. A party official from Shanghai and a member of the Shanghai City Government are questioning Zhou. No one else is allowed to contact him.
Chief Inspector Chen is called when Zhou hangs himself at the hotel. He is supposed to supervise the investigation. However, the city official and the party secretary let Chen know that they are in charge and they have no interest in a proper police investigation and thwart his efforts to determine what happened.
Chen decides to quietly investigate when the detective assigned to the case is run down by a car and dies. Something big is going on and Chen is determined to find out what it is. The question is whether Chen will remain a detective when the investigation is over.
A good mystery and an interesting look at contemporary China by the author Qiu Xiaolong.
Chief Inspector Chen Cao, a member of the Shanghai Police Bureau, is also a poet and member of the Writers Association.
When Zhou Keng, Director of Shanghai Housing Development Commission is arrested for corrupt practices he is "shuangguied" and detained at the Moller Villa Hotel. A party official from Shanghai and a member of the Shanghai City Government are questioning Zhou. No one else is allowed to contact him.
Chief Inspector Chen is called when Zhou hangs himself at the hotel. He is supposed to supervise the investigation. However, the city official and the party secretary let Chen know that they are in charge and they have no interest in a proper police investigation and thwart his efforts to determine what happened.
Chen decides to quietly investigate when the detective assigned to the case is run down by a car and dies. Something big is going on and Chen is determined to find out what it is. The question is whether Chen will remain a detective when the investigation is over.
A good mystery and an interesting look at contemporary China by the author Qiu Xiaolong.
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