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A Superior Man by Paul Yee (Arsenal Pulp Press $21.95)
Marilyn Bowering's To All Appearances A Lady in 1989 was a rarity-an adult novel set in B.C. with Chinese characters as protagonists. More than twenty-five years later, Lily Chow, one of the leading authorities on the Chinese in B.C., is enthusiastic about the authenticity and storytelling in Paul Yee's first novel for adults, A Superior Man, that emanates from the world of Chinese labourers in the 19th century.
Yang Hok, Paul Yee's protagonist, is introduced as a bodyguard in a frenzied gambling hall amid the chaos of Victoria's Chinatown in 1885. There were "hordes of jobless railway men jammed into town... [They] ate in cookhouses and vowed to pay later ... [They] lacked passage money... [They were] kicked out of their lodgings and napped in back alleys."; Shouting gamblers plead for the fan tan beads to favour them, yelling at the dealers, disputing their winnings with Boss Long (the cheating owner), leading to a riot.
Taller than most men, Yang Hok never feared a fight. Once a bandit in his home village, Hok wanted to go to the States but landed a job as a labourer in the CPR construction gangs. From 1881-1885, he worked at different jobs, smuggling Chinese labourers to the States and selling liquor at construction campsites. With winnings from gambling, he had amassed a handsome bankroll, enough to buy his ticket home with extra money to purchase gifts for family members.
He was also literate, savvy and bold. Hok wrote and carved out names in Chinese characters on markers for casualties in makeshift cemeteries; he understood that giving a Chinese name for a child required the knowledge and understanding of the traditional naming systems of Chinese families; and he once ventured to blow up a bridge supported by trestles, with a fellow-worker, soon after its completion to avenge the deaths of so many Chinese labourers, as well as the maiming of many who were then left stranded.
Hence Paul Yee's title A Superior Man describes someone who is resourceful, ambitious and courageous-but not without problems.
Hoks wife Mary left their three-year-old son Peter with him and disappeared, hoping he would take Peter to China. Hok believes his son should remain with his mother in order to protect him "from spiteful stepmothers and humiliation in China."; Determined to find Mary and deliver Peter to her, he sets off for Lytton on the Fraser River.
On the journey from Victoria, Peter falls overboard into the river. Hok cannot swim. He is astonished and ashamed when a white man saves his son from drowning.
Needing a guide upon their arrival in Yale, Hok reluctantly accepts the recommendation of Soohoo, owner of a brothel, to hire Lew Bing Sam, a First Nations man with Chinese ancestry who speaks different Chinese dialects. Sam agrees to help Hok and won't charge a guiding fee on the condition that Hok carry his merchandise. Even though Hok believes, "a man with self-respect doesn't porter for a mix-blood,"; he has no choice.
Amusements and delights commence through the conversations and interactions between these two characters as they travel together. Hok becomes jealous when he notices Peter is becoming increasingly attached to Sam because "no father should look weak in front of his son,"; but Hok admires Sam for being able to perform correctly the rituals of showing respect to the Chinese who were buried in a cemetery, and reciting the names of ancestors in five generations of his Chinese family.
For his part, Hok can hardly remember the names of his extended family members, let alone the earlier generations. The two men retrieve a dead body floating on the Fraser River and bury the corpse. Hok wants to return to China to show his success and achievements; Sam wants to go to China to find his roots.
Paul Yee does a wonderful job describing the striking features of the Fraser River, the majestic yet dangerous landscapes at Hell's Gate, and the arid and dusty setting of Lytton at the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson Rivers.
The Chinatowns in Yale and Lytton present a remarkable contrast to that of Victoria. In Yale, Chinatown was peaceful and orderly. In Yale, the reader is introduced to a clever prostitute, named Goddess, who sent men from her bed beaming with satisfaction. Details of colourful sex and other sexual encounters - including the sexual activities of other prostitutes, Chinese, First Nations, and whites and the sexual desires among Chinese men - are boldly and frankly presented.
Yee is also adept at describing First Nations people, their love of children, especially among the female elders, and the hardship and sufferings of the Chinese labourers who bore the brunt of the challenges in railway construction.
To tell more would be to ruin the plot.
Throughout the narrative, Paul Yee has appropriately used colloquial dialects, slang, and proverbs to reveal the ways of thinking and expressions of the Chinese old-timers. Many of the Chinese proverbs such as "falling leaves land on the roots"; or "at low door bend down"; project the dreams and tolerance of the sojourners respectfully.
Besides historical authenticity, this novel is replete with Chinese culture as indicated by the rituals of preparing a dead body for burial and planning a funeral, and by the filial piety and moral values of Chinese families. A Superior Man is a delightful, captivating, and lively novel that is especially welcome for its rare depiction of the fragile relationship between the Chinese sojourners and the First Nations people.
978-1-55152-590-7
Lily Chow lives in Victoria.
Yang Hok, Paul Yee's protagonist, is introduced as a bodyguard in a frenzied gambling hall amid the chaos of Victoria's Chinatown in 1885. There were "hordes of jobless railway men jammed into town... [They] ate in cookhouses and vowed to pay later ... [They] lacked passage money... [They were] kicked out of their lodgings and napped in back alleys."; Shouting gamblers plead for the fan tan beads to favour them, yelling at the dealers, disputing their winnings with Boss Long (the cheating owner), leading to a riot.
Taller than most men, Yang Hok never feared a fight. Once a bandit in his home village, Hok wanted to go to the States but landed a job as a labourer in the CPR construction gangs. From 1881-1885, he worked at different jobs, smuggling Chinese labourers to the States and selling liquor at construction campsites. With winnings from gambling, he had amassed a handsome bankroll, enough to buy his ticket home with extra money to purchase gifts for family members.
He was also literate, savvy and bold. Hok wrote and carved out names in Chinese characters on markers for casualties in makeshift cemeteries; he understood that giving a Chinese name for a child required the knowledge and understanding of the traditional naming systems of Chinese families; and he once ventured to blow up a bridge supported by trestles, with a fellow-worker, soon after its completion to avenge the deaths of so many Chinese labourers, as well as the maiming of many who were then left stranded.
Hence Paul Yee's title A Superior Man describes someone who is resourceful, ambitious and courageous-but not without problems.
Hoks wife Mary left their three-year-old son Peter with him and disappeared, hoping he would take Peter to China. Hok believes his son should remain with his mother in order to protect him "from spiteful stepmothers and humiliation in China."; Determined to find Mary and deliver Peter to her, he sets off for Lytton on the Fraser River.
On the journey from Victoria, Peter falls overboard into the river. Hok cannot swim. He is astonished and ashamed when a white man saves his son from drowning.
Needing a guide upon their arrival in Yale, Hok reluctantly accepts the recommendation of Soohoo, owner of a brothel, to hire Lew Bing Sam, a First Nations man with Chinese ancestry who speaks different Chinese dialects. Sam agrees to help Hok and won't charge a guiding fee on the condition that Hok carry his merchandise. Even though Hok believes, "a man with self-respect doesn't porter for a mix-blood,"; he has no choice.
Amusements and delights commence through the conversations and interactions between these two characters as they travel together. Hok becomes jealous when he notices Peter is becoming increasingly attached to Sam because "no father should look weak in front of his son,"; but Hok admires Sam for being able to perform correctly the rituals of showing respect to the Chinese who were buried in a cemetery, and reciting the names of ancestors in five generations of his Chinese family.
For his part, Hok can hardly remember the names of his extended family members, let alone the earlier generations. The two men retrieve a dead body floating on the Fraser River and bury the corpse. Hok wants to return to China to show his success and achievements; Sam wants to go to China to find his roots.
Paul Yee does a wonderful job describing the striking features of the Fraser River, the majestic yet dangerous landscapes at Hell's Gate, and the arid and dusty setting of Lytton at the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson Rivers.
The Chinatowns in Yale and Lytton present a remarkable contrast to that of Victoria. In Yale, Chinatown was peaceful and orderly. In Yale, the reader is introduced to a clever prostitute, named Goddess, who sent men from her bed beaming with satisfaction. Details of colourful sex and other sexual encounters - including the sexual activities of other prostitutes, Chinese, First Nations, and whites and the sexual desires among Chinese men - are boldly and frankly presented.
Yee is also adept at describing First Nations people, their love of children, especially among the female elders, and the hardship and sufferings of the Chinese labourers who bore the brunt of the challenges in railway construction.
To tell more would be to ruin the plot.
Throughout the narrative, Paul Yee has appropriately used colloquial dialects, slang, and proverbs to reveal the ways of thinking and expressions of the Chinese old-timers. Many of the Chinese proverbs such as "falling leaves land on the roots"; or "at low door bend down"; project the dreams and tolerance of the sojourners respectfully.
Besides historical authenticity, this novel is replete with Chinese culture as indicated by the rituals of preparing a dead body for burial and planning a funeral, and by the filial piety and moral values of Chinese families. A Superior Man is a delightful, captivating, and lively novel that is especially welcome for its rare depiction of the fragile relationship between the Chinese sojourners and the First Nations people.
978-1-55152-590-7
Lily Chow lives in Victoria.
Submitted on August 31, 2015 in By David.
