Fei Yen
Daughter of Yin Tsu, one of the heads of the ‘Twenty Nine’, the minor aristocratic families of Chung Kuo. The classically beautiful ‘Flying Swallow’, her marriage to the murdered Prince Li Han Ch’in nullified, then married Han’s brother, the young Prince Li Yuan. Fragile in appearance, she is surprisingly strong-willed and fiery.
Haavikko, Axel
Smeared by the false accusations of his fellow officers, Lieutenant Haavikko spent the best part of a decade in debauchery and self-negation.
At core, however, he is a good, honest man, and circumstances have raised him from the pit into which he had fallen.
Kao Chen
Once an assassin from the Net, the lowest levels of the great City, Chen has raised himself from his humble beginnings to become an officer in the T’ang’s Security forces. As friend and helper to Karr, he is one of the foot-soldiers in the War against DeVore.
Karr, Gregor
A major in the Security forces, he was recruited by Marshal Tolonen from the Net. In his youth he was an athlete and, later, a ‘blood’ – a to-the-death combat fighter. A giant of a man, he is to become the ‘hawk’ Li Shai Tung flies against his adversary, DeVore.
Lehmann, Stefan
Albino son of the former Dispersionist leader, Pietr Lehmann, he has become a lieutenant to DeVore. A cold, unnaturally dispassionate man, he seems to be the very archetype of nihilism, his only aim to bring down the Seven and their great City.
Li Shai Tung
T’ang of City Europe and one of the Seven, the ruling Council of Chung Kuo, Li Shai Tung is now in his seventies. For many years he was the fulcrum of the Council and unofficial spokesman for the Seven, but
the murder of his heir, Han Ch’in, has weakened him, undermining his once strong determination to prevent Change at all costs.
Li Yuan
Second son of Li Shai Tung, he becomes heir to City Europe after the murder of his elder brother. Thought old before his time, his cold, thoughtful manner conceals a passionate nature, expressed in his wooing of his dead brother’s wife, Fei Yen.
Shepherd, Ben
Son of Hal Shepherd, the T’ang’s chief advisor, and great-great-grandson of City Earth’s Architect. Shepherd was born and brought up in the Domain, an idyllic valley in the south-west of England where, deciding not to follow in his father’s footsteps and become advisor to Li Yuan, he pursues instead his calling as an artist, developing a whole new art form, the Shell, which will eventually have a cataclysmic effect on Chung Kuo’s society.
Tolonen, Jelka
Daughter of Marshal Tolonen, Jelka has been brought up in a very masculine environment, lacking a mother’s influence. However, her genuine interest in martial arts and in weaponry and strategy mask a very different side to her nature; a side brought out by violent circumstances.
Tolonen, Knut
Marshal of the Council of Generals and one-time General to Li Shai Tung, Tolonen is a big, granite-jawed man and the staunchest supporter of the values and ideals of the Seven. Possessed of a fiery, fearless nature, he will stop at nothing to protect his masters, yet after long years of war even his belief in the necessity of stasis has been shaken.
Tsu Ma
T’ang of West Asia and one of the Seven, the ruling Council of Chung Kuo, Tsu Ma has thrown off his former dissolute ways as a result of his father’s death and become one of Li Shai Tung’s greatest supporters in Council. A strong, handsome man, he has still, however, a weakness in his nature: one that is almost his undoing.
Wang Sau-leyan
Fourth and youngest son of Wang Hsien, T’ang of Africa, the murder of his two eldest brothers has placed him closer to the centre of political events. Thought of as a wastrel, he is, in fact, a shrewd and highly capable political being who is set – through circumstances of his own devising – to become the harbinger of Change inside the Council of the Seven.
Ward, Kim
Born in the Clay, that dark wasteland beneath the great City’s foundations, Kim has a quick and unusual bent of mind. His vision of a giant web, formulated in the darkness, has driven him up into the light of the Above. However, after a traumatic fight and a long period of personality reconstruction, he has returned to things not quite the person he was. Or so it seems, for Kim has lost none of the sharpness that has made him the most promising young scientist in the whole of Chung Kuo.
THE SEVEN AND THE FAMILIES
An Sheng
head of the An family (one of the ‘Twenty-Nine’ Minor Families)
Chi Hsing
T’ang of the Australias
Chi Hu Wei
T’ang of the Australias
Fu Ti Chang
Minor Family princess
Hou Tung-po
T’ang of South America
Hsiang K’ai Fan
Minor Family prince
Hsiang Shao-erh
head of the Hsiang family (one of the ‘Twenty-Nine’ Minor Families) and father of Hsiang K’ai Fan and Hsiang Wang
Hsiang Wang
Minor Family prince
Lai Shi
Minor Family princess
Li Ch’i Chan
brother and advisor to Li Shai Tung
Li Feng Chiang
brother and advisor to Li Shai Tung
Li Shai Tung
T’ang of Europe
Li Yuan
second son of Li Shai Tung and heir to City Europe
Li Yun Ti
brother and advisor to Li Shai Tung
Mien Shan
Minor Family princess
Pei Chao Yang
son and heir of Pei Ro-hen
Pei Ro-hen
head of the Pei family (one of the ‘Twenty-Nine’ Minor Families)
Tsu Ma
T’ang of West Asia
Tsu Tao Chu
third son of Tsuchang, deceased first son of Tsu Tiao
Wang Sau-leyan
fourth son of Wang Hsien and T’ang of Africa
Wei Chan Yin
eldest son of Wei Feng and heir to City East Asia
Wei Feng
T’ang of East Asia
Wu Shih
T’ang of North America
Yi Shan-ch’i
Minor Family prince
Yin Chang
Minor Family prince; son of Yin Tsu and elder brother to Fei Yen
Yin Fei Yen
‘Flying Swallow’, Minor Family princess; daughter of Yin Tsu; widow of Li Han Ch’in
Yin Sung
Minor Family prince; elder brother of Fei Yen and son and heir of Yin Tsu
Yin Tsu
head of Yin family (one of the ‘Twenty-Nine’ Minor Families)
Yin Wei
younger brother of Fei Yen
Yin Wu Tsai
FRIENDS AND RETAINERS OF THE SEVEN
Auden, William
captain in Security
Chang Li
Chief Surgeon to Li Shai Tung
Chang Shih-sen
personal secretary to Li Yuan
Ch’in Tao Fan
Chancellor of East Asia
Chuang Ming
Minister to Li Shai Tung
Chung Hu-Yan
Chancellor to Li Shai Tung
Ebert, Berta
wife of Klaus Ebert
Ebert, Hans
major in Security and heir to GenSyn
Ebert, Klaus Stefan
head of GenSyn (Genetic Synthetics) and advisor to Li Shai Tung
Fan Liang-wei
painter to the court of Li Shai Tung
Fu
servant to Wang Hsien
Haavikko, Axel
lieutenant in Security
Haavikko, Vesa
sister of Axel Haavikko
Heng Yu
son of Heng Fan and nephew of Heng Chi-Po
Hua
personal surgeon to Li Shai Tung
Hung Feng-chan
Chief Groom at Tongjiang
Hung Mien-lo
advisor to Wang Ta-hung; Chancellor of City Africa
Kao Chen
captain in Security
Karr, Gregor
‘blood’, and later major in Security
Lo Wen
Hans Ebert’s servant
Lung Mei Ho
secretary to Tsu Ma
Nan Ho
Li Yuan’s Master of the Inner Chambers
Nocenzi, Vittorio
General of Security, City Europe
Pearl Heart
maid to Li Yuan
Scott
captain of Security
Shepherd, Ben
son of Hal Shepherd
Shepherd, Beth
wife of Hal Shepherd
Shepherd, Hal
advisor to Li Shai Tung and head of the Shepherd family
Shepherd, Meg
daughter of Hal Shepherd
Sweet Rain
maid to Wang Hsien
Sweet Rose
maid to Li Yuan
Tolonen, Helga
aunt of Jelka Tolonen
Tolonen, Jelka
daughter of Knut Tolonen
Tolonen, Jon
brother of Knut Tolonen
Tolonen, Knut
Marshal of the Council of Generals and father of Jelka Tolonen
Wang Ta Chuan
Li Shai Tung’s Master of the Inner Palace at Tongjiang
Wu Ming
servant to Wang Ta-hung
Yen Shih-fa
groom at Tongjiang
DISPERSIONISTS
DeVore, Howard
former major in Li Shai Tung’s Security forces
Ecker, Michael
company head
Kubinyi
lieutenant to DeVore
Lehmann, Stefan
albino son of former Dispersionist leader, Pietr Lehmann and lieutenant to DeVore
Reid, Thomas
lieutenant to DeVore
Ross, Alexander
company head
Schwarz
lieutenant to DeVore
Scott
alias of DeVore
Turner
alias of DeVore
Wiegand, Max
lieutenant to DeVore
Weiss, Anton
banker
PING TIAO
Ascher, Emily
economist and member of the ‘Council of Five’
Gesell, Bent
unofficial leader of the Ping Tiao and member of the ‘Council of Five’
Mach, Jan
maintenance official for the Ministry of Waste Recycling and member of the ‘Council of Five’
Mao Liang
Minor Family princess and member of the ‘Council of Five’
Quinn
New member of the ‘Council of Five’
Shen Lu Chua
computer expert and member of the ‘Council of Five’
Yun Ch’o
lieutenant to Shen Lu Chua
OTHER CHARACTERS
Beattie, Douglas
alias of DeVore
Curval, Andrew
company director; experimental geneticist
DeValerian, Rachel
alias of Emily Ascher
Ebert, Lutz
half-brother of Klaus Ebert
Ellis, Michael
assistant to Director Spatz
Endfors, Pietr
best friend of Knut Tolonen
Enge, Marie
serving woman at the Dragon Cloud teahouse
Ganz, Joseph
alias of DeVore
Golden Heart
young prostitute bought by Hans Ebert for his household
Hammond, Joel
Senior Technician on the Wiring Project
Heng Chian-ye
son of Heng Chi-po and nephew of Heng Yu
Jennings, Mary
alias of Emily Ascher
Kao Ch’iang Hsin
infant daughter of Kao Chen
Kao Wu
infant son of Kao Chen
Kustow, Bryn
company director
Lever, Charles
company head; father of Michael Lever
Lever, Michael
company director; son of and assistant to Charles Lever
Loehr
alias of DeVore
Lo Wen
personal servant to Hans Ebert
Lu Cao
amah (maidservant) to Jelka Tolonen
Lu Ming Shao
‘Whiskers Lu’, Triad boss
Mu Chua
‘Madam’ of the House of the Ninth Ecstasy, a sing-song house, or brothel
Reynolds
alias of DeVore
Siang Che
martial arts instructor to Jelka Tolonen
Spatz, Gustav
Director of the Wiring Project
Stevens, Carl
company director
Sweet Flute
mui tsai to Hans Ebert
Sweet Honey
sing-song girl in Mu Chua’s
T’ai Cho
tutor and ‘guardian’ to Kim Ward
Tarrant
company head
Tissan, Catherine
student at Oxford
Tolonen, Hannah
aunt to Knut Tolonen
Tsang Yi
friend of Heng Chian-ye
Tuan Ti Fo
Master of wei chi
Tung Liang
boy in the Casting Shop
Tung T’an
Senior Consultant at the Melfi Clinic
Turner
alias of DeVore
Wang Ti
wife of Kao Chen
Ward, Kim
Lagasek, or ‘Starer’; ‘Clayborn’, orphan and scientist
White Orchid
sing-song girl in Mu Chua’s
Yung Pi-chi
Head of the Yung family
THE DEAD
Aaltonen
Marshal and Head of Security for City Europe
Alex
close friend of Jake Reed and fiancée of Jenny. Security captain in Special Forces
Anders
a mercenary
Anderson
Director of ‘The Project’
Ascher, Mary
mother of Emily Ascher
Ascher, Mikhail
junior credit agent in the Hu Pu (the Finance Ministry) and father of Emily Ascher
Ascher, Walter
Account Overseer for Hinton Industries
Bakke
Marshal in Security
Barrow, Chao
member of the House of Representatives Dispersionist
Bates, Alan
English actor
Beatrice
daughter of Cathy Hubbard, granddaughter of Mary Reed
Berdichev, Soren
owner of the SimFic Corporation and leading Dispersionist
Big Wen
a landowner
Boss Yang
an exploiter of the people
Branagh, William
King of Wessex
Brogan, Margaret
Old Ma Brogan resident of Church Knowle
Buck, John
Head of Development at the Ministry of Contracts
Buckland, Eddie
framer from Corfe
Captain Sensible
English pop musician
Chang Hsuan
Han painter from the 8th century
Chang Lai-hsun
nephew of Chang Yi Wei
Chang Li Chen
Junior Dragon in charge of drafting the Edict of Technological Control
Chang Lui
woman who adopted Pavel
Chang Te
Han soldier member of Jiang Lei’s bodyguard
Chang Yan
guard on the Plantations
; Chang Yi Wei
senior brother of the Chang clan owners of MircoData
Chang Yu
Tsao Ch’un’s new appointment as First Dragon, during the War of Liberation
Chao Ni Tsu
Grand Master of wei chi and a computer genius. Servant of Tsao Ch’un
Ch’eng I
Minor Family prince and son of Ch’eng So Yuan
Ch’eng So Yuan
Minor Family head
Chen So I
Head of the Ministry of Contracts