Yin yueh
‘music’. Again, the word is used conceptually, almost poetically here.
Ying Kuo
England, or, more often these days, the United Kingdom.
AUTHOR’S NOTE & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As the reader will have noted, SON OF HEAVEN introduces its major theme – the coming of China – rather late in the day, and for this reason I’ve not felt it necessary to provide more than the scantest note on Chinese words and phrases used – a mere handful are in the Glossary. Similarly, I do not intend to dwell too long on other matters, except to say that wei chi is the world’s oldest and most challenging game, known more commonly in the West by its Japanese name, Go.
Thanks this time go out to Brian Griffin for reading the thing in its earliest stages, also to Mike Cobley for encouragement and insights, and to Nic Cheetham, my latest editor and newest champion, whose most radical suggestion – to remove 70,000 words and reconstruct the novel in two parts – has resulted in this current volume. To Caroline Oakley, who did such a superb hard edit on the creature, thanks immensely for that, and for telling me – clearly and with good reason – where to end it.
Finally, to Susan and my girls – Jessica, Amy, Georgia and Francesca, a big thank you for enriching my life. To think they were but babes when this began.
Here’s to the journey ahead. Kan Pei!
Son of Heaven Page 43