Struans

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The Struan family and company (also called the Noble House in Clavell's novels) is a fictional family featuring heavily in many of the Asian Saga novels by writer James Clavell. The family plays an important role in the novels Tai-Pan, Noble House, Gai-Jin, and Whirlwind.

The fictional Struan family is based on the historical 'Jardine' family -- Jardine-Matheson.

The Struan family begins its journey with the story of Dirk Struan, a trader of opium and other goods between China and England. Dirk is the founder of the Noble House and plays a major role in establishing Hong Kong.

Tai-Pan is the first book about the Struan family, although it is preceded by Shogun in the Asian saga.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Tai-Pans of The Noble House

  • Dirk Struan
  • Culum Struan, a character in the novels Tai-Pan and Gai-Jin. He is the son of Dirk Struan, tai-pan of Struan's Trading Company. In the novel, he marries Tess Brock. She is the daughter of Tyler Brock, founder of Brock & Son's Trading Company and main rival to his father. At the end of the novel Tai-Pan he succeeds Dirk Struan. He proves to be a rather bad Tai-Pan and his wife Tess Struan is forced to take more and more of his responsibility. Because of the death of his two children and other he becomes depressed and alcoholic, which eventually is the cause of his death.
  • Lochlin Struan, a character from Asian Saga, mentioned in the 66th chapter of the novel Noble House. Lochlin was a son of Robb Struan and the third tai-pan of Struan's. Following the death of the fourth tai-pan Dirk Dunross, became tai-pan again. Since the fifth tai-pan is never identified, presumably Lochlin is considered both third and fifth tai-pan. In actuality, he was merely the nominal tai-pan, with actual authority being exercised by Hag Struan. Lochlin died in 1915, and was replaced as tai-pan by Ross Lechie Struan.
  • Dirk Dunross, a fictional character in the Asian Saga, mentioned in the novel Noble House. He was born in 1852 and became the fourth tai-pan of Noble House. His mother was Winifred Dunross, the daughter of Dirk Struan. He married his cousin Agnes Struan. Their son Colin Dunross became the eight tai-pan, and their grandson Ian Dunross the tenth. He died in 1894, lost at sea aboard 'Sunset Cloud'.
  • Ross Lechie Struan
  • Ross Struan
  • Colin Dunross
  • Alastair Struan, a character in the novel Noble House. He was the tai-pan of Struan's prior to Ian Dunross, running the company through most of the 1950s. His poor management led to the near collapse of Struan's, forcing him to hand control over to Dunross, a man he despised, but who was the only one who could save the company.
  • Ian Dunross, Tenth tai-pan of Struan's in the novel Noble House. Dunross finds his company the target of a hostile takeover from his arch-rival Quillan Gornt at a time when it is desperately overextended. He is also embroiled in international espionage when he finds himself in possession of secret documents desperately desired by both the KGB and MI6.
  • David MacStruan, a character from the Asian Saga. He is mentioned throughout the novel Noble House and appears very briefly at the very end of the book. He is the head of Struan's operations in Canada, but is recalled to Hong Kong when he is added to the short list of potential successors to Ian Dunross. In the novel Whirlwind we learn he did become tai-pan after Dunross, but he died in mysterious circumstances. The only witness to the "accident" was Paul Choy, an ally of the next tai-pan Linbar Struan, casting suspicions on his account.
  • Linbar Struan, a character from the Asian Saga who appears in the novels Noble House and Whirlwind. In Noble House, Struan is a member of Struan's inner circle and an aspirant to the office of tai-pan. In Whirlwind, we find Struan has become tai-pan following the ostensibly accidental death of his predecessor David MacStruan.
  • Andrew Gavallan is a character from Noble House and Whirlwind. Gavallan is a member of Struans' inner court and an aspirant to the office of tai-pan. He is married to Ian Dunross' sister Kathren. In Noble House, Gavallan works in Hong Kong with the other members of the inner court. When the tai-pan Ian Dunross learns that the North Sea may soon be wide open for oil exploration, he sends Gavallan to Scotland to quietly buy up real estate in Aberdeen so they are positioned to take advantage of this trend. The North Sea oil rigs, once built, are serviced by helicopter, which leads to Gavallan being involved in the helicopter and oil services industries. These become main business ventures of Struan's in Iran during the 1970s, as depicted in Whirlwind.
  • John Chen is a character in Noble House. In the novel, John Chen is the son of Phillip Chen, the compradore of Struan's. Like his father, John Chen is a descendant of Dirk Struan's illegitimate son Gordon Chen, also called Illustrious Chen. In the beginning of the novel, John is Phillip's favorite son and is set to inherit the title of compradore.
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