Call number
J GRAPHIC NOVEL HER
Collection
Genres
Series
Publication
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (1984), 62 pages
Description
The tale unfolds in China, a place as yet unknown and mysterious to Tintin. It looks like our hero may have bitten off more than he can chew as he takes on the task of wiping out the international opium trade, which has a vice-like grip on this beautiful country. With the assistance of the secret society Sons of the Dragon, and his friend Chang (whom he encounters later on in the story), Tintin succeeds in overcoming myriad obstacles to finally triumph over his adversaries and disband their network of corruption.
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member Shirezu
After Tintin's travels in the Middle East and India he continues his investigation into the the mysterious drug-running organisation with the trial running into China. Set just prior to the Japanese invasion of Manchuria for the first time Hergé drops his European views and actually shows sympathy
That's not to say this book is stereotype free. Most of the Japanese are stereotypically depicted with glasses and buck teeth but at least this time the villains actually were the villains. Onwards and upwards with more Tintin.
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for the oppressed. Tintin teams up with the local Chinese to try and defeat the opium druglords and Japanese oppressors. He also dispels myths commonly held by Western society of the time which vilified the Chinese. That's not to say this book is stereotype free. Most of the Japanese are stereotypically depicted with glasses and buck teeth but at least this time the villains actually were the villains. Onwards and upwards with more Tintin.
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LibraryThing member Michael.Rimmer
The best of the Tintin stories so far (I'm reading and rating them in order of publication): Hergé has really hit his stride with The Blue Lotus.
Nicely plotted with lots of intrigue to which we, the reader, are more privy than Tintin. An interesting device to increase narrative tension: "No,
Hergé, it seems, seeks to atone for his previously less than flattering representation of non-European cultures by rather heavy-handedly debunking some then-prevalent stereotypes of Chinese culture. However, it's well-intentioned and forgiveable. The depiction of his Chinese characters is sympathetic, and they are contrasted most favourably against the corrupt Western Chief-of-Police and the brutally racist and vindictive American businessman. However, there's still a touch of "demonising" in his treatment of his Japanese characters.
The Blue Lotus is more firmly rooted in the real world than the previous stories, drawing upon actual events and the political situation between China and Japan in the early 1930s, adding depth to what is, after all, a children's story (but an increasingly intelligent one).
The prat-falling Thomson and Thompson are again the main comic relief.
Nicely plotted with lots of intrigue to which we, the reader, are more privy than Tintin. An interesting device to increase narrative tension: "No,
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Tintin - don't trust him!"Hergé, it seems, seeks to atone for his previously less than flattering representation of non-European cultures by rather heavy-handedly debunking some then-prevalent stereotypes of Chinese culture. However, it's well-intentioned and forgiveable. The depiction of his Chinese characters is sympathetic, and they are contrasted most favourably against the corrupt Western Chief-of-Police and the brutally racist and vindictive American businessman. However, there's still a touch of "demonising" in his treatment of his Japanese characters.
The Blue Lotus is more firmly rooted in the real world than the previous stories, drawing upon actual events and the political situation between China and Japan in the early 1930s, adding depth to what is, after all, a children's story (but an increasingly intelligent one).
The prat-falling Thomson and Thompson are again the main comic relief.
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LibraryThing member Frenzie
This is where Tintin really started coming together.
LibraryThing member David.Alfred.Sarkies
This is the sequel to Cigars of the Pharaoh, and while Cigars can probably be read on its own, it is much better to read this one after one has read Cigars since it can be a little difficult picking it up where Herge left off. Obviously this album was also serialised, but in this one the criticism
The story begins with Tintin relaxing in Gaipajama when he is introduced to another fakir (who has no problem sitting on sharp objects, but when he sits on a pillow he screams in pain - boy did Herge develop a pretty twisted sense of humour) who predicts that not only is Tintin's adventure not over, but warns him to beware of a man with dark hair and glasses. Immediately a Chinese man arrives, but before he can pass on his message he is struck by Raja juice and goes mad.
When we come into this book we discover that there are a number of unanswered questions, namely that the mystery of the Raja juice had not been solved and the body of the mastermind was never recovered after he fell off the cliff. As such Tintin decides to make his way to Shanghai, but when he arrives he is told by the Japanese that the Raj's life is in danger and he must return to India to protect him. Tintin is obviously a little suspicious and begins snooping around.
This story is set during a very tumultuous time in Asia as the Japanese Empire had pretty much industrialised (and had become the first non-European nation to do so). While China was still under defacto control of the Europeans the Japanese had made it very clear that despite the US gunboat diplomacy that they were still a force to be reckoned with. After defeating the Russians in the Russo-Japanese war it became clear that Japan was not going to be the standard push-over non-European nation, and they had joined the alliance during World War I. However, like many other countries (such as Italy) they had been shafted by the English, the French, and the Americans, so they decided to create an empire of their own (the Co-prosperity Sphere).
While this story is fictional, the destruction of the Nanking to Shanghai railway is reflective of a similar incident which resulted in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. In this story a simple act of sabotage is misreported and blown out of proportion. What started off as a simple railway attack, turned into a whole train full of Japanese citizens being killed (very, very clever Herge), which resulted in the Japanese occupation of China to install peace and order. It has been suggested that similar stories were misreported by the US media to enable them to enter various wars (such as the sinking of the Lusitania, the Gulf of Tonkin incident, and a raid by Mexican bandits that triggered the Mexican-American War).
This is actually quite a good book and it is interesting that Herge actually tries to challenge the European beliefs about Chinese culture. We have some scenes where it is being explained that there is a common misconception that the Chinese throw female babies into the river, and break their feet so that they will not grow. As is explained, it is simply not true and it seems that Herge is now trying to open our eyes to some of the atrocities that were occurring in the colonies. This is coming a very long way from the propaganda of Tintin in the Congo (which I seriously have to get my hands on now).
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that has been levelled against Herge for depicting foreign cultures from Euro-centric point of view has levelled off, particularly since at this time he had befriended a young Chinese boy, who appears in this story of Chang.The story begins with Tintin relaxing in Gaipajama when he is introduced to another fakir (who has no problem sitting on sharp objects, but when he sits on a pillow he screams in pain - boy did Herge develop a pretty twisted sense of humour) who predicts that not only is Tintin's adventure not over, but warns him to beware of a man with dark hair and glasses. Immediately a Chinese man arrives, but before he can pass on his message he is struck by Raja juice and goes mad.
When we come into this book we discover that there are a number of unanswered questions, namely that the mystery of the Raja juice had not been solved and the body of the mastermind was never recovered after he fell off the cliff. As such Tintin decides to make his way to Shanghai, but when he arrives he is told by the Japanese that the Raj's life is in danger and he must return to India to protect him. Tintin is obviously a little suspicious and begins snooping around.
This story is set during a very tumultuous time in Asia as the Japanese Empire had pretty much industrialised (and had become the first non-European nation to do so). While China was still under defacto control of the Europeans the Japanese had made it very clear that despite the US gunboat diplomacy that they were still a force to be reckoned with. After defeating the Russians in the Russo-Japanese war it became clear that Japan was not going to be the standard push-over non-European nation, and they had joined the alliance during World War I. However, like many other countries (such as Italy) they had been shafted by the English, the French, and the Americans, so they decided to create an empire of their own (the Co-prosperity Sphere).
While this story is fictional, the destruction of the Nanking to Shanghai railway is reflective of a similar incident which resulted in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. In this story a simple act of sabotage is misreported and blown out of proportion. What started off as a simple railway attack, turned into a whole train full of Japanese citizens being killed (very, very clever Herge), which resulted in the Japanese occupation of China to install peace and order. It has been suggested that similar stories were misreported by the US media to enable them to enter various wars (such as the sinking of the Lusitania, the Gulf of Tonkin incident, and a raid by Mexican bandits that triggered the Mexican-American War).
This is actually quite a good book and it is interesting that Herge actually tries to challenge the European beliefs about Chinese culture. We have some scenes where it is being explained that there is a common misconception that the Chinese throw female babies into the river, and break their feet so that they will not grow. As is explained, it is simply not true and it seems that Herge is now trying to open our eyes to some of the atrocities that were occurring in the colonies. This is coming a very long way from the propaganda of Tintin in the Congo (which I seriously have to get my hands on now).
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LibraryThing member BenjaminHahn
This Tintin adventure is the first to follow a continous story line. Cigars of the Pharaoh is alluded to in the beginning and the opium ring is still a central antagonist throughout. For a 1930's Belgium comic, The Blue Lotus is fairly open minded, especially compared to Tintin in the Congo. There
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is still much to get peeved about if you easily get hung up on the colonialist mindset. If you can put that aside there is much to enjoy historically including the Boxer Rebellion and the Shanghai International District (Bund). Bullets fly, daring escapes are made, and poison darts pierce the necks of secret agents. High adventure awaits in The Blue Lotus! Show Less
LibraryThing member brakketh
Still an awkward mix of children's and adult reading and topic material handled in a relatively insensitive fashion.
LibraryThing member MaowangVater
In 1931 Tintin and his dog Snowy embark from India to Shanghai in search of the international drug gang he’d last encountered in Egypt and an antidote to their dreadful Rajaijah juice, the dreadful hallucinogenic “poison of madness” But as soon as Tintin disembarks in China, the gang is after
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him, and he must evade and outsmart them as they try to eliminate him. This leads him to numerous false trails, close encounters, and jurisdictional hurdles and he raced back and forth between Shanghai, the International Settlement policed by Occidental nations, and Japanese occupied China. Show Less
ISBN
0316358568 / 9780316358569