Any thoughts?

[JPMMURPHY]

I need some back-story for one of my characters - Linda Woo (The Sentinel and The Entity). It was pointed out that Woo is, in fact, a Chinese name (Linda is first generation Japanese/American). So, just as Murphy is Irish (several parts of the family came over on several different boats many years ago), I need an immigrant story for Linda's family. Some event that would have made it attractive or plausible for a Chinese family to immigrate to Japan. Maybe a steward on one of the Noble House clipper ships (not really, just an example) during the opium/silk trade period. Something several generations back.

Any ideas?

This will be used in the third (and final) Woo book - The Phoenix.

Thanks.

JPM

 

[Weird Harold]

I need an immigrant story for Linda's family. Some event that would have made it attractive or plausible for a Chinese family to immigrate to Japan.

My first thought is that it wasn't going to happen as a family immigration -- too much bad blood and racism involved for too much of historic Japan-China relations. But I'd have to research the history and time frames to be sure of Japanese immigration policies.

A single exceptional ancestor who came to Japan as a slave, prisoner of war, or refugee and managed to overcome the racism and xenophobia to marry/integrate into Japanese society might be plausible.

 

[3113]

Maybe a steward on one of the Noble House clipper ships (not really, just an example) during the opium/silk trade period. Something several generations back.

The silk trade between China and Japan was going on centuries before the West "discovered" Japan, let alone before Europe was part of the silk trade. To quote:

According to the Japan Society, ninety years later, several other Chinese experts went to Japan and engaged in the rearing of silkworms in various districts. This account of the Japan Society seems rather inconsistent since the Chinese guarded their secret rather fiercely. Perhaps by then, the Chinese allowed the spread of this precious knowledge. In any case, the sericulture industry in Japan can be assumed to have dated from between the second and the third century AD.

But, honestly, there's no reason to complicate matters to explain away this, er, mistake:

Many ethnic minorities living in Japan adopt Japanese names to ease communication and, more importantly, to avoid discrimination. But a few of them still keep their native name. Among them are Chang Woo Han, a founder and chairman of Maruhan Corp., a large chain of pachinko parlors in Japan.....Many surnames originated from Chinese and Korean names. Examples are Kaneshiro (金城) (Chinese) and Chang (Korean).

So there you go. There's the "Woo" no need for a long, complicate explanation that's going to need all kinds of weird plot twists and may be full of all kinds of holes. It's far easier to say that it's just a very old name of a immigrant from China, and that the family stubbornly and out of respect for their founding father, kept the "Woo" in the name through the generations.

 

[JPMMURPHY]

Both are great answers. No, it is not intended as a plot twist. Just part of one of those talks all new couples get into about their families. Pillow talk, cuddled on the couch. Whatever. I think I'll investigate the silk growers. It appeals to me.

Great! Thanks to both.