Stone, Katherine by Pearl Moon Page B

its name.
    "In the late thirteenth century, the last emperor of the Sung
Dynasty fled here in an attempt to escape the Mongols. When he saw the
peninsula's eight hills, each of which he believed to be the home of a dragon,
he wanted to name his own new home 'Eight Dragons' in their honor. He was just
a boy, and had forgotten that emperors, too, were dragons. Once reminded, he
changed the name to Kowloon, 'Nine Dragons.' Dragons are revered creatures in
Chinese mythology, and are generally regarded as good. Still, one tries not to
provoke them, and great efforts are expended to please them. Which brings us to
the Regent. The feng shui consultant strongly advised that the Kowloon dragons
not be forgotten. That's why the lobby's glass, so the dragons can find their
way to the harbor to bathe."
    The windows of Maylene Kwan's Jade Palace were to be tinted
jade—except for the lobby atrium. There, the glass would be clear. Now Sam knew
why. "Did Golden Eight make a similar suggestion for the Palace?"
    "No. The clear glass was on the original sketches. I have no
problem with dragons wandering through our lobby, do you?"
    Sam smiled. "None at all. They're more than welcome. Does
Golden Eight have concerns about the hotel?"
    "No. He thinks the alignments are very propitious. I'm sure
James just wants you to meet him because he'll be dropping by from time to time
to make sure everything feels right."
    Having finished with the special considerations of building in
Kowloon, Maylene gestured toward the skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island. Beginning
with the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, she asked, "What do you think of
Hong Kong's heavily fortified twenty-first-century space station?"
    "I like it. Was it a feng shui nightmare?"
    "Not really. The suspended escalators had to be installed
slightly askew. But that was easy. The main problem was Stephen and Stitt, the
two bronze lions. They'd guarded the previous incarnation of the bank, and when
it was time for them to be moved to their new location, there had to be two
cranes, lifting them simultaneously, to avoid jealousy in either beast."
    "I saw them yesterday. They seem quite content in their new
home."
    "And the bank itself has enjoyed good fortune."
    "What about the Bank of China?" Sam asked. Designed by
I. M. Pei, it had been, until recently, Asia's tallest structure.
    "The bank is flourishing, but they had to pull out all stops
to ensure its good luck. The segmental increments are supposed to resemble
bamboo shoots, propelling themselves ever higher with each successive growth.
But there was so much concern about the angles that on August eighth, 1988, the
luckiest day of the century, an elaborate topping-off ceremony was held."
    "Here's a wild guess. There's something lucky about the
number eight."
    "In Cantonese, 'eight' is a homonym for 'prosperity.'"
    "Hence Golden Eight."
    "A nickname given to him by satisfied customers."
    "He has lots of customers?"
    "All the good feng shui men do. Courting luck is a favorite
Chinese pastime. Feng shui men are consulted by the most humble amah to the
most powerful taipan. Well," she amended, "not the most
powerful taipan." She pointed to Victoria Peak. At its very summit stood a
pristine white building, its windows gleaming copper in the afternoon sun.
"That's Peak Castle, home of Sir Geoffrey Lloyd-Ashton, owner of Hong
Kong's largest trading company. Sir Geoffrey apparently regards feng shui as
pure nonsense. Every feng shui expert in the territory warned against building
a home that would blind the mountain's dragon."
    "But Sir Geoffrey didn't care."
    "No. And he supposedly rather likes the fact that Hong Kong's
unofficial name for his castle is Dragon's Eyes."
    "Has his defiance of feng shui brought him bad
luck?"
    "Not yet. By all accounts, his life is quite perfect, and so,
according to James, is the interior of the castle."
    "Is James a frequent guest?"
    "I think so. Lady Lloyd-Ashton and James's wife—"
    "I know about James's wife, Maylene.