Who's Irish?

Duncan, the protagonist, leaves America, where he is a “dropout,” and goes to China, where he is regarded as a “foreign expert.” His decision to leave for China comes out of an experience in a museum looking at Sung dynasty porcelain, where he remarks on the art’s “wholeness, confidence and supremely untortured air” (50). Duncan wonders if this history is still alive in his heritage and in him, and he takes a position teaching English at the coal mining institute in Shandong.

Duncan is overseen by Professor Mo, a member of the Cultural Revolution whose English saved him and secured him a job. Duncan feels that Professor Mo’s animosity toward him comes from his being a better-liked teacher. Duncan becomes close to a few students—William, Louise and Reginald—and gets to know them better when he invites them to his apartment for conversational lessons. Duncan quickly falls for Louise and organizes a field trip for him, Louise, and William to take, and Professor Mo insists on being the chaperone.

When the group gets to Tai Shin, Professor Mo settles into the hotel while Duncan, William, and Louise set off on their hike up the mountain, where others have journeyed to beg a favor of the Buddha. During this overnight pilgrimage, Duncan feels like Louise shares in his desire, his evidence for this being that she touches his hand twice and says she prayed to the Buddha for someone special for Duncan. Duncan also suspects that William saw these exchanges because Louise is quickly dismissed after the trip. Duncan learns that William “made a report” and Professor Mo filed it without actually knowing if Louise had participated in the “immoral behavior” that she was charged with. Professor Mo tells Duncan that Louise is a woman of secrets, that her family's survival of the Cultural Revolution was and is a mystery, and that Duncan should be wary of her.

Duncan gets ready to take a trip to Beijing with Professor Mo to meet his cousin, which is a major hope of his in going to China. Duncan’s cousin Guotai shows up at Duncan’s hotel with his son Bing Bing, along with a cough that Duncan suspects is tuberculosis. It is clear that they expect Duncan will sponsor them to get to America. The evening is a disaster; Guotai has been beating his son every time he does something wrong, and at dinner he gives Bing Bing glass after glass of beer after realizing that Duncan has no intention of helping them get to America. Bing Bing dances on the table and passes out; Duncan is mortified.

Duncan and Professor Mo leave Beijing, and upon arriving home, Duncan finds Louise and her daughter, Lingli, at his door. Duncan realizes that all of Louise’s questions for him on their pilgrimage were to assess if he would be a good fit for her 19-year-old daughter. Duncan is hopeful in his instant love for this younger version of Louise, and while he knows that the possibility of the arrangement going awry is likely, he is still hopeful for the happiest outcome for himself, and it is this hope that makes him recognize himself as American.