Singapore

Biodata

Geography and Environment

• Climate: Sanhe initially finds the hot, humid air almost suffocating, but adjusts after several days. He later describes average temperatures of around thirty degrees Celsius 14 24.
• Urban greenery: Towering roadside trees and plants growing across their branches stand alongside modern buildings. This combination shapes his first impression of the “Garden City” 13.
• Feng Shui assessment: Recalling his master’s explanation that temperature and humidity sustain life, Sanhe interprets the vigorous vegetation as evidence of excellent Feng Shui 13.
• Air-conditioning: Buses, subway stations, shopping malls, and homes are described as air-conditioned, contrasting with the heat outdoors 24.
• Religious landscape: Places of worship are interspersed with residential neighborhoods despite scarce, expensive land. Sanhe recalls seeing more than twenty Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, Hindu, and other religious sites along a few streets in Geylang 31.

Notable Locations

Housing and Living Costs

Housing Types

Sanhe distinguishes three broad housing categories 18:

Sanhe’s Living Expenses

• Initial rent: Four students share a room barely large enough for two sets of bunk beds. Its monthly rent is 10,000 yuan, divided among them; Sanhe later accuses Sister Feng of charging several times the market rate 14 18.
• Replacement accommodation: The room he finds near Paya Lebar MRT costs the equivalent of 2,500 yuan per month and can accommodate three people. He ultimately moves there alone 17 18.
• Startup costs: Rent, a deposit, a transit card, a phone card, and a plug adapter consume more than half his initial living funds 14.
• Everyday prices: Sanhe observes that two Singapore dollars can buy a meal or a piece of clothing, while a bus journey can cost the same amount 14.
• Food savings: During his financial crisis, he eats plain white bread and combines lunch and dinner. After moving, he regularly cooks noodles with Chinese cabbage 14 21.

Languages and Local Culture

Communication

• English-language education: Sanhe’s accounting lectures and technical vocabulary expose the gap between passing English examinations and understanding spoken English 19 21.
• Office requirements: He warns Li Guang that office emails, paperwork, and telephone calls are handled in English, even though Mandarin can suffice for much everyday communication 26.
• Mixed-language speech: A teacher’s Hokkien punchline confuses both Sanhe and Naja. Sanhe subsequently notes expressions drawn from Malay, Indian languages, Thai, Cantonese, and Hokkien alongside Chinese and English 26.
• Mandarin is not universal: At Changi Airport, Sanhe mistakenly assumes that a woman’s appearance means she will understand Mandarin 13.

Food and Dining

• Coffee shops versus cafés: Local “coffee shops” are inexpensive roadside eating places or open-air food courts, often beneath HDB blocks. Starbucks-style establishments are called cafés—a distinction that disappoints Little Bun after she arrives for work 37.
• Durian: Widely sold locally; Sanhe first tries it with Du Le and Sun Qirui during their early explorations 14.
• Dim sum: Little Bun serves radish cake, custard buns, char siu buns, peanut buns, jade buns, shrimp dumplings, and siu mai. Sanhe and Du Le find the flavors unfamiliar and even the vegetable and pork buns sweet 38.
• Breakfast: Chen Wenjie’s Ya Kun meal consists of toast, coffee, and eggs soaked in hot water until half-cooked, then eaten with soy sauce 44.

Employment, Immigration, and Business

The following rules and opportunities are presented through Sanhe’s experiences and research during the novel’s 2008 setting 26 42.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Promised Opportunity and Disillusionment

Uncle Feng persuades Sanhe to leave his teaching job by promising admission to the National University of Singapore, a master’s degree, and lucrative part-time employment. Sanhe’s recognition that Singapore lies south of China makes him reconsider the old Taoist’s earlier prediction 3.

During his Shanghai layover, Sanhe learns Minor Six Ren and obtains a Red Mouth result for his forthcoming studies. After arriving, he discovers that his school is private, his course and qualification differ from those promised, and only four months of the year’s tuition have been paid. His low-paid dishwashing job cannot support him and is not legal under his student status 5 14 15.

Uncle Feng admits taking money, while Sister Feng threatens blacklisting and deportation if Sanhe continues demanding repayment. Sanhe abandons the claim to preserve his chance of remaining in Singapore and accepts the dispute as the fulfillment of his Red Mouth reading 16.

Independence and Practical Training

Sanhe leaves Sister Feng’s accommodation for Paya Lebar and continues his accounting studies. His classmates include Bai Zhigao and Naja, a Sri Lankan student seeking an ACCA qualification 18 19 20.

Singapore also provides opportunities to test his spiritual training. Master Wu helps him understand his dizziness during qigong practice, and Sanhe learns to project perceptible qi through sword fingers. He applies Feng Shui advice at Li Xuan’s cousin’s home and later accepts Chen Wenjie’s request to investigate his daughter’s unexplained illness 28 33 37 44.

Legal Employment and Deferred Entrepreneurship

Mr. Cai’s labor shortage inspires Sanhe to arrange legal employment for others rather than repeat the student-visa predicament. He helps Li Guang obtain work and develops plans for a recruitment business with Li Xuan and Du Le 28 29 31 34 42.

The 2008 global financial crisis persuades him to postpone starting the company. After receiving purchasing and agency-consultant offers, he takes a purchasing position with an SP visa. Regular hours and improved finances give him more time to study his master’s books and pursue practical Feng Shui work 42 43 44.