A Festive Message from The Tai-Pan

2008 has been quite a year for the Tai-Pan and the Noble House, with extreme highs and lows, massive and unpredictable changes, and unsolicited holidays to Turkestan. In light of this, I am looking forward to calmer seas to steer the Flying Cloud and the rest of the fleet through, but with the economic forecast set to gales (storm-force later, veering south to south-westerly), the barometer falling in line with the stock market and piratical activity on the increase - both on the seas and in certain peoples business habits, we will need all the joss we can get to win through. But mark my words, as Tai-Pan of the Noble House I have no doubt that we will not only win through, but come out above and beyond all our competitors from the current financial typhoon.

Wishing you all much joss in the New Year.

The Tai-Pan

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Extracts from The Far Eastern Economic Review's interview with The Tai-Pan

What has the Tai-Pan been up to recently, and what are the Tai-Pan's plans for 2009?

There have been some rumours and reports that the Noble House has been distracted from the market recently, and has not been punching at its weight. Let me quash these immediately; they are but the vicious propaganda of certain rival tycoons and would-be tai-pans. I have personally been engaged in many international projects that will see the Noble House through the current fiscal crisis and also reap benefits for us, the most important trading house in Hong Kong, long beyond this time. These should start to come into fruition in 2009.

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What do you make of the story that Quillian Gornt was behind the attack on the Noble House's stables that left the cream of your horses lame?

I am sure that Commissioner Tang and his police are leading a full and thorough investigation into this unwarranted and heinous attack. Whomever the culprit may be, I am sure that the full weight of the law will be thrown at them for this barbaric deed. I was shocked to hear about Gornt's best jockey being embroiled in that seedy affair in Bangkok, and am sure that the fifteen years handed down by the judge was a fair and just sentence, and should serve as a warning to other jockeys who try to feed barbiturates to their steeds.

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