Chapter 4, Tycoon Summary

Sir Lawrence Tsung is a tremendously rich man accustomed to getting his way. He pays a great deal of money to the Chinese government for his many children, due to the stringent laws about reproduction. He meets his match in Dr. Hessenstein, the director of the Hong Kong Planetarium. Sir Lawrence wants to demolish the planetarium to improve his view of the harbor, but Dr. Hessenstein refuses, no matter how much money Sir Lawrence offers. This results in a friendship between the two men. Sir Lawrence has a hand in changing the history of the Solar System, possibly through his son, William Tsung.

Chapter 4, Tycoon Analysis

Tycoon is another exposition chapter that introduces Sir Lawrence primarily and his son, William Tsung. A predictive point is made that overpopulation will be a problem in China for many years to come, and that...