Chapter 1, A Parade in Erhenrang Summary

"Left Hand of Darkness" opens with a report from Genly Ai, First Mobile, who is stationed on the planet Winter, which is called 'Gethen' by the natives. It begins on the 44^th diurnal of the year 1491 in Erhenrang, the capital of the nation of Karhide. Genly Ai participates in a parade to celebrate the completion of the Arch of River Gate, which completes the New Road and River Port of Erhenrang, an operation that took five years and will ostensibly define the reign of King Argaven XV.

As part of the ceremony, the king mortars the joints of the Arch's keystone with a pinkish cement. Genly learns from Therem Harth rem ir Estraven, the Prime Minister or "King's Ear" and one of the most important men in the country, that the mortar is made of...