Nell's Passage through Pudong Summary

Nell crosses the arched Causeway over to Shanghai and ventures with caution into the Pudong Economic Zone. She enters a sophisticated and much advertised brothel owned by Madame Ping, where she requests a job. She says that she does not want to work as a prostitute, but rather as a scriptwriter. She meets with the owner and they both discuss the newcomer's qualifications over a cup of tea. Nell asserts that she knows the New Atlantis phyle and its inner workings better than anyone. Since the members of this phyle are the wealthiest class in the area, she argues that she will be perfectly fitted to script fantasies suited to their desires. The Madame explains that the clientele of the brothel seeks these sophisticated fantasies even though they are usually not neo Victorians. However, they aspire to...