Rockville, Maryland

The city of Rockville, Maryland is the primary setting of the novel. Rockville is located about 20 miles north of Washington D.C. and has population of about 65,000 people. Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County. Rockville is a small city, and most of its restaurants and other businesses are located near Rockville Town Square. The Beijing Duck House is likely in this vicinity. Most of the novel’s characters appear to live in or near Rockville.

Beijing Duck House

After the Han family arrived in Maryland, Pang helped them to open a restaurant in Rockville. The restaurant is called the Beijing Duck House, and it is a major setting in the novel. The restaurant serves cuisine that Americans refer to as Chinese food, but as the novel points out, American Chinese food is dissimilar from authentic Chinese food. The restaurant is fairly successful and has a...