Book 3: Initiate, Chapters 4-7, 'Taiwan Tunes,' 'Playing Hands,' 'Crazy Negotiations,' and 'Taking a Beating' Summary

Matt is introduced to Monk Xingming, a Buddhist teacher at Shaolin. Xingming likes Broadway musicals and Barbra Streisand, and Matt thinks that he is obviously homosexual. One day Xingming is talking to the monks about politics and is angry that America has sold F-16 fighter planes to Taiwan. Xingming says that Taiwan is part of China and that America should not interfere. He says that he would fight America over this, and the other monks agree. Matt is surprised by the usually mild monk's vehemence. Xingming asks Matt what he thinks about the matter and Matt says that it is complicated. Deqing rescues him, diffusing the situation by joking that Xingming...