The Felneyverse Characters

Xin Zhou

Picture

Name: Xin Zhou

Story: Norman Saxon / Xin Zhou's Schooldays

Universe: Nu

First seen in: Norman Saxon: Detective (RWB ns1)

Age: 13

Birthdate: 1887

Birth Place: China

Currently Lives: Chiltern Street, London, England

Politics: Early 20th century public school honour code

Kinsey Rating: 1

Relationship: Adopted son, and assistant of, Norman Saxon

General Info:

Xin Zhou was born at some point in the 1880's, to impoverished parents in China. Before he had lived much longer, they were forced to sell him into slavery by bandits, recieving only a small payment anyway. Xin Zhou was forced, in a band of slaves and other bandits, to march right across central Asia, before he was finally sold to an Arab called El-Musha. This man moved to Port Said and opened a shop, where Xin Zhou was forced to work for a pittance. Later Norman Saxon came on the scene and bought the boy, to save him from a beating. Xin Zhou could have gone free, but decided to stick with his "new master", soon becoming very useful indeed.

Xin Zhou is deceptively small for his age, but very intelligent. By the time Norman meets him, he can speak Chinese, Arabic and Dutch well, and English and German passably. As he was only fed occasionally, he had to keep himself alive by stealing - quickly becoming an accomplished pickpocket, and able to sneak around in total silence. A favourite trick is releiving people of thier guns and replacing them with bananas.

After his "adoption" by Norman Saxon, Xin Zhou was given some training in the art of detective work - observation of changes, working backwards from clues, and so on. He was also sent to Calthorpe School, where Norman went, for a more conventional education. He quickly finds himself in trouble there, with bullies and masters alike!

Occupation:

Slave (approx. 1894 - 1899) / Amateur detective (1899 - ), Schoolboy (1899 - )

Mini Timeline:

1887: Born

1894: Sold into slavery by impoverished parents

1894 - 1897: Overland trek across the old "Silk Road"

1897 - 1899: Works in the shop of Abdullah El-Musha, Port Said

Mid-1899: "Bought" by Norman Saxon for �2. Becomes his assistant

December 27th 1899: Starts at Calthorpe School, Sussex

Vehicles:

Bicycle

Weapons:

Pickpockets people's revolvers, replacing them with bananas.

Catapault

Pea-shooter

Relations:

Norman Saxon - adoptive father, and boss!

Friends:

Harry Woodcroft

Lucian Dayes-Walcy

Theodore J Bluesky, "Bluey"

Arthur Morris

Jimmy Spencer

Current Status:

In the Third Form of Calthorpe School (Radley's House). Has also solved a number of cases with Norman Saxon. His leg was badly injured by a ship, but he recovered.

Character Origin:

When IPC / Fleetway / DC Comics told me I couldn't use Sexton Blake in my own comics, I was semi-prepared with replacement characters. Originally I was planning to simply do a find-and-replace on my Sexton Blake stories, turning "Sexton Blake" into "Norman Saxon" and "Tinker" into "Tanner". But, by then I'd already written a Sexton Blake story featuring his earlier Chinese assistant We-Wee (written by a number of revisionists as Wee-Wee. Except of course We-Wee would be pronounced "Wei-Wi", but that doesn't sound sinisterly racist on BBC radio shows). I instead decided to re-write Norman Saxon and his assistant, now always a Chinese boy named Xin Zhou, right from the start. I also moved them to Chiltern Street (adjacent to Baker Street), and gave them solid origin stories. Well, I have in my head, anyway. The origin story you can actually read is still being written! (as of July 2014 - it will be in the first issue of The Trident).

The old AP story papers also sent Tinker to school, where he got into a number of scrapes and japes - though no doubt Tinker's Schooldays were simply set in the years they were written, even though he was also out and about assisting Sexton Blake around the world in other stories. I have also given Xin Zhou a "schooldays" story, in the finest traditions of British public school yarns. But these have also been given a solid setting in time, and Norman Saxon largely works alone in those years.

Little Known Fact:

Just as Norman Saxon is named after two ancient "dynasties" to rule England, Xin Zhou is also named after two Chinese dynasties. Though strictly speaking the Xin "Dynasty" only had one emperor, and he got killed in a peasant uprising.

Xin Zhou also holds the fastest language-learning record. Going from Pidgin English to perfect public-school English (alternating with Cockney) in only a few days, between the first two parts of Xin Zhou's Schooldays!

Picture
		Name: Xin Zhou
		Story: Norman Saxon / Xin Zhou's Schooldays
		Universe: Nu
		First seen in: Norman Saxon: Detective (RWB ns1)
		Age: 13
		Birthdate: 1887
		Birth Place: China
		Currently Lives: Chiltern Street, London, England
		Politics: Early 20th century public school honour code
		Kinsey Rating: 1
		Relationship: Adopted son, and assistant of, Norman Saxon
General Info:	Xin Zhou was born at some point in the 1880's, to impoverished parents in China. Before he had lived much longer, they were forced to sell him into slavery by bandits, recieving only a small payment anyway. Xin Zhou was forced, in a band of slaves and other bandits, to march right across central Asia, before he was finally sold to an Arab called El-Musha. This man moved to Port Said and opened a shop, where Xin Zhou was forced to work for a pittance. Later Norman Saxon came on the scene and bought the boy, to save him from a beating. Xin Zhou could have gone free, but decided to stick with his "new master", soon becoming very useful indeed. Xin Zhou is deceptively small for his age, but very intelligent. By the time Norman meets him, he can speak Chinese, Arabic and Dutch well, and English and German passably. As he was only fed occasionally, he had to keep himself alive by stealing - quickly becoming an accomplished pickpocket, and able to sneak around in total silence. A favourite trick is releiving people of thier guns and replacing them with bananas. After his "adoption" by Norman Saxon, Xin Zhou was given some training in the art of detective work - observation of changes, working backwards from clues, and so on. He was also sent to Calthorpe School, where Norman went, for a more conventional education. He quickly finds himself in trouble there, with bullies and masters alike!
Occupation:	Slave (approx. 1894 - 1899) / Amateur detective (1899 - ), Schoolboy (1899 - )
Mini Timeline:	1887: Born 1894: Sold into slavery by impoverished parents 1894 - 1897: Overland trek across the old "Silk Road" 1897 - 1899: Works in the shop of Abdullah El-Musha, Port Said Mid-1899: "Bought" by Norman Saxon for �2. Becomes his assistant December 27th 1899: Starts at Calthorpe School, Sussex
Vehicles:	Bicycle
Weapons:	Pickpockets people's revolvers, replacing them with bananas. Catapault Pea-shooter
Relations:	Norman Saxon - adoptive father, and boss!
Friends:	Harry Woodcroft Lucian Dayes-Walcy Theodore J Bluesky, "Bluey" Arthur Morris Jimmy Spencer
Current Status:	In the Third Form of Calthorpe School (Radley's House). Has also solved a number of cases with Norman Saxon. His leg was badly injured by a ship, but he recovered.
Character Origin:	When IPC / Fleetway / DC Comics told me I couldn't use Sexton Blake in my own comics, I was semi-prepared with replacement characters. Originally I was planning to simply do a find-and-replace on my Sexton Blake stories, turning "Sexton Blake" into "Norman Saxon" and "Tinker" into "Tanner". But, by then I'd already written a Sexton Blake story featuring his earlier Chinese assistant We-Wee (written by a number of revisionists as Wee-Wee. Except of course We-Wee would be pronounced "Wei-Wi", but that doesn't sound sinisterly racist on BBC radio shows). I instead decided to re-write Norman Saxon and his assistant, now always a Chinese boy named Xin Zhou, right from the start. I also moved them to Chiltern Street (adjacent to Baker Street), and gave them solid origin stories. Well, I have in my head, anyway. The origin story you can actually read is still being written! (as of July 2014 - it will be in the first issue of The Trident). The old AP story papers also sent Tinker to school, where he got into a number of scrapes and japes - though no doubt Tinker's Schooldays were simply set in the years they were written, even though he was also out and about assisting Sexton Blake around the world in other stories. I have also given Xin Zhou a "schooldays" story, in the finest traditions of British public school yarns. But these have also been given a solid setting in time, and Norman Saxon largely works alone in those years.
Little Known Fact:	Just as Norman Saxon is named after two ancient "dynasties" to rule England, Xin Zhou is also named after two Chinese dynasties. Though strictly speaking the Xin "Dynasty" only had one emperor, and he got killed in a peasant uprising. Xin Zhou also holds the fastest language-learning record. Going from Pidgin English to perfect public-school English (alternating with Cockney) in only a few days, between the first two parts of Xin Zhou's Schooldays!