I am writing a historical-fiction novel and I need help coming up with a good title. Several members already know of my project, but it seems the more research I do (because I want it to me as historically correct as possible) the more the story changes. These changes make it difficult to pin down a title that best describes the overall plot. I will, therefore, describe the newest version of the plot in the hopes that someone might be be able to think of something (to read about the older version, see this thread).

I must first explain that the story is a mix of my love for Crusader and Chinese history. I will describe the connections between these two seemingly unrelated subjects after the very brief plot overview:

A young Jew is held ransom by the Crusaders after the fall of Jerusalem in 1099 and grows up to become a merchant who trades in India and China and eventually comes to live in the Kaifeng Jewish community. After the Jingkang Incident, he serves under Yue Fei and fights against the Jurchen. The novel also follows the lives of his family after his death. His son serves as a merchant and his grandson a shochet (kosher-butcher), but both eventually gravitate to taking up arms for various reasons.

Apart from this thread, the connection comes in the form of Jewish trade during the 11th and 12th centuries. Abrabist S.D. Goitein's research into the Cairo Geniza letters shows that there was a noticable shift in Jewish trade from the Mediterranean to India during the 12th century. During the time of the Crusades, many Jewish merchants sailed to both India and China for various items such as textiles, dyes, and medicinal compounds. I'm sure many members here know about the Muslim and Jewish merchant population in southern China during the Tang and Song dynasties. And, as I've explained in a previous post, a legend popular among the descendants of the Chinese-Jews claims their ancestors fled from Turkey when the Crusaders passed into Anatolia and they eventually made their way to early Song China via the silk road. However, this legend no doubt came from them reading modern translations of Crusader documents.

I have based my main character on a young Jew that was historically held ransom by the Crusaders.* There were many other Jews held ransom (along with holy books),** but this specific Jew was held for a much higher ransom because he came from a very rich and powerful merchant family in Fustat, Egypt. His great-great grandfather and great-great-great uncle had once served as the advisers to the Fatimid Caliph and sultan during the mid 11th century, but they later were assassinated because they held too much power.

Anyway, I thought about reading through the Kaifeng steles, stone monuments left by the Jews of China, for a certain passage that might serve as a good title, but I don't have the book in front of me right now. I even thought about naming the book after a certain lesson from the Zhuangzi. One in particular was the concept of "Xiao Yao You" since it can mean wandering without a destination, but it would only cover his journey to China. Ultimately, I would like the title to convey traveling to a new land, overcoming adversity, and adapting to one's surroundings. Are there any Zhuangzi teachings about this?

Then again, I could always take the cheeky route and call it "Death of a Salesman". Get it? A merchant is a salesman. HA! I'll be here all week. Remember to tip your waitress. Try the veil!

* Gill, Moshe. History of Palestine, 634 - 1099. Cambridge University Press, 1997 (ISBN 0521599849), p. 832
** Shelomo D. Goitein, "Contemporary Letters on the Capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders." Journal of Jewish Studies 3 (1952), pp. 162-177 & Gill, pp. 830-833

I came up with a broad title – Shema Sinim.

If you are unfamiliar with the terms, the simple definitions are as follow

Shema: O hearken now! O listen on! O act on!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shma
Sinim: Supposed biblical name for China.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinim

Shema Sinim: O Hear China!

That's not bad! Thanks for the input.

Wikipedia says this about the prayer:


It's like calling the Jews of China to prayer.

I'm still open to suggestions.

I can't say I've ever heard the legend of the Chinese-Jews being the originators of paper money or them being befriend by the Jurchens. The Kaifeng Steles mention that the Jews fled south to Hangzhou after the Jurchen sacked Kaifeng. The steles do mention the "construction" of a synagogue in 1163, but several scholars have noted that the same character can also mean "repair", meaning its possible that they built a synagogue prior to 1163. One scholar I spoke with says that the first Kaifeng stele was engraved in the Ming Dynasty, which traced it's pedigree to the Song. So, it's possible that the Jews stated it was built in the Song when it was built before this time. If they truly arrived from India during the Han Dynasty like the Steles state, they would have definitely built a house of worship hundreds of years before 1163. Another scholar has noted that Jews were among the soldiers in Yue Fei's army. The Steles actually allude to the famous tattoo on his back.

Anyway, the main character fights against the Jurchens just like anyone else who had been displaced from their home by an enemy. His main reason, however, is that the Jurchens sack of Kaifeng reminded him of the Franks sack of Jerusalem. Both situations are very similar if you look at it.

I believe the sea route became more popular mode of travel for traders during that time. I've also read that fewer Muslim traders made the long trip to China after the massacre of the foreign merchants by a bandit during the Tang Dynasty (I forget his name at the moment). They simply purchased Chinese goods in southeast Asia and brought them back to their homelands.


He has no prior military training when he travels to China. As Ibn Battuta has shown in his travel logs, merchants did purchase bodyguards to protect their goods from pirates, but I haven't written that my character learns any skills from them.

Another possibility is "the overnight stay". I know that sounds weird but listen to what a book has to say:



This title might allude to the character's night spent praying prior to his travels to India and China. It could also be indicative of when a person only intends to stay in a place for a short while, but decides to live there permanently, like the character does with China. It still does not cover the entire plot, though.

I have a couple of suggestions:

• Jerusalem in the East
• The Merchant of Kaifeng
• Purim in Kaifeng
• Diaspora to Kaifeng

That's not bad either since the Babylonian congregation was still active during the time my story is set, but there are several already published history books called "Beyond Babylon".


Ricci never actually visited the Kaifeng community. He did, however, dispatch a junior Jesuit there in 1608, but the Jews remained very secretive (as they would remain for the next three hundred years). The Chief Rabbi at that time was supposedly ready to cede his power to Ricci on the condition that he give up Pork. Ricci never accepted the position and died in 1610. Therefore, I doubt he actually recorded the legend. It sounds more modern. Prof. Xu Xin did not include it in his book on Kaifeng Jew legends.*

Li is actually the Chinese-Jew surname that the main character chooses for himself and his family


He is actually from Fustat. I appreciate the explanation of your idea, but I'm just looking for a title. I have a feeling a lot of Chinese would be mad if I wrote it that Yue Fei became a Jew. They might claim I was trying to force western culture upon Ancient China. My portrayal of Yue is based on material gathered from scholarly sources (see this thread for a description of Yue's personality).

At one time, I actually came up with a side story that would allow a whole collection of stories concerning Chinese-Jews. It had something to do with the historical Portuguese Jesuit Rodriguez de Figueredo being given or discovering a stash of tattered text within the wall of a house prior to the 1642 flood of Kaifeng (the latter being similar to something that historically happened to the Chao Clan **). Each document is a diary or biography about a famous Chinese-Jew from various periods in time. Since the Steles state the Jews arrived during the Han Dynasty, the stories could represent every Dynasty between the Han and the Qing. I planned on publishing my tale with those written by other authors. I am still open to the idea, but I doubt there are too many people out there writing about the Chinese-Jews. I only know of one other already published book, but it only concerns the theft of one of the Torah scrolls by Europeans. It's set in modern day Europe I believe.



Thanks William. The Merchant of Kaifeng has a certain ring to it.

* Xu, Xin, Beverly Friend, and Cheng Ting. Legends of the Chinese Jews of Kaifeng. Hoboken, N.J.: KTAV Pub, 1995 (ISBN 0881255289)
** Donald Leslie, "The Kaifeng Jew Chao Ying-ch'eng and his family" T'ong Pao 53 (1967) pg. 147-179

I've never read it, but, Burton L. Vistozky, a professor who has pointed me in the direction of several good sources on Medeval Egypt and Merchant routes, wrote a book called Golden Bells & Pomegranates: Studies in Midrash Leviticus Rabbah. Perhaps my title could include some distinctly Levant and Chinese foods. Something like: Figs and Ginger or Figs and Tea leaves?

I know the family of the historical person I'm basing my character on specialized in textiles such as silk and previous stones (I don't know what exactly). Perhaps the title could be something about Silk and diamonds. The Chinese did not have the market cornered on Silk during the 11th and 12th centuries, though. Is there a precious stone native only to China?

[EDIT]

I just got back from running some errands. I was in a u-haul store and they had a bowl of decorative fruit full of apples and pears. I know China is known for it's pears, so it made me think of Figs and Pears. Actually, I'm wondering if there is a dish with just figs and pears. The name of that dish would be perfect since the story is a mix of east and west.

S.D. Goitein has this to say about Cairo and Fustat:


Fustat and Cairo were two different places. All the sources I’ve consulted say the family of my main character lived in Fustat.


I can see you are very knowledgeable in Judaism and I applaud you for that. But I think it would be condescending on my part to say Yue “accepts the basic truth” of only one God when China is a land of many gods. My novel is not about his religious in China. It is basically about the main character overcoming “bumps in the road”—his tribulation at the hands of the Franks and Jurchens—and adapting to his new life in China.

I must respectfully ask that all future comments be limited to title suggestions. These sidebar discussions on whether a person is called a Cairene or not and, most importantly, suggestions for the storyline are going way off topic. The plot is set and I do not need any help in coming up with ideas regarding the storyline. Please forgive me if any of my remarks came off as being rude.



That sounds nice too because it has a hidden meaning. What is the name of the psalm?

I thought of one while I was at work: "The Merchant from Earth Market Street".

The Chinese-Jews' synagogue was built on the corner of Earth Market Street and Fire God Street.

Thanks. That was the one I was thinking of.

title sugesston: The Lost Zion

Thank you for the suggestion.