Pen Q is the maker of statue of emperor kung.

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What did Sir Alexander Heathcote do every morning

1225

Answer

Amelia mazumder

Added an answer on September 15, 2021 at 11:06 am

Sir Alexander Heathcote rosé at seven o’clock every morning, joined his wife at breakfast to eat one
boiled egg cooked for precisely four minutes, two pieces of toast with one spoonful of Cooper’a
marmalade and drink one cup of China tea. He would then take a hackney carriage from his home in
11 Cadogan Gardens at exactly eight-twenty and arrive at the Foreign Office at promptly eight-fifty-
nine.

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Who purchased the Chinese statue?

1117

Answer

Amelia mazumder

Added an answer on September 15, 2021 at 11:34 am

Sir Alexander Heathcote purchased the Chinese Statue.

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Under what circumstances does the little statue of Emperor Kung find its way into the auction room?

11,697

Answer

Amelia mazumder

Added an answer on September 15, 2021 at 10:08 pm

Sir Alexander Heathcote received the Chinese Statue when he was in China. It was bequeathed to his
first born, Major James Heathcote and Sir Alexander had also mentioned it in the will that, after his
death, the statue should pass to the eldest born in the family and not to be sold off, until and unless
the family’s honour was at stake. Everything went on smoothly till the statue was passed into the
hands of Alex Heathcote. Alex, who was a spendthrift, gambled away all his money and fell into
serious debt. Unable to overcome his debt, he decided to sell the statue to save himself. So he took
the family heirloom to Bond Street and delivered it to Sotheby. This was how the statue found its
way to the auction room.

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What is the moral of the story the Chinese statue?

1887

Answer

Amelia mazumder

Added an answer on September 16, 2021 at 12:12 pm

The moral of the story is to not to judge a book by its cover. Sir Alexander Heathcote prides himself
to be knowledgeable in art but at the end he is fooled into believing that the Chinese Statue is real
when it was the ordinary base which is priceless. The concept of appearance versus reality is
portrayed through this.

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What fate did the Chinese statue have since it arrived in the Heathcote family till it was purchased by
the narrator?

1177

Answer

Amelia mazumder

Added an answer on September 16, 2021 at 12:16 pm

The Chinese Statue, acquired by Sir Alexander Heathcote, was regarded as a family heirloom and
was to be always passed on to the first born in the family after Alexander’s death. Fate changed
when the statue finally came into the hands of Alex Heathcote, the great-great grandson of
Alexander. Alex was a spendthrift who gambled away all his money and to get out of his debt, sold
the statue at an auction, from where the narrator bought it.

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What was the lot number of the Chinese Statue?

1120

Answer

Who was Alexander Heathcote? Where was he sent as an ambassador? How did he reveal his
passion for art work?

1405

Ans

Sir Alexander Heathcote, a gentleman, had been exact from an early age, as became the only son of
a general.

But unlike his father, he chose to serve the Queen in the diplomatic service. He progressed from a
shared desk at the Foreign Office in Whitehall to third secretary in Calcutta, to second secretary in
Vienna, to first secretary in Rome, to Deputy Ambassador in Washington and finally to minister in
Peking.

When he was invited to China, Sir Alexander Heathcote had taken some considerable time to look
through the art of the Ming dynasty. An opportunity to observe in their natural habitat some of the
great statues, paintings and drawings was always welcomed by him.

How did Alexander Heathcote try to make easy money?

1170

Answer

In the swinging sixties, when casinos opened in Britain, Alex Heathcote was convinced that he had
found the ideal way of earning a living without actually having to do any work. He developed a
system for playing roulette with which it was impossible to lose. He did lose, so he refined the
system and promptly lost more but he didn’t try to stop and work hard to make a living anymore.

What did Alexander Heathcote write in his will?

1509

Answer

Being an exact man, Sir Alexander Heathcote wrote a long and detailed will in which he left precise
instructions for the disposal of his estate, including what was to happen to the little statue after his
death. He bequeathed the Emperor Kung to his first son requesting that he do the same, in order
that the statue might always pass to the first son, or a daughter if the direct male line faltered. He
also made a provision that the statue was never to be disposed of, unless the family’s honour was at
stake.

According to the old Chinese custom that when a stranger has been generous, one must return the
kindness within a calendar year. So in order to reciprocate the old man’s generosity, Sir Alexander
Heathcote planned out a surprise for him. First he transferred his funds and then with help and
permission of the Queen, executed his plan. Almost a year to the day the minister, accompanied by
the Mandarin, set out again from Peking for the village of the Ha Li Chuan. On arriving there, he
requested the old man to accompany him on a short journey . They travelled for two hours up a thin
winding path into the hills behind the craftsman’s workshop and only stopped when they reached a
hollow in the hill from which there was a magnificent view of the valley all the way down to Ha Li
Chuan. In the hollow stood a newly completed small white house of the most perfect proportions.
Two stone lion dogs, tongues hanging over their lips, guarded the front entrance. This was gift,
sanctioned by the Queen, given to the old craftsman for his generosity to Sir Alexander.
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What Chinese tradition does the Mandarin tell Sir Alexander about?

155

Answer

Amelia mazumder

Added an answer on September 15, 2021 at 1:47 pm

The Chinese tradition mentioned by the Mandarin was that when a stranger has been generous, one
must return the kindness within the calendar year.

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Why does the narrator call Sir Alexander Heathcote an exact man in Jeffrey Archer’s short story The
Chinese statue?

1512

Answer

Amelia mazumder

Added an answer on September 15, 2021 at 1:31 pm

The narrator called Sir Alexander Heathcote an exact man because as well as being a gentleman, he
was an exact man in his behavior. He was exactly six foot- three and a quarter inches tall, rose at
seven o’clock every morning, joined his wife at breakfast to eat one boiled egg cooked for precisely
four minutes, two pieces of toast with one spoonful of Cooper’s marmalade and drink one cup of
China tea. He would then take a hackney carriage from his home in 11 Cadogan Gardens at exactly
eight-twenty and arrive at the Foreign Office at promptly eight-fifty-nine, returning home on the
stroke of six o’ clock.
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What was the reason for the statue to be auctioned in the story the Chinese statue?

1571

Answer

Amelia mazumder

Added an answer on September 15, 2021 at 10:27 pm

When the statue finally reached into the hands of Alex Heathcote, he proved out to be a foil to his
great grandfather, Sir Alexander Heathcote. Alex turned out to be a selfish, spoiled little brat. He
could never hold down a job for a few weeks and when casinos opened in Britain, Alex was
convinced that he had found the ideal way of earning a living without actually having to do any work.
He thought he would solve all his problems by winning but he lost. He kept on losing yet he didn’t
stop gambling. Finally the worst came to worst, Alex had gambled away all his money and was in a
great debt. To pay back the debt, Alex caved in and decided to sell the family heirloom, the Chinese
Statue. It was the “family honour at stake” which compelled him to sell the statue.

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Narrate the journey of the chinese statue

1773

Answer

Amelia mazumder
Added an answer on September 16, 2021 at 12:33 pm

Alexander Heathcote acquired the statue from an old craftsman in China. He was so fond of the
statue that he wrote it down in his will that the statue must be passed on generation to generation
and mustn’t be sold until and unless the family’s honour was at stake. After his death, his first-born,
Major James Heathcote came into possession of the Ming Emperor. The colonel was not a man to
disobey his father so he, too, wrote in his will following his father’s wishes about the heirloom. After
the colonel’s death, the statue was bequeathed to his first-born, the Reverend Alexander Heathcote.
He admired the Ming statue and before his death remembered to write clear instructions about the
statue in his will. It then passed on to Captain James Heathcote, whose untimely death passed the
statue into the hands of his then two-year old son, Alex Heathcote. Alex was a good-for-nothing,
spendthrift and a selfish person who gambled away all his money. Unable to overcome his debt, he
decided to sell the statue as his family’s honour was at stake. This was how the statue found its way
to the auction room where the narrator bought it.

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“the chinese statue is a story within a story”. Explain

1391

Answer

Amelia mazumder

Added an answer on September 15, 2021 at 9:56 pm

The Chinese Statue follows the technique of a parallel story meaning having a story within a story.
The ‘story’ within the main story tells the readers how the statue found its way to the auction room.
The main story occurs at London, in the present time where Alex is a gambler, whiling away his time
and wealth and as a final resort to save himself, sold his family heirloom which is the statue. The
narrator is an omniscient one, present in all perspectives, telling the story of how the statue is
acquired and found its way to the auction room where it is kept at the present.

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How is Alex a foil to his great grandfather Alexander Heathcote?

1913

Answer

Amelia mazumder

Added an answer on September 15, 2021 at 10:19 pm

Sir Alexander Heathcote was an exact man throughout his life. He led a disciplined life and rose from
one position to another. He started his career from a shared desk job at the Foreign Office to finally
being the minister in Peking. He had a great interest in art and history and was a lover of collecting
artifacts. Sir Alexander was a man of words which was seen when he repaid the generosity of the old
craftsman within one calendar year. He lived a comfortable life where he was respected for who he
was. On the other hand, Alex Heathcote was quite a foil to Alexander Heathcote. He lived a reckless
life and was selfish and self-centered. He gambled his entire wealth and whiled away his time. His
mother spoiled him to such an extent that he never worked but only gambled away to his heart’s
content. He fell into a great debt and unable to overcome it, sold the family heirloom.

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Who was responsible for bringing the Chinese statue into the auction room?

121

Answer

Amelia mazumder

Added an answer on September 15, 2021 at 10:29 pm

Alex Heathcote, the great-great-grandson of Sir Alexander Heathcote, was responsible for bringing
the Chinese statue to the auction room.

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How can you conclude that the narrator of the story the Chinese statue was a lover of art?

1917

Answer

Amelia mazumder

Added an answer on September 16, 2021 at 12:37 pm

The narrator of the story appears to be a lover of art. His presence as a bidder at Sotheby’s Auction
House to buy a piece of art suggests his love and admiration for art. He is even interested to know
the history of the art pieces that are there including the history of the Chinese Statue and how it
came there. At the end, he even buys the statue for seven hundred and twenty guineas shows the
fact that he is indeed a lover of art.

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How was the Chinese statue acquired?

1300

Answer

Amelia mazumder

Added an answer on September 16, 2021 at 12:44 pm

When Sir Alexander Heathcote was in China, he used to spend as much time it was possible to travel
the country, with a Mandarin. One day, he visited the workshop of a talented craftsman who
showed him an exquisite piece of art. The little statue, no more than six inches in height, was of the
Emperor Kung and as fine and example of Ming as the minister had seen. He then uttered the most
undiplomatic words he had ever said that how he wished that statue was his. Sir Alexander regretted
voicing his thoughts immediately as he heard the Mandarin translate them, because he knew only
too well the old Chinese tradition that if an honoured guest requests something the giver will grow
in the eyes of his fellow men by parting with it. A sad look came over the face of the little old
craftsman as he handed the statue to Sir Alexander but the latter tried to decline it saying he was
only joking. But at the end, he was bound to take the statue but he made it a point that he repay the
generosity of the craftsman within a calendar year. This was how Sir Alexander Heathcote acquired
the statue.
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Alex Heathcote sold the statue to save himself from his great debt. Alex gambled away all his wealth
and was unable to pay the money for the debt. It was the “family honour at stake” which compelled
him to sell the statue.

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How did Alexan

The ending of the story is what is known as a sting in the tail where we see an unexpected twist. The
statue which had been marked as an important family heirloom and was valued through
generations, turned out to be fake. The statue was just a copy of the original whereas the ordinary
base was a priceless piece of art. After the narrator learned about the history of the statue, he
bought the statue whereas a gentleman, present at the auction, bought the base at a high price.

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How is the chinese statue a satire on the lover of art

1412

Answer

Amelia mazumder

Added an answer on September 16, 2021 at 12:15 am

In this story, we, the readers, get to see that those who take great pride in art and claim to be
knowledgeable in that field are the ones who know nothing about it. They are easily cheated and
fooled by the others. Sir Alexander Heathcote prided himself to be a connoisseur of art but was
fooled into believing that the Chinese Statue was real when actually it was the ordinary base which
was an original priceless piece. The main theme of appearance versus reality is brought forth
through this. Generations after generations in the Heathcote family protected the statue thinking to
be a priceless one when at the end it turned out to be fake.

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How appropriate is the title of the story The Chinese Statue?

11,559

Answer

Amelia mazumder

Added an answer on September 16, 2021 at 12:07 am

The title of the story as “The Chinese Statue” is very appropriate as the story revolves around a little
piece of ivory, the Chinese statue of Emperor Kung which the old craftsman, Yung Lee, gifted to Sir
Alexander Heathcote. The story then goes on to trace the journey of the statue from Sir Alexander’s
home to finally finding itself in a auction room in London.

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Write a note on the theme of appearance vs reality in The Chinese Statue

0612

Answer

In: ICSE & ISC, Short Story

Give “The Chinese Statue” Analysis Written by Jeffrey Archer.

12,624

Answer
Best Answer

Lucifer

Better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

Added an answer on July 26, 2019 at 11:02 pm

A poet lives in the imaginary world trying to make something creative out of an ordinary thing.
Hence ordinary day-night does not matter for him.

He may wake up in the mid of night to jot down something extraordinary he saw in dreams.

He may wake up in the early morning to capture the beauty of sky in his words and so on.