"Most of the people who are being knocked down are the ones that Deng made respectable again?"

"That, for sure. But more than that." McCarthy lit a cigarette. "There's a hard-ass campaign under way right now against Chinese having anything to do with foreigners. You know the old song: 'We welcome your technology, but no blue jeans, please.' The idea that the decadent West will contaminate the heroic masses has been around for a long time, but now it's worse-ten times worse-than I've ever seen it."

Stratton was surprised.

"People have certainly been very nice to us. I've seen no hostility at all," he said.

McCarthy nodded.

"Right. The average guy is more interested in Western ideas and culture than ever. He hears the Party's antiforeign line and says to hell with it. But the guys who are getting axed are those whose jobs require the most contact with foreigners. They're falling like tenpins." McCarthy threw up his hands in mock despair. "Who's doing it? Does it means some sort of new madness like the Cultural Revolution is brewing? That's what my editors ask. And all I can do is to quote Confucius' greatest line."

"What's that?"

" 'It beats the shit out of me, baby.' "

Stratton laughed.

"I'll get out of your hair, but let me ask a quick question. I was supposed to meet a friend of mine today, a Chinese-American professor who's here on a personal visit. He never showed up. How do I go about tracking him down?"

"You sure he's here in Peking?"

"Almost. He was supposed to come back yesterday from Xian."

"Plane probably didn't fly. The national airline only flies when the weather is good. No joke."

"That's probably it. Still, I'd like to try. He's a very old friend of mine and I'd hate to miss connections."

"I could have the interpreter call the hotels, but it would be a waste of time.