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"Do not be afraid, it's a very sharp blade. Just one small quick peck, will sever your neck!"
—Didi

Wang Didi (王迪迪, Wang Di Di) is the son of Wang Chen-Yee and Mrs. Wang, and the adoptive brother of Chang. He was poisoned by Mitsuhirato while trying to protect Tintin from assassination attempts.

History[]

When Tintin first arrives in Shanghai, Didi is sent to secretly look out for his safety; he winds up saving Tintin's life twice in one day. First, Didi pushes Tintin out of the way of a drive-by assassination attempt, which occurs when Tintin leaves Mitsuhirato's clothing store right after arriving in Shanghai. That night, Didi sneaks up to Tintin's hotel room, and shoots a cup of poisoned tea out of Tintin's hands. Tintin is unaware that the tea brought to his room had been poisoned, and assumes someone is instead trying to shoot him to death.

Didi

Didi after being poisoned as seen in the book series.

The next day, Didi sends Tintin a parcel containing a note and a disguise. The note asks Tintin to come to T'ai P'ing Lu Street at 10 PM; Didi originally intended to tell Tintin to stay in Shanghai, but Mitsuhirato's associates get to Didi first, and inject him with a delirium-inducing poison called Rajaijah Juice. When Tintin gets to the meeting place, he meets a different Didi: he begins swinging a Dao broadsword at Tintin, offering to cut off his head to fulfill a made-up philosopher quote: "Lao Tzu said: "You must find the way!" I've found it. You must find it too... So I'm going to cut off your head. Then you'll know the truth!"[1] Tintin escapes Didi's attempts on his life, disarms him, and brings him to the authorities to take him home.

Tintin tries to go to Bombay, but is snuck back into China in the middle of the night. He wakes up in the Sons of the Dragon headquarters and is initially horrified to see Didi is there - but Wang Chen-Yee quickly introduces himself and explains to Tintin that Didi is his son. Didi is so inebriated from the poison's effects that he is forced to stay in the house. Somehow, he keeps finding a Dao sword and attempts to behead others, including Snowy. However, Tintin sees how Mr. and Mrs. Wang are deeply heartbroken by Didi's madness, and the sight of Mrs. Wang weeping brings Tintin to tears too. (This is, in fact, the first time in the entire series that Tintin has cried from sadness.)[2] Tintin then vows to help find the antidote for Raijaijah Juice. Tintin sneaks into Shanghai to get the poison to Professor Fang Hsi-ying, who can develop an antidote.

In the meantime, Didi is stuck in his madness for approximately fifteen days. He and his family are kidnapped by Mitsuhirato's thugs and brought to the Blue Lotus's basement. Mitsuhirato's scheme is particularly diabolical: Mr. and Mrs. Wang and Tintin are each tied to chairs, and Didi is given a Dao sword. He is set up to behead his own parents and Tintin. But the Sons of the Dragon emerge, and Chang shoots the sword's blade off. In the ensuing days, Didi is given Professor Fang's antidote, and slowly returns to his senses. Didi can be seen among Tintin's goodbye party as his usual, calmer self.

Personality[]

Didivoyage

Didi is sane again, and sees Tintin off.

Under the influence of Rajaijah Juice, Didi is delirious and easily manipulated. He is becomes obsessed with helping others "find the way" and makes constant attempts to behead them with a sword. In the English version of The Blue Lotus animated adaptation, Didi speaks in constant rhyme while poisoned. However, normally, Didi is a stoic, studious young man. He has quick reflexes and possesses excellent skill in sharp-shooting and sword fighting. He is the apple of his mother's eye, and quickly becomes a strong older brother to Chang.

References[]

  1. The Blue Lotus. Mammoth, 1983. pg. 13
  2. Farr, Michael. Tintin: The Complete Companion. San Francisco, Last Gasp, 2002. pg. 57.
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