 DATE: In the secret passage, Short Round thinks that they are  stepping on fortune cookies. Fortune cookies were invented in the  USA in the early part of the 20th century (either in Los Angeles or  San Francisco, depending on whose story you believe) and were not  taken to China until towards the end of the 20th century. Then  again, given Short Rounds fondness for American popular culture,  perhaps he had heard of them without ever seeing one and was simply  using a colorful analogy.