China - historical fiction - B.C.

Cuchulainn · Post by **Cuchulainn** » Mon March 7th, 2011, 3:01 am

Any suggestions for Chinese historical fiction?

A few months ago an exhibition of the Terraccotta warriors and associated artifacts came to my city (Toronto, Canada) and I've been fascinated since that time.

I bought the Three Kingdoms by Guanzhong but gave up after about 100 pages (there - I admitted it).

Ancient China seems a very cool period with a lot of great potential for great stories - but I can't really find anything.

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Mon March 7th, 2011, 4:10 am

A quick glance at my bookshelf uncovers:

The Court of the Lion: A Novel of the T'Ang Dynasty Eleanor Cooney

Bridge of Birds

The Journeyer by Gary Jennings

None of them are BCE, but old enough to be considered ancient in my mind.

annis · Post by **annis** » Mon March 7th, 2011, 5:28 am

I really enjoyed Guy Gavriel Kay's Under Heaven. It's based on the story of the famous Heavenly Horses . As with most of GGK's novels it's set in a slightly alternate world which is recognizably 8th century T'ang Dynasty China.

And intriguingly, a recent discovery has reignited interest in the legendary "blood-sweating" Heavenly Horses.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/c ... 741941.htm

fljustice · Post by **fljustice** » Mon March 7th, 2011, 4:01 pm

[quote=""Cuchulainn""]A few months ago an exhibition of the Terraccotta warriors and associated artifacts came to my city (Toronto, Canada) and I've been fascinated since that time.[/quote]

I saw that exhibit at the National Geographic headquarters in Washington several months ago. Quite impressive! I have a friend who writes short fantasy fiction set in Bronze Age China, however it's not collected anywhere.

princess garnet · Post by **princess garnet** » Mon March 7th, 2011, 6:00 pm

I saw the warriors at their site in Xi'an in 2005

Cuchulainn · Post by **Cuchulainn** » Thu March 10th, 2011, 2:19 am

[quote=""princess garnet""]I saw the warriors at their site in Xi'an in 2005[/quote]

That would have been magnificent.

With the figures you are looking a a face from thousands of years ago.

Another thing in the exhibit that really did it for me was a bronze bell that dated to around 200 B.C., or thereabouts, and around the bottom had been meticulously engraved Chinese characters. And you could put your face right up to the glass and inches away were these characters engraved over 2000 years ago. And they spoke so deeply of an established, complex culture, , and also of the person that so meticulously did the engravings! I don't remember ever seeing something like that and feeling such a revelation and connection...

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Thu March 10th, 2011, 1:47 pm

[quote=""Cuchulainn""]Another thing in the exhibit that really did it for me was a bronze bell that dated to around 200 B.C., or thereabouts, and around the bottom had been meticulously engraved Chinese characters. And you could put your face right up to the glass and inches away were these characters engraved over 2000 years ago. And they spoke so deeply of an established, complex culture, , and also of the person that so meticulously did the engravings! I don't remember ever seeing something like that and feeling such a revelation and connection...[/quote]

I so know that feeling. My first experience traveling on my own was a 6 month stint volunteering on an Israeli kibbutz when I was 17. My first glance at the Wailing Wall did the same thing to me, as did a later view of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Much later, I discovered Miserichords, and was mesmorized by each chip and mark in those carvings, realizing I was connecting to someone from another place and time. Amazing stuff.

http://www.misericords.co.uk/uk_cathedrals.html

BTW I am well into Court of Lions, and think you might like this very much.

Cuchulainn · Post by **Cuchulainn** » Fri March 11th, 2011, 2:56 am

[quote=""Ash""]I so know that feeling. My first experience traveling on my own was a 6 month stint volunteering on an Israeli kibbutz when I was 17. My first glance at the Wailing Wall did the same thing to me, as did a later view of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Much later, I discovered Miserichords, and was mesmorized by each chip and mark in those carvings, realizing I was connecting to someone from another place and time. Amazing stuff.

http://www.misericords.co.uk/uk_cathedrals.html

BTW I am well into Court of Lions, and think you might like this very much.[/quote]

Thank you, Ash - for sure I am going to pick up a copy!