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Chinese Historical Fiction

MonkeyCatcher

MonkeyCatcher

New Member
I just finished reading Wild Swans by Jung Chang and I absolutely loved it. It was not until I read this book that I realised how little I know about China and its history, and how much I would like to know more. I usually find historical fiction to be more interesting than non-fiction, so does anyone have any historical fiction books that they can recommend that take place in China (any period)? All suggestions welcome.

Thanks in advance :)
 
abecedarian said:
The Good Earth by Pearl S.Buck is a good choice.
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I had that one on my TBR list already - but it's always good to get a second recommendation. Thanks :)

Stewart - thanks for the input :) Do you have any idea which translation is the best?
 
Monkeycatcher,

I got interested in Chinese History after Wild Swans as well.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms; I was advised to go with the Moss Roberts translation because he provides extra pages of notes as well as maps of battles. C.H.Brewitt Taylors translations are older and I don't think he provides background information. But whichever version you choose make sure you don't go for the abridged one.

Red Azalea by Anchee Min is a memoir of life in Mao's China plus she also has the following Novels;

Empress Orchid - which is based on a true story of China's Last Empress - is riveting.
There's also Becoming Madame Mao, Wild Ginger & Katherine but I haven't read those.

EDIT: This link has an online version C.H. Brewitt Taylors translation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
 
This is strange because I'm reading Empress Orchid by Anchee Min at the moment and have also started to wonder more about Chinese history. :p Before I was more interested in Japanese history, but my interest has grow. I have Wild Swans on my TBR pile too and hopefully I'll get to read it soon (the size of it is pretty intimidating).

Anchee Min has another work of historical fiction called Becoming Madame Mao which I've just added to my wanted list. It looks to be more of the recent history, but should be interesting.

A piece of non-fiction I can recommend is Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah, which deals more about the author's life but has some more recent history too.
 
Gem said:
Romance of the Three Kingdoms; I was advised to go with the Moss Roberts translation because he provides extra pages of notes as well as maps of battles. C.H.Brewitt Taylors translations are older and I don't think he provides background information. But whichever version you choose make sure you don't go for the abridged one.

Red Azalea by Anchee Min is a memoir of life in Mao's China plus she also has the following Novels;

Empress Orchid - which is based on a true story of China's Last Empress - is riveting.
There's also Becoming Madame Mao, Wild Ginger & Katherine but I haven't read those.

EDIT: This link has an online version C.H. Brewitt Taylors translation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
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Thanks heaps for the work put into that reply, Gem, I really appreaciate it. Looks like I'll go for the Moss Roberts edition, then - I find that with translated texts extra notes are often a necessity, and I find maps very handy too. I've added Min's works to by TBR list as well - thanks :)

tartan_skirt said:
I have Wild Swans on my TBR pile too and hopefully I'll get to read it soon (the size of it is pretty intimidating).
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The size was one of the reasons that I left it for awhile as well, but I found that once I started reading it the pages just flew by - I couldn't put it down! Definitely get onto it soon if you are interested in Chinese history; it conatins so much information, as well as being extremely interesting. I'd heard of how bad Mao was, but I didn't know the extent of his evils until I picked this book up :eek: Thanks for your recommendations also - they have gone on my TBR list :)
 
I too became interested in Chinese history after reading Wild Swans last year. I have not yet got around to reading much more on China although I did buy “The Good Earth” last week. Thanks everyone for the other helpful suggestions. This is a great forum.:)
 
Gem said:
No problem. Check out the online version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms first i'd say then you'll know whether it'd appeal to you or not.
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I noticed that link after I replied, so thanks for that, too! I have read a small amount of it and it looks extremely interesting. I think I'll buy it rather than reading the e-book, though, because I find reading e-books irritating.

Incidently have you ever watched The Joy Luck Club?
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No, but I have read the book and really enjoyed it. It started off a bit slow, but once it got to the mothers' stories I couldn't put it down. It is the movie very good?
 
One book we read in 6th grade, while it may be below your reading level, was Ties that Bind, Ties that Break by Lensey Namioka about the ancient Chinese tradition of foot-binding. It was very insightful.

Another book that I liked was Red Scarf Girl, an autobiography of a schoolgirl in the midst of the Cultural Revolution and her experiences. This one I read in 7th grade.

There is also another book called The Star Fisher about a Chinese-American family that I read in elementary school. The wording was very simple, though, so I don't know if you would enjoy it.

I apologize for not being able to think of any books more to your age level, but the above books were pretty good, I thought, so if you haven't read them I would at least recommend taking a look at them.
 
I liked all the Amy Tan books that I've read, the Joy Luck Club, the Kitchen God's Wife, 100 Secret Senses and I liked China Dawn by Robert L. Duncan.

Today I picked up a book called Silk Road, a novel of eighth century China by Jeanne Larsen, at a library sale. From Publisher's Weekly
``Some tales must be told, and told again, in an everlasting rehearsal of love and betrayal and regret,'' says the narrator of this enchanting, ingeniously constructed first novel, set in eighth-century China. Larsen tells the same story from different perspectives, weaving a complex, colorful tale from a melange of Taoist and Buddhist myths and folktales, historical documents--and her own rich imagination. When seven-year-old Greenpearl, the daughter of a Chinese general, is kidnapped by Tibetan raiders and sold into slavery, she begins a picaresque adventure involving three related quests that emanate from the celestial as well as the human realm. Greenpearl (who is also called Little Imp, Parrot, Dragonfly, Bordermoon, Skywhistle and Heavenglaive by the people to whom she is sold and by the deities who know her true identity) becomes a singer and entertainer in various brothels and eventually a courtesan, but never loses the memory of her high-born origins and the burning desire to return to her father's city and for a reunion with her mother, who has been borne by enchantment to an undersea kingdom. The brutality and violence of daily life in ancient China is contrasted with the refinements of a highly sophisticated culture, and both are reflected in the hierarchical kingdoms of the gods, whose intervention in human affairs is commonplace. Magical transformations, ghosts and spirits, animals and birds that talk, a mute dancer who utters prophesies while in a trance and other supernatural events are deftly integrated into the plot. Poem-riddles add lyricism and suspense; historical and cultural details illuminate the era with brilliant clarity; observations and asides enrich a multi-textured, intricate tale. A professor of Chinese studies, Larsen has used a dazzling diversity of prose styles to adroitly demonstrate how history is transmuted through the centuries into something not quite true, yet not entirely false. In the process, she treats readers to an illuminating and absorbing story.
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Try The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston. Most of it goes along the lines of The Joy Luck Club, but it also includes the REAL story of Fa Mu Lan, which is ever so much more interesting and deep than the Disney version.
 
Monkeycatcher,

It is the movie very good?
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I haven't read the book, so i can give a comparison, but as a stand alone film I thought it was lovely. Made me cry buckets.:rolleyes:

Ronny, Silk Road has just been added to my pile, thank you.
 
Thank you to Ronny and KristoCat - both have gone on my TBR list.

Veggiedog - thank you very much for your suggestions - the level of the books don't matter to me, I just want to learn all that I can. Your books have also gone on my list, and I will try to find them in my high school library.
 
Falling Leaves: The memoir of and Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah

I enjoyed that book quite a bit.

Though I haven't read it I have heard good things about "The Good Women of China" By Xinran
 
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