Set against the backdrop of the Eastern and Western Jin dynasties and written in the style of sung narrative ballads, this book draws on and brings together many stories from works such as A New Account of the Tales of the World, Selections of Refined Literature, and The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. It recreates and dramatizes major historical events, including the War of the Eight Princes and the Battle of the Fei River, with all their stirring tragedy. It celebrates the outstanding qualities of the loyal ministers, wise statesmen, virtuous women, and heroic men and women of the age. “Before our eyes, vivid faces come flying past,” carrying us from the Three Kingdoms into the era that followed, the Wei and Jin dynasties: a turbulent yet open and accepting time. The ancient land of China was just as rich in heroes and talent, and even people from foreign lands crossed oceans to “become Chinese” and lend their strength to the descendants of Yan and Huang. “O years, you cannot take away those familiar names, one after another...”
