"Across the Sea" is a historical novel set against the background of the Yuan and Ming dynasties and the rise and fall of shipping. The story begins from the late Yuan Dynasty to the Zheng Dynasty and spans nearly forty years until the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty.
The novel depicts the intertwining of personal destiny and the family, country and world in troubled times through the perspectives of Chen Derong, a shipwrecked householder, and Lin Susu, a pirate's daughter. When the dynasty overthrows and shipping is cut off, how do they protect their family heritage and maritime ideals in the stormy waters of the times? When a new dynasty is established and maritime restrictions are tightened, how should they choose between ideals and reality, loyalty and betrayal?
This is not only a forgotten maritime epic, but also a heroic tragedy about ideals, survival and inheritance.
