Core Theme: Through the course of Zhang Jiao’s life, the story depicts the suffering and resistance of ordinary people in the late Eastern Han. It portrays Zhang Jiao’s transformation from a healer devoted to helping the people into the leader of an uprising, recounting the full arc of his family life, marriage, faith, and career, while reflecting the social turmoil and historical inevitability that preceded the fall of the Eastern Han dynasty.
Historical Setting: During the reigns of Emperor Shun through Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han, political corruption ran rampant as powerful consort clans and eunuchs took turns controlling the government. The disasters of the partisan prohibitions occurred repeatedly, while powerful families seized land. Famine and disease were constant, leaving the people in misery.
