Chang'an's Shadow, Dyed by Frost

East Market, Chang’an, during the Tianbao era.

Su Muyun, graceful as flowing water, runs a shadow-puppet shop. The daughter of a Sogdian merchant and descended from artists of the Western Regions, she has a secret technique called “frost-dyed colors” that makes shadow puppets shimmer beneath the light. Gentle as water, she has carved ten years of longing into the backs of her puppets.

At last, the person she waited for has arrived.

Only when two identical “Flying Apsara” puppets are joined can they reveal the complete secret formula. One has come from a thousand years in the future, bringing a mastery of the blade; the other has guarded a unique craft in the Tang Dynasty, refusing to let it go. From mixing pigments late at night to repairing the puppets with fingertips brushing, can their love cross the ages?

They spent ten years finding the secret formula, a lifetime bringing their two crafts together, and the final wisp of “puppet soul” preserved in the pigments waiting for them to perform side by side once more, a thousand years later.

This is a thousand-year journey toward one another, and a lifetime of steadfast devotion.

Intangible cultural heritage, transmigration, sweet romance, and craftsmanship: for readers who love traditional culture, unwavering devotion, and a graceful farewell followed by a lifetime of protection, this novel will leave a fine, silken mark upon your heart.