China: A Novel, Edward Rutherfurd, author; Andrew Wincott , Daniel York Loh , Zheng Xi Yong,, narrators
Using several interesting and diverse, fictional characters, Rutherford has woven a tale about China in the middle of the 19th century, that is compelling and informative. Although the characters are not real, their history is, and they are colorfully revealed using soldiers, concubines, empresses and eunuchs, among other really interesting characters.
Focusing on the different Chinese dynasties and succession of Emperors, a Taiping warrior, a Manchu, a Eunuch, a pirate, a Scot, an American, and more, the events that led to the rise and fall of China, its Emperor and that “heavenly” way of life, the birth of leaders like Sun Yat Sen and others, as the powerful nation rises, falls and rises again, unfolds. Although the Chinese call the outsiders Barbarians, it often becomes difficult to discern who the real Barbarians are.
The quirks of Chinese society, like the practice of binding the feet of well bred women to make them look like Lilies, of employing eunuchs in the palace to protect the concubines and others from unwanted romantic involvement, the danger of opium use in contrast with its importance in the marketplace, the relationship between India and China commercially, the powerful superstitions and religious beliefs that guided the missionaries and the backgrounds of all the characters, is explored in great detail. Palace intrigue becomes fascinating as the hierarchy is explained and the power of those participating ebbs and flows. The Chinese are thinkers. They are logical and extremely patient, but they often do not understand their enemies and underestimate their danger. No one can be trusted since everyone is a stepping stone for the other to advance upon.
Through the experiences of the various characters that are made up out of whole cloth, the reader learns how the opium and tea trade developed and of its eventual demise. The different dynasties in China are explored. The internal and external conflicts that develop as the rise and fall of various leaders occurs, enlightens the reader to such things as the Boxer Rebellion, the Taiping uprising, the Manchus, the Sino-Japanese conflicts, the emergence of other great super powers and the inability of each to understand the other or to anticipate the weaknesses of those they considered their enemies, because they misunderstood each other’s cultures is exposed.
Trade between India and China is explained. The reader learns how Great Britain came to control Hong Kong, about Formosa/Taiwan, how Japan, Great Britain, India, Russia, China, America and others countries interacted with each other, not always peacefully. What comes through , particularly well, are the superstitions, sayings and religious beliefs that guided each group differently. The elitism of the British and the royalty of China was in conflict, because both want to be the winner. The Emperor was a G-dlike figure. Women were valued for their beauty. Marriages were made based on stature and wealth. Certain trades were more respected. China came to the modern world, kicking and screaming and rejecting the Barbarians.
The book is very long. Sometimes it grew tedious, but the narrators were extraordinary, capturing the personality of their characters, capturing the climate of the times and the culture that each of the characters was a part of, perfectly. The English pomposity, the Chinese patience, the American arrogance, the peasant personality, the subservient female, all of the characters became lifelike and genuine because of their superb interpretation.