Orion of the Firmament (Upper and Lower)

Author: (Japan) Asada Jiro, Lin Qinghua, Xiao Shuwen
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-08-01
Features: In the declining Qing Dynasty, the country's power was weakening, and its territory was divided by foreign powers. Empress Dowager Cixi did her best to protect her nephew, the Emperor Guangxu, from physical and mental suffering, shouldering the burden of the nation's internal and external crises with the frail body of a weak woman. Local gentry Liang Wenxiu went through numerous trials and tribulations to qualify for the imperial examinations. In the examination hall, an elderly white-haired scholar in his seventies sacrificed his life to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a jinshi, shedding blood on the ground and meeting his end. Liang Wenxiu, guided by the "Eldest of the Seven Stars," passed the imperial examinations and was discovered by Emperor Guangxu's teacher, Yang Xizhen, thus entering the ranks of officials who discussed national reforms and transformations. The impoverished child Chun'er, in search of his life's "Eldest of the Seven Stars," had no money to undergo the painful ritual of castration by a "knife master" but bravely performed self-castration with a knife, with the help of former eunuchs, and finally succeeded in entering the palace. The novel portrays Empress Dowager Cixi's actions against a specific historical backdrop, presenting her as a figure with a strong feminine charm. Zeng Guofan is also shaped within a particular context, allowing readers to understand this character from a fresh perspective. The imperial family and commoners are brought together by the whims of fate. Themes of family affection, the deposed empress, loyalty to the throne, and reform intertwine in a complex web of emotions, with a plot that is full of twists and turns, gripping the readers. Since its first publication in 1996 by the Japanese publishing giant Tokyodo, the book has been reprinted dozens of times and has consistently ranked at the top of Japan's best-selling book lists in the past decade.