Hou Yi

Author: Ye Zhaoyan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: In ancient Chinese mythology, Hou Yi was a legendary hero—he shot down nine suns one after another, bringing favorable weather; he killed numerous man-eating birds and beasts, allowing the people to live in peace and prosperity. However, Hou Yi's wife, Chang'e, feared that shooting the suns would provoke the Jade Emperor's wrath, so she stole the immortality elixir given to Hou Yi by the Queen Mother of the West—she betrayed Hou Yi, destroying their love, and lived a lonely and desolate life in the Moon Palace alone. In the book "Hou Yi," the renowned writer Ye Zhaoyan retells this myth and gives it a fresh modern twist: Chang'e endures hardship and raises the divine heir—Yi. With Chang'e's help, Yi completes his transformation from a god to a human. After Yi becomes an emperor, Chang'e loses favor. When Yi is on the brink of despair, he realizes that only Chang'e's love is his source of strength, and he banishes her, allowing her to fly away to escape the chaos. Due to Chang'e's love, Hou Yi becomes human; due to Hou Yi's love, Chang'e becomes divine. In Ye Zhaoyan's dazzling retelling, plots and love, devotion and greed, loyalty and betrayal, desire and dignity unfold in the novel, presenting us with a vibrant mythological world and a touching, unforgettable love story.