Hou Yi

Author: Ye Zhaofang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: In ancient Chinese mythology, Hou Yi is 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. But 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 Xi Wangmu. She betrayed Hou Yi, sacrificing their love, and lived a lonely and desolate life in the Moon Palace. In the book "Hou Yi," the renowned writer Ye Zhaofang retells this myth and gives it a fresh modern twist: Chang'e endures hardship to raise the divine heir—Hou Yi. With Chang'e's help, Hou Yi completes his transformation from a god to a mortal. After Hou Yi becomes an emperor, Chang'e loses his favor. When Hou Yi is on the brink of despair, he realizes that only Chang'e's love is his source of strength, and thus he banishes Chang'e, sending her flying away to escape the chaos. Due to Chang'e's love, Hou Yi becomes human; and due to Hou Yi's love, Chang'e becomes divine. In Ye Zhaofang's dazzling retelling, schemes and love, devotion and greed, loyalty and betrayal, desire and dignity unfold in the novel, presenting us with a colorful mythological world and a moving, unforgettable love story.