Best Chinese Historical Fiction Literature
While there is no end to fictional novels about the Chinese (Amy Tan being the undisputed queen authoress), nor to the volumes of scholarly works on China’s history (Jung Chang presently leading the pack), the China HISTORICALFICTION genre remains one of literature’s most diminutive.
Whether this is due to China’s notorious cultural and geographical inaccessibility or simply a lack of wherewithal by western authors to tackle such an immense subject, the fact remains that for all its wealth of material, China is one of the least written-about countries in historical fiction.
(Of author James Michener’s vast catalog of historical fiction, not one of his 40+ titles takes place in China; apparently the 9.5 million sq. km., 5,000 year-old China was a bit much for the late Michener to take on.)
Weaving factual accounts into a revisionist narrative, we read historical fiction to learn – and stay awake while doing it! This list, compiled by Tom Carter, author of CHINA: Portrait of a People, is dedicated to the elite few authors whom have had the wherewithal to both meticulously research such a juggernaut culture as China AND successfully incorporate engrossing tales of adventure, romance and intrigue into their pages.
All books herein are based on either true events and/or true personalities throughout Chinese history.
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