RECOLLECTIONS ON JAPAN

This novella is based upon one of the most soul-stirring legends in the Chinese history - Xu Fu leading three thousand girls and boys across the ocean to Japan. Using the pretext of seeking the drug of immortality Xu Fu and his followers are in fact fleeing the tyrannical First Emperor of Qin. Throughout the book the plot pulls at the reader's heart-strings. The conditions of the Qin Dynasty intellectuals as represented by Xu Fu, and the status of the ruling class led by the First Emperor of Qin and his Prime Minister Li Si, are all evinced vividly and incisively. The novella successuly brings to life the history of thousands of years ago, demonstrating the author's profound command of historiography. The beauty of the book as a whole is fashioned from a combination of everything from unforgettable details of everyday life to overwhelming battle scenes. It is deeply imbued with a sense of intellectual probing and profound analysis. The reconstructed account ofthe melding together, conflict, annexations and migrations of the many different tribes in China's history causes one to marvel, making it a consummate masterpiece in its own right.