China: An Epic Novel
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- Create Date：2022-05-07 00:16:37
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Edward Rutherfurd
- ISBN：1444787802
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Summary
The internationally bestselling author of Paris and New York takes on an exhilarating new world with his trademark epic style in China: The Novel
Edward Rutherfurd has enthralled millions of readers with his grand， sweeping historical sagas that tell the history of a famous place over multiple generations。 Now， in China: The Novel， Rutherfurd takes readers into the rich and fascinating milieu of the Middle Kingdom。
The story begins in 1839， at the dawn of the First Opium War， and follows Chinese history through Mao's Cultural Revolution and up to the present day。 Rutherfurd chronicles the rising and falling fortunes of members of Chinese， British， and American families， as they negotiate the tides of history。 Along the way， in his signature style， Rutherfurd provides a deeply researched portrait of Chinese history and society， its ancient traditions and great upheavals， and China's emergence as a rising global power。 As always， we are treated to romance and adventure， heroines and scoundrels， grinding struggle and incredible fortunes。
China: The Novel brings to life the rich terrain of this vast and constantly evolving country。 From Shanghai to Nanking to the Great Wall， Rutherfurd chronicles the turbulent rise and fall of empires as the colonial West meets the opulent and complex East in a dramatic struggle between cultures and people。
Extraordinarily researched and majestically told， Edward Rutherfurd paints a thrilling portrait of one of the most singular and remarkable countries in the world。
Edward Rutherfurd has enthralled millions of readers with his grand， sweeping historical sagas that tell the history of a famous place over multiple generations。 Now， in China: The Novel， Rutherfurd takes readers into the rich and fascinating milieu of the Middle Kingdom。
The story begins in 1839， at the dawn of the First Opium War， and follows Chinese history through Mao's Cultural Revolution and up to the present day。 Rutherfurd chronicles the rising and falling fortunes of members of Chinese， British， and American families， as they negotiate the tides of history。 Along the way， in his signature style， Rutherfurd provides a deeply researched portrait of Chinese history and society， its ancient traditions and great upheavals， and China's emergence as a rising global power。 As always， we are treated to romance and adventure， heroines and scoundrels， grinding struggle and incredible fortunes。
China: The Novel brings to life the rich terrain of this vast and constantly evolving country。 From Shanghai to Nanking to the Great Wall， Rutherfurd chronicles the turbulent rise and fall of empires as the colonial West meets the opulent and complex East in a dramatic struggle between cultures and people。
Extraordinarily researched and majestically told， Edward Rutherfurd paints a thrilling portrait of one of the most singular and remarkable countries in the world。
Reviews
Melissa
，
Not what I've come to expect from Edward Rutherfurd exactly， but still magnificent。 His fictional narration of historical people and events always astound me。 The rather limited time frame of this book is necessary for the detail， but I hope an account of more ancient times is being planned。 I would be so intrigued to learn the full history of one city or region of China （which of course is what I was hoping for here）。 Not what I've come to expect from Edward Rutherfurd exactly， but still magnificent。 His fictional narration of historical people and events always astound me。 The rather limited time frame of this book is necessary for the detail， but I hope an account of more ancient times is being planned。 I would be so intrigued to learn the full history of one city or region of China （which of course is what I was hoping for here）。 。。。more
Liss VC
，
Primer libro que leo de Edward Rutherfurd， casi 900 páginas que se leen con mucho interés ya que éste escritor sabe contar historias。 En ésta， nos pinta un apasionante retrato de uno de los países más singulares y extraordinarios del mundo， a través de un largo período de su historia。Elegí “China” porque me fascina la cultura oriental， y Rutherfurd ha sabido crear personajes que te trasladan a la China de las guerras del Opio， sin obviar el carácter y mentalidad de los chinos de ese tiempo， desc Primer libro que leo de Edward Rutherfurd， casi 900 páginas que se leen con mucho interés ya que éste escritor sabe contar historias。 En ésta， nos pinta un apasionante retrato de uno de los países más singulares y extraordinarios del mundo， a través de un largo período de su historia。Elegí “China” porque me fascina la cultura oriental， y Rutherfurd ha sabido crear personajes que te trasladan a la China de las guerras del Opio， sin obviar el carácter y mentalidad de los chinos de ese tiempo， describiendo con mucho acierto los diversos clanes existentes y las diversas costumbres ancestrales， como el vendaje de pies y la vida de los eunucos。 Todo muy bien condimentado con romance，aventuras， intriga，luchas y batallas。Una lectura que recomiendo mucho， que entretiene y absorbe， y te deja con la sensación de haber aprendido un poco más de ese país tan fascinante。De seguro continuaré leyendo a Edward Rutherfurd！ 。。。more
Keruonedz
，
This book let me down a bit。。。well。。。maybe a bit more。 It was my fourth Rutherfurd´s novel and I expected it to be like the others。 However， this time the author did not try to melt the history with fleeting human lives。 He just concentrated on one very long life of an opium trader - Mr。 Trader。 I was looking forward to getting to know history of China but what I got was just a teeny-tiny part of it。 Although I quite enjoyed reading about empress dowager Cixi the book fell short of my imaginatio This book let me down a bit。。。well。。。maybe a bit more。 It was my fourth Rutherfurd´s novel and I expected it to be like the others。 However， this time the author did not try to melt the history with fleeting human lives。 He just concentrated on one very long life of an opium trader - Mr。 Trader。 I was looking forward to getting to know history of China but what I got was just a teeny-tiny part of it。 Although I quite enjoyed reading about empress dowager Cixi the book fell short of my imagination。"We are measured not only by our triumphs， young man， but by our persistance。 If we fail， we must try harder。""In the last generations， the traffic （of opium） has grown ten times。 The numbers of people addicted until they are useless， reduced to poverty， ruined， killed。。。It´s terrible。 The people cannot pay their taxes。 Silver is flowing out of the empire to pay for opium instead。"Pretty。 It was almost an accusation。 Every peasant family， even an important family like the Lungs， approved the good old adage: the ugly wife is a treasure at home。 Come to that， most Western travellers referred to Beijing as Peking， and English speakers said Moscow instead of Moskva and， for some obscure reason， Munich instead of Munchen。 A few British diehards even called the French city of Lyon by the splendidly British-sounding name of Lions。 Was it arrogance， ignorance， laziness - or perhaps even the sense that accuracy about foreign names sounded too fussy， intellectual and not quite decent？ The use of torture in the Empire of China was strictly regulated。 Only certain procedures were allowed。 An official who used a methos that was not sanctioned was deemed to have committed a crime and might be prosecuted。 Numerous persons were excused from torture， including those who had passed the mandarin examinations， the elderly， and pregnant women。It´s strange how people can preach brotherly love one day and tear you to bits the next。I stepped carefully over the threshold into the open passageway that ran across the house from right to left。 In many houses， the blank wall in front of me would have been enough to stop evil spirits getting into the house， for everyone knows that spirits have difficulty turning corners。 Every time there was a conflict - and of course we always insisted that each war was started by the other side and not by us - we would claim compensation。 Both to cover our own expenses and to deter the other side from starting any trouble again。 And I came to see that this policy has many problems。 In the first place， since the argument is presented as a moral one - that the whole thing´s the other fellow´s fault - it means that you´re simply increasing the enmity between the parties。 Secondly， to substantiate your claim to the moral high ground， you´ll probably need to tell a pack of lies， which is bad for you。 Thirdly， it encourages an attitude of self-righteousness in the party who´s on the winning side， which means he does´t listen to the views and needs of the other party。 。。。more
Anne Gafiuk
，
Having read many other books by Rutherfurd， I thought I would enjoy this one as much。 Sadly， I did not。 I was not captivated by the singular storyline of the opium trade， nor the characters。
Floyd Dunlap
，
Interesting bookAfter reading Paris， awhile ago I definitely wanted to read this。 Very much enjoyed following different families and history of all involved。 Definitely worth your time。
Christopher
，
Typical Rutherfurd。 A sweeping history of China that needs a second volume to address everything after the Boxer rebellion。 Would love to see his review of the communists and the transition to modern society and burgeoning superpower。
Hans
，
Historical fiction。 1 century of history of China。Many characters taking their part in 19th century China。 Opium wars， British occupation of Sea ports， annihilation of the last emperors， the dowager empress as regent。 The French， Portuguese， Germans， British， Americans， Japanese， Russians all coming together to take control of all trade。Killing， drugging， ransacking， chasing away the Chinese。Different religions in China。
Liz
，
I love learning about history through novels。 I wanted to find a book that covered the Opium Wars， and this book covers that and many more major events of the 19th century in China。 This book is long， really really long， honestly too wordy in parts。 However it was worth the read and I look forward to read the other books from this author。
Peter
，
Didn't work for me。Having read and enjoyed most of Mr Rutherfurd's previous work， I was hoping for similar from "China"。 Unfortunately it just didn't work for me。The writing style jarred when it moved between the the two cultures and the plot at times became a bit of a pot boiler。 Didn't work for me。Having read and enjoyed most of Mr Rutherfurd's previous work， I was hoping for similar from "China"。 Unfortunately it just didn't work for me。The writing style jarred when it moved between the the two cultures and the plot at times became a bit of a pot boiler。 。。。more
Mark
，
As with all Rutherford books it’s a mighty epic read。 unlike his other books， this only covers the story of 19th century China。 Told through the lives of An English Opium merchant ， a Chinese peasant ， a middle level Mandarin and a palace eunuch。 It covers the Opium Wars the Boxer Rebellion and the decline of the final Chinese Emperor’s and the rein of Dowager Emperoress Cixi leading to the first republic that eventually sparked the Chinese communist revolution that made China today。 It’s a comp As with all Rutherford books it’s a mighty epic read。 unlike his other books， this only covers the story of 19th century China。 Told through the lives of An English Opium merchant ， a Chinese peasant ， a middle level Mandarin and a palace eunuch。 It covers the Opium Wars the Boxer Rebellion and the decline of the final Chinese Emperor’s and the rein of Dowager Emperoress Cixi leading to the first republic that eventually sparked the Chinese communist revolution that made China today。 It’s a complex novel that addresses the political and social constructs of Chinese society and thinking and all the more enriching for that。 It takes time to get into any of these books and I urge you to stick with it as they are so rewarding at the end。 I feel I’ve lived several lives as I come to the end of the final page。 。。。more
Brutally Honest Books
，
5/5 StarsGood for: fans of "Pachinko" by Min Jin LeeMy Review:• A masterwork of historical fiction。• Both entertaining & poignant while also being educational & informative。• You’ll learn about a very specific era in Chinese history， culture， people & relationship with the West through the life stories of various， fictional individuals whose stories are extremely interwoven with one another。• An epic， multi-generational， multi-character， 760 page historical fiction novel。 5/5 StarsGood for: fans of "Pachinko" by Min Jin LeeMy Review:• A masterwork of historical fiction。• Both entertaining & poignant while also being educational & informative。• You’ll learn about a very specific era in Chinese history， culture， people & relationship with the West through the life stories of various， fictional individuals whose stories are extremely interwoven with one another。• An epic， multi-generational， multi-character， 760 page historical fiction novel。 。。。more
Mintzis
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Very clunky attempt to distill china’s convoluted history and its relations with the rest of the world。
Anneke Visser-van Dijken
，
Bij het zien van de schitterende cover van China van Edward Rutherfurd krijg je meteen al een idee van in welk land het boek zich afspeelt。 De titel maakt nieuwsgierig。 Je wilt weten of het een reisboek is of dat het boek de geschiedenis van China vertelt。 China van Edward Rutherfurd begint in 1839 waar het westen hongert naar Chinese thee， maar niet genoeg zilver heeft om dat te kopen。 Daarvoor in de plaats betalen de handelaren met gesmokkelde opium。 Dit tot zwaar ongenoegen van de Chinese kei Bij het zien van de schitterende cover van China van Edward Rutherfurd krijg je meteen al een idee van in welk land het boek zich afspeelt。 De titel maakt nieuwsgierig。 Je wilt weten of het een reisboek is of dat het boek de geschiedenis van China vertelt。 China van Edward Rutherfurd begint in 1839 waar het westen hongert naar Chinese thee， maar niet genoeg zilver heeft om dat te kopen。 Daarvoor in de plaats betalen de handelaren met gesmokkelde opium。 Dit tot zwaar ongenoegen van de Chinese keizer， die er zo zijn redenen voor heeft waarom hij een hekel heeft aan opium。 Dat is het begin van de opiumoorlogen。 Naast de opiumoorlogen volgen ook andere oorlogen， oorlogen die om een geloof draaien。 Bij de oorlogen wordt niemand gespaard。Edward Rutherfurd heeft het verhaal China geschreven zoals hij denkt dat het is gegaan。 Hij heeft veel onderzoek gedaan en daar zijn verhaal op gebaseerd。 Feit en fictie heeft hij heel mooi met elkaar weten te verweven。 Dat heeft hij zo goed gedaan， dat je het gevoel hebt dat het verhaal van begin tot eind zo is gegaan。 Je wordt meteen gepakt door het verhaal en laat je pas los als je het boek uit hebt。 Lees verder op https://surfingann。blogspot。com/2022/。。。 。 。。。more
Omar Ali
，
This author writes these sweeping sagas about particular places and clearly researches a lot before he writes。 This one covers China from the first opium war to the end of the Qing dynasty。 As usual， he has created characters （a British opium trader， a missionary， a Chinese mandarin， a Chinese rebel， a eunuch in the Manchu court， etc） that cover all important events （opium wars， Taiping rebellion， court intrigues， empress Cixi， etc）。 The book is a fun read and the history is well researched。 Whi This author writes these sweeping sagas about particular places and clearly researches a lot before he writes。 This one covers China from the first opium war to the end of the Qing dynasty。 As usual， he has created characters （a British opium trader， a missionary， a Chinese mandarin， a Chinese rebel， a eunuch in the Manchu court， etc） that cover all important events （opium wars， Taiping rebellion， court intrigues， empress Cixi， etc）。 The book is a fun read and the history is well researched。 While you can read many books about the history of the era， this one fills in the social mores， family dynamics etc in ways that a history text cannot。 Well worth a read。 。。。more
Charlotte
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Beautifully researched as always。 A pleasure to read！
Dai Lo
，
Kinda boring book， so can't rank it 5 stars， but story triggered me to do a bunch of research on 1st and 2nd opium wars， summer palace， boxer uprising。 Learned a lot from Google research。 Helped anchored a bunch of dates in the 1850s。 Kinda boring book， so can't rank it 5 stars， but story triggered me to do a bunch of research on 1st and 2nd opium wars， summer palace， boxer uprising。 Learned a lot from Google research。 Helped anchored a bunch of dates in the 1850s。 。。。more
Ann
，
Wel veel tikfouten。
Karen
，
Edward Rutherfurd's China is a sprawling， eventful read that is filled with history that paints the picture of life through multiple generations。 Spanning approximately 80 years; 1893 through 1911， it covers the times when colonial greed threatened to unmoor ancient traditions including the health of the people。 Wars over trade， especially opium resulted in upheaval and mixed alliances。 Christian missionaries of various denominations， though well intentioned were set to change spiritual practice Edward Rutherfurd's China is a sprawling， eventful read that is filled with history that paints the picture of life through multiple generations。 Spanning approximately 80 years; 1893 through 1911， it covers the times when colonial greed threatened to unmoor ancient traditions including the health of the people。 Wars over trade， especially opium resulted in upheaval and mixed alliances。 Christian missionaries of various denominations， though well intentioned were set to change spiritual practices resulting in more war and mistrust。 Edward Rutherfurd tells the story through the life experiences of different characters who play roles in the unfolding events with a mixture of results。 The characters are well drawn with shades of dark and light in their personalities which will evoke sympathy in the reader。 A page turner loaded with facts and laced with visual detail that adds depth the reading experience， China is a welcome addition the Edward Rutherfurd treasure trove of titles。 。。。more
Katrina Merten
，
I read Rutherford’s books for their historical content which I felt was too light in this novel compared to the others he’s written。 Nonetheless， it was still a very enjoyable story。
Julie
，
I enjoyed this book， although I found the pace to be plodding at times。 Maybe that's not entirely surprising for a historical saga， but still， it didn't capture my attention as well as some other books in the genre （including some by the same author）。 That said， I liked it well enough to finish， which is saying something for a book that is 764 pages。 It was an enjoyable way to learn more about significant events in China's history， especially those pertaining to England （since the author is Brit I enjoyed this book， although I found the pace to be plodding at times。 Maybe that's not entirely surprising for a historical saga， but still， it didn't capture my attention as well as some other books in the genre （including some by the same author）。 That said， I liked it well enough to finish， which is saying something for a book that is 764 pages。 It was an enjoyable way to learn more about significant events in China's history， especially those pertaining to England （since the author is British）。 I'd recommend it to fans of historical fiction or anyone who wants to learn more about the history of the British in China。 。。。more
Jessica McKendry
，
This book was absolutely wonderful。 I normally don't read a lot of historical fiction （trying to get more into it） and I was definitely concerned that I would be bored with this book。 I was totally wrong。While many of the characters in this novel never existed in reality， the events that shaped them did actually happen， which was mind blowing to me。 I had heard about the Opium Wars in the past， but besides very vague details， I didn't really know what happened。If you like historical fiction， I H This book was absolutely wonderful。 I normally don't read a lot of historical fiction （trying to get more into it） and I was definitely concerned that I would be bored with this book。 I was totally wrong。While many of the characters in this novel never existed in reality， the events that shaped them did actually happen， which was mind blowing to me。 I had heard about the Opium Wars in the past， but besides very vague details， I didn't really know what happened。If you like historical fiction， I HIGHLY recommend this book。 The ending fell a little short for me， but I understand why。 The story didn't "end" at the end of the book because history kept on going， but it definitely made me wish the author had actually written a bit more and gotten to a better closing point。 Or maybe I just liked his writing so much that I wish it hadn't ended there。 Either way， FANTASTIC book。 。。。more
Mahroo
，
I’m in awe of the writer’s ability to create such a compelling story on real life events。 The details， the plots and the eventual ending of everything was amazing。 I am blown away with Mr。 Rutherfurd’s writing。 I will be reading more of his works in the future！
Choc Rebel
，
Edward Rutherfurd is the pen name for Francis Edward Wintle and is a master storyteller who interweaves his wonderful historical stories with reel and fictional characters。His epic books New York （5⭐️）， Paris（5⭐️）， London （4⭐️）， and Russia（4⭐️）， took me along centuries of history and incredible storytelling about the places in question。 So I certainly was looking forward to reading his new historical fiction novel China。🐲🐲China has an immensely rich history span， so I was amazed that the author Edward Rutherfurd is the pen name for Francis Edward Wintle and is a master storyteller who interweaves his wonderful historical stories with reel and fictional characters。His epic books New York （5⭐️）， Paris（5⭐️）， London （4⭐️）， and Russia（4⭐️）， took me along centuries of history and incredible storytelling about the places in question。 So I certainly was looking forward to reading his new historical fiction novel China。🐲🐲China has an immensely rich history span， so I was amazed that the author only chose for a six-decade span or a span of one life this time， which made the story more detailed but also a bit boring。 The writer takes us along turbulent times and perspectives of peasant families from British opium traders to Confucian scholars to the Taiping and Boxer rebellions。 The author has done like always much research and writes vividly， but a few Chinese characters are overly unlikeable and flawed and a bit caricatured。 I found Rutherfurd takes a pro-white slant that diminishes his story’s fictional component and excuses the British perspective （selling opium illegally to buy Chinese tea） of their time in China way too much。 The author wrote so detailedly about the two opium wars that it sometimes felt like I was reading a book about those wars instead of historical fiction about China。This might cause readers to give up as too boring before coming at my favorite part of the story， the eneuch Lacquer Nail working at the court for the famous empress dowager Cixi。🐲A novel about him alone or from his perspective might have been much more fascinating。Study the past if you would define the future， Confucius 。。。more
Ashley Hart
，
This is not a history of China。 This is a British perspective of their time in China。 It was fascinating but sometimes it bordered on exoticism。 Intriguing read。 I wish it would recommend several other sources for a more well-rounded history。 I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley。 The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。
Mark
，
Seemed to drag for the first two hundred pages， but definitely worth reading。
Leslie
，
Very few authors can write historical fiction as effectively as Edward Rutherford。This book was a great read after my personal disappointment in his last。 Over， New York。Welcome back sir。
Dee Ohliger
，
Bored， plain and simple。
David M。 Argüelles
，
A captivating story， that gets a hold of the reader's interest for the history of the Asian country。 China is a rich land， with Rutherfurd serving as a sensible guide throughout its customs， geography and events。 The story is filled with memorable characters whose life-long stories narrated in lengthy chapters are surprisingly easy to digest， even in their most mundane。 Some of these characters， however， sometimes feel as mere vehicles to expand the reader's knowledge about those customs， geogra A captivating story， that gets a hold of the reader's interest for the history of the Asian country。 China is a rich land， with Rutherfurd serving as a sensible guide throughout its customs， geography and events。 The story is filled with memorable characters whose life-long stories narrated in lengthy chapters are surprisingly easy to digest， even in their most mundane。 Some of these characters， however， sometimes feel as mere vehicles to expand the reader's knowledge about those customs， geography and events， without so much interest in their story lines， which sometimes feel incomplete。 。。。more
Judi Purvis
，
Loved it！
Augusto Bernardi
，
I'm stunned on how good this book was。 The more I think about it， it was unquestionably one of the best historical fiction books I have ever read。 It ticked all the boxes。 I will forever be a Edward Rutherford fan。 The man is a master story and history teller。 A quick comparison would be a mix of James Michener and Ken Follett。 What I'm fascinated about is that Rutherford is not necessarily a specialist in China like he is for Britain and Ireland or America so I am now extremely curious how good I'm stunned on how good this book was。 The more I think about it， it was unquestionably one of the best historical fiction books I have ever read。 It ticked all the boxes。 I will forever be a Edward Rutherford fan。 The man is a master story and history teller。 A quick comparison would be a mix of James Michener and Ken Follett。 What I'm fascinated about is that Rutherford is not necessarily a specialist in China like he is for Britain and Ireland or America so I am now extremely curious how good those books are。 Most of the book was written in third person perspective but suddenly in the middle of the book， there was a single perspective character that changed to First person。 Extremely unusual choice which I was so surprised I was a little confused whether the audiobook was broken or something。 But it was a lovely gem that was extremely important for the narrative and memorable for the reader。 Something else that I really liked in this book which many other great historical fiction books have failed in， is to have a good and satisfying wrap up。 The history part of historical fiction I think can sometimes leave the story a little inconclusive and anticlimactic which is why the fiction part must be the exciting filler to wrap up the story nicely。 Rutherford managed to have full and conclusive ends to each characters that really brought their lives to a meaningful conclusion。 The honourable become corrupt predators， the greedy value their families， innocent wife turns murderer and beginnings become the end。 The stand out example of this was the English man John trader who had an shocking incident as a child where he thought he killed hi uncle in a rage after throwing a cricket ball at his head and then， fast forward 80 years and he is bracing to be decapitated by a Chinese man and is unexpectedly saved by his grandson that had thrown a cricket ball to the attackers head。 I couldn't possibly have smiled any wider。 The book was mainly set in the 1800s China during the many pivotal historical moments like the First opium war， the Taiping rebellion， the Chinese leaving for the goldrush in America， the changes of Emperors in the last Chinese imperial dynasty and lastly， the boxer rebellion。 There were a multitude of perspective characters with not any of them standing out as a protagonist。 They were all fantastically complex characters that offered a different perspective on the vast world of the "Heavenly kingdom" of China。 Non of them were fully good nor evil （one of the most important qualities I expect in fiction books） and Rutherford demonstrated great character development with EVERY。 SINGLE。 ONE。 That alone I think can already make a great book so to go beyond that and include all these meticulously studied aspects of Chinese culture and historical events， to me at least constitutes one of the best fiction books I have ever read。 Loved it。 Rutherford leaves subtle hints or plants ideas which he will return to later on in the book or will completely mislead you in order to have a far better plot twist。 I loved this even more in the chapter of the Manchu soldier who for the first time in his organized life， did not impress the very person he needed to impress。 As the chapter progresses and he fights off Taiping rebels， he is cut on his arm and needs to have the wound cauterized。 His Mongol officer tells him not to make a sound in order not to show weakness but the overwhelming pain of the hot knife forces a guttural wince from the soldier。 Somehow the Mongol officer did not hear。 The chapter progresses as him as a spy in Nanjing and a Taiping officer recognizes him on the street and the two are about to fight。 The Manchu pulls his sword out which he has practised well for years for this moment。 In form and measured。 But the Taiping is not impressed and moves off rhythm like a feral cat with a small sword。 The Manchu knows that the Taiping is going to kill him。 The overarching theme to all the characters was that they were all fighting to rise through the ranks in the structured system of Chinese society。 Regardless of where they start from or what ethnicity or nationality there are， they all had an ambitious instinct which I got the sense was a requirement to merely survive in such a large and competitive country。 The book was so incredibly densely pact with Chinese culture which was so incredibly detailed and I got a much better understanding Chinese history， Chinese values and traditions。 It goes beyond just recounting what history books say or what google images can show。 Rutherford even talks about differences between ethnicities and language。 The first opium war， in 1839 is a dark and muddy part of history。 It doesn't have a simple explanation or cause but it certainly does show the true greed and ruthless bullying nature of the English empire that I personally think is forgotten nowadays。 Although they don't have the systematic genocide of the Nazi's， the trade was clearly illegal and they killed their way into a trade which would undermine the social structures of the country and affect the population forever。 Rutherford describes how the lack of silver in China was actually one of the prime reasons the Emperor was forced actually ban the opium trade。 The British traders got away with their crimes as well by not involving Queen Victoria and public opinion back in Europe。 They didn't openly declare war， a proposition with little chance of success on land， but took advantage of the immense technological superiority in the navy and attacked the ports of China。 Chinese also didn't declare war to not lose face against a more powerful navy。 A key to the Chinese success multiple times throughout history has been being able to have an excess of expendable lives。 The important tea trade was another factor that maintained the "official" peace between the super powers。 The outcome was Hong Kong becoming an English trading port。 Interesting the origin of the relations between Hong Kong and the West。 The single standout scene maybe in the entire book was the sea battle between the multitude of Chinese junkt warships and the single British ship。 Possibly the most epic narrative of a sea battle I have ever seen。 Shocking the vast tactical and technological differences between the two sides。 Where one would have arrows and cannons firing at all times， the other would only have men beneath deck firing at the bowls of the ship and not on deck at all。 The cannons on the English ships would also fire in unison which was infinitely more devastating and scary as Rutherford describes the roar， the single puff of smoke and the carnage as the ships were shredded， quite literally。 Most memorable of those ships in those scenes was this single massive iron clad British ship with a funnel on deck as well as the great sails。 Its name was the nemesis。The second chunk of the book is about the Taiping rebellion some decades later。 A Chinese Christian rebel group that was lead by the Taiping， a man that claimed he was the brother of Jesus Christ that was powerful enough to the bloodiest civil war in Chinese history lasting over a decade and taking the ancient city of Nanjing。 As mentioned earlier， an important point in this book that is not very well understood in the west is the ethnic differences in china that play a major part in their politics。 The vast majority of the people today and then were the Han， a group proud of the ethnically Han Ming Dynasty。 Unfortunately for them， the Qing dynasty of the 1800s was by the Manchu people from the North。 The Taiping again was from a different ethnicity， the Haka people。 I unfortunately didn't really comprehend the scale of this problem but the death toll of this decade long conflict rivals that of World war 1。 A much bigger focus in the book was whom the British would support。 Ultimately they were bought by the Qing dynasty and the rebels failed to take Beijing and also were crushed。 During this complex geopolitical war， the Emperor had made several mistakes over and over again， underestimating the British/"Barbarians" and which lead to the succession of power of one of the most important characters in the book and also 19th century China， Empress Dowager Cixi。 Although she barely appears in person in the book， her insanely long career at the very top of power of the Qing dynasty， overruling the power even of the emperor that was her son and her nephew， influenced every single scene and every single character。 Her government did have the reputation of being corrupt but maybe this is due to a difficult time in China with a lot Chinese stables of society fading away and the influence and invasion of foreign nations like Britain， Japan and Russia had been chipping away at it for decades。 This transitioned perfectly to the boxer rebellion at the last chunk of the book， which took place in 1899 to 1901， as the foreigners were being driven out of China。 Besides all these political and economical aspects of China， a huge part of the book is focused around the peasants of China which are not really involved with these mighty matters。 Those account for most of China so in the chapters of the character Mai Ling， the peasant wife， the book focuses on traditions。 The exception to this is when her husband and son go to the distant land of America in order to make their fortune in the gold rush and the construction of the loud and foreign railroads。 A long trip that the Chinese were being successful in comparison to the irish。 Unfortunately a landslide takes out Mai Ling's husband， Second son， and only her son returns home。 A huge part of her story is about a woman's role in Chinese society。 The relationship between mother and daughter （mother in law）， the societal pressure of having a son and the Chinese horoscope， the style differences of Han women and Manchu women with the Liangbatou （the horizontal headdress） and the foot binding of the Han women。 This book in fact had 2 of the most agonizingly detailed descriptions of some of the most painful traditions I have ever read。 The foot binding isn't even classed as torture yet the breaking of the bones， the tight binding that folds the foot in impossible angles and if not washed in every crease can lead to gangrene。 But Rutherford does a masterful job in portraying the Chinese perspective of the foot binding as something that is gracious and beautiful like a bonsai tree。 Rutherford also does this same normalizing of different values with the common culture of having concubines。 I liked how Rutherford doesn't make a huge ethical deal about it as the characters would not have done so。 Again in regards to the values of China， there is a character that has a seal collection， although not being interested in seals at all but rather because his status would be higher because wealth is measured with possessions。 A criticism of the values that were developed during that time that somewhat prevail in China today is that there is sometimes an expectation or demand of something bassed on your status or class or ethnicity but that is actually inexistent。 This was the case with soldiers demanding more money than the empire had to pay for them。 The other brutal scene was the castration of the grown man wanting to become a eunuch in order to support his poor family。 Rutherford describes the cold blade slicing the groin and his mouth being stuffed with an egg。 The eunuch， lacquer nail gave a fascinating perspective on the extremely exclusive lives of the people within the royal palace and then the even more exclusive people that have any sort of contact with the emperor。 Then further a even more exclusive group of people that are able to even look up from the floor， and look at the emperor in his presence。 Lacquer nail gets his big break and his name from an emergency where he was the only one to attend the future Dowager Empress Cixi， as she had broken a nail in a fit of rage and his previous skills with lacquer art had allowed him to serve her as her new manicurist。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=China: An Epic Novel
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=China: An Epic Novel&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,China: An Epic Novel&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0