Regarding the mysterious East, perhaps it was the sound of camel bells drifting from the yellow sand, the gorgeous silk, elegant porcelain, and the fragrant and slightly astringent tea leaves that gave countless Westerners splendid fantasies. When "The Orphan of Zhao" appeared on the European stage, countless Western writers wanted to lift the veil of mystery. Even Neil Gaiman arranged for Sherlock Holmes to get the elixir of youth in China. The Italian female writer Elsa Hart went to China. After living there for three years, my debut novel "Jade Dragon Snow Mountain" is a suspenseful mystery novel set in Yunnan during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. This love for Chinese culture and admiration for courage should also be a huge writing challenge.
As we all know, the borderland south of Caiyun is unique in terms of geographical environment and historical development, including ethnic composition and living habits, especially during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. Jin Yong's final work "The Deer and the Cauldron" briefly describes part of the history of Prince Mu's Mansion in Yunnan. As for Emperor Kangxi, the great monarch who created the " Kangxi and Qianlong ", his academic attributes were also the best among the emperors of all dynasties. It is said that students in physics and astronomy learned from missionaries and became more talented. In addition, during the Qing Dynasty, missionaries and the West The introduction of science, including the East India Company's major operations in Southeast Asia, these historical backgrounds have added complexity to the story of "Jade Dragon Snow Mountain".
The story is set that Emperor Kangxi visited Dayan, which is Dali City, during the solar eclipse. Six days before the arrival, a foreign missionary was murdered, and Li Du, the former book editor of the Forbidden City who was exiled to Yunnan, happened to stay here. He caught a glimpse of an unusual aspect of the murder case, and began to peel off the details to finally find the real culprit, completely shattering the shocking conspiracy behind the murder case.
The timeline in the book is relatively clear. Each day of the countdown becomes an independent chapter. This arrangement makes the rhythm more compact and lively. Each character appears in turn and has a distinct personality. The various environments described by the author, such as what the protagonist Li Du from the valley saw on his way to Dayan City, include crowded streets, bustling vendors, different dialects and Mandarin, dust floating everywhere, and the taste of various foods. The taste is like a camera, with the texture of a movie screen.
The banquet held by the prefect before the murder had a more symbolic meaning of combining Chinese and Western styles. The storyteller who told the story of the Islamic palace, the young Jesuit monk, the proud prefect sitting in the host's seat, the salt merchant, the banquet hostess, etc. all appeared on the stage, and the twists and turns of the story were intertwined with the wine. There are also secrets that are yet to be told, and the breeze shakes the shadows of the trees at night. This kind of tense atmosphere of the impending rain and storm can really whet the reader's appetite.
And the story ends with Li Du and Hamza, the storyteller, sitting in the courtyard of the inn drinking. There is only the charcoal fire of the brazier and the two men talking about their future life plans. The calm after the storm is particularly cherished. A banquet where everyone has his own heart is not as good as three cups and two glasses of light wine with close friends, and there is something a little bit about the world here.
"Jade Dragon Snow Mountain" can be said to be a brave attempt to combine Chinese culture with mystery and suspense novels. The protagonist's language dialogue in the book feels relatively like a translated film, which may cause some barriers for domestic readers in terms of reading and acceptance. The suspenseful setting is easy for readers to detect. This requires the subsequent development of the story.
books will also be burned or eaten by insects.
Storytellers don't live forever either.
From a certain perspective, some of them will.
Well, it can be said that we are aiming for the same goal.
This is the dialogue between the protagonists at the end of the novel, which is also the continuation of cultural tradition. Like Li Du in the book, his footsteps did not stop.
