Li Ju-Chen (–1830)
Author of Flowers in the Mirror
About the Author
Works by Li Ju-Chen
Im Land der Frauen : Roman ; [ein humorvolles Gegenstück zu Gullivers Reisen aus dem alten China] (1970) 5 copies
镜花缘 1 copy
鏡花緣 (上下兩冊) 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- 李汝珍
Li Ju-chen
Li Ruzhen - Birthdate
- c.1763
- Date of death
- 1830
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- China
- Country (for map)
- China
- Birthplace
- Beijing, China
- Occupations
- novelist
phonologist
Members
Reviews
This book definitely fits its category, A Book With Magic.
The back cover of my copy claims Flowers in the Mirror is "virtually unknown in the European Languages heretofore." Given that I'm one of only sixty thingers with this book their library and the first to review it, little seems to have changed in the seven years since my copy was printed.
Li Ju-Chen's book in its abridged form is at times a tedious read, a simultaneously straight-forward narrative whose allegories and historical allusions are lost on those unfamiliar with Chinese history and culture (such as me). There is an overwhelming cast of characters (requiring multiple lists of familial relationships), most of whom make cameos with little or no explanation of who they are or their purpose in the story. The opening story of the Empress Wu ordering all flowers to bloom simultaneously, which results in the fairy of a hundred flowers to descend to Earth, disappears from the narrative until it is nearly over, by which point I had forgotten it.
The preface to my translation relates that the original book is over 400,000 words in length and that the translator has removed large portions due to its unrelatibility (my paraphrase of her reasoning) and added her own text to bridge the gaps. Even my highly condensed version was still as arduous a read as the journey the main characters take to distant lands, where they endlessly meet warrior women who save them from peril, are somehow related to or known by the main characters, have recently lost their parents, and have some need to accompany the main characters on their journey. The story ends with a battle between an army attempting to restore the emperor to the throne and several evil warlords. The fighting occurs across four passes; a warlord has cast a spell over each of the four. Members of the attacking army enter the pass and are overcome by the spell before anyone thinks to capture one of the warlord's warriors and learn why the warlord's soldiers are immune to the spell. The repetition of this pattern becomes unbelievable after its second—but not last—occurrence.
There are some interesting parts within the story, but without a cultural understanding, I feel I missed most of the significance of the events and characters. For instance, all the fairies are "of the hundred...," but the importance of one hundred goes unexplained and I wasn't curious enough to research it. Not a book I would recommend to anyone lacking an interest in immersing themself in the research necessary to understand the connection between the story and the historical time it takes place in.… (more)
The back cover of my copy claims Flowers in the Mirror is "virtually unknown in the European Languages heretofore." Given that I'm one of only sixty thingers with this book their library and the first to review it, little seems to have changed in the seven years since my copy was printed.
Li Ju-Chen's book in its abridged form is at times a tedious read, a simultaneously straight-forward narrative whose allegories and historical allusions are lost on those unfamiliar with Chinese history and culture (such as me). There is an overwhelming cast of characters (requiring multiple lists of familial relationships), most of whom make cameos with little or no explanation of who they are or their purpose in the story. The opening story of the Empress Wu ordering all flowers to bloom simultaneously, which results in the fairy of a hundred flowers to descend to Earth, disappears from the narrative until it is nearly over, by which point I had forgotten it.
The preface to my translation relates that the original book is over 400,000 words in length and that the translator has removed large portions due to its unrelatibility (my paraphrase of her reasoning) and added her own text to bridge the gaps. Even my highly condensed version was still as arduous a read as the journey the main characters take to distant lands, where they endlessly meet warrior women who save them from peril, are somehow related to or known by the main characters, have recently lost their parents, and have some need to accompany the main characters on their journey. The story ends with a battle between an army attempting to restore the emperor to the throne and several evil warlords. The fighting occurs across four passes; a warlord has cast a spell over each of the four. Members of the attacking army enter the pass and are overcome by the spell before anyone thinks to capture one of the warlord's warriors and learn why the warlord's soldiers are immune to the spell. The repetition of this pattern becomes unbelievable after its second—but not last—occurrence.
There are some interesting parts within the story, but without a cultural understanding, I feel I missed most of the significance of the events and characters. For instance, all the fairies are "of the hundred...," but the importance of one hundred goes unexplained and I wasn't curious enough to research it. Not a book I would recommend to anyone lacking an interest in immersing themself in the research necessary to understand the connection between the story and the historical time it takes place in.… (more)
1 
skavlanj | 1 other review | Sep 11, 2022 |
skavlanj | 1 other review | Sep 11, 2022 | Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 5
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 85
- Popularity
- #214,931
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 2
- ISBNs
- 30
- Languages
- 3
One of the most effective sections concerns Tang Ao’s visit to the Country of Women, in which gender roles are completely reversed:
While in the Country of Women, Tang Ao’s brother-in-law Lin is kidnapped by the king, who wants him as her concubine. He is imprisoned and his feet are bound – a brutal and agonising process.
After following Tang Ao’s adventures in these allegorical places, the focus shifts to his fiercely intelligent and determined daughter, Little Hill. After trying to find her father, she returns home with an awesome gang of friends to take the imperial examinations. It is made very clear that opening them to women was a very good decision by Empress Wu, although she is still presented as an cruel and unjust usurper. She actually existed, but in reality never let women take the imperial examinations. Li Ju-Chen is perhaps commenting both on the wasted potential of intellectual women in general and on the anomalous empress, who did not use her illegitimate power to help other women. Although presented in a largely negative fashion here, Empress Wu was clearly a fascinating figure. She reminded me of the Dowager Empress Cixi, whose biography ([b:Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China|17857634|Empress Dowager Cixi The Concubine Who Launched Modern China|Jung Chang|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1367929789s/17857634.jpg|24258096]) similarly exhibits competence and ruthlessness in a system ostensibly controlled by men.
Little Hill, by this point renamed Daughter of Tang, and her army of elegantly named friends overcome many obstacles to take the examinations. I was very much invested in their efforts and impressive sense of solidarity. Yet it is revealed by magic to Daughter of Tang that most, if not all, of these clever young women will have difficult lives. In the third section, concerning the civil war against Empress Wu, their sisterhood is split up and tragedy strikes some of them. Consequently this part was least enjoyable. Luckily it was also the shortest and by that point I was entirely invested in events.
I must say, knowing nothing about the book in advance except that it was an 200 year old classic was not conducive to high hopes for it. I was very pleasantly surprised by how funny, clever, and feminist it was, even without the historical and cultural reference points to appreciate the finer points of its satire. The introduction and notes are very helpful. Even while ignorant of context, though, it is easy to enjoy exchanges like this:
… (more)