2 h 35 minAudiobook6 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A king lights the warning fires for a smile—and puts his kingdom's safety at risk.
Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms begins with King You of Zhou and Bao Si, whose rare smile matters more to him than his lords' trust. As the court weakens, rival states grow strong. Dukes, ministers, generals and wandering advisers compete for power across the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.
This Chinese historical novel unfolds through speeches, plots and sharp turns of fortune. Its changing cast includes Guan Zhong, a minister with a former enemy to serve, and Chong'er, a prince in exile. Across about five hundred years, loyalty, ambition and strategy shape the struggle to rule.
What you’ll discover
- A kingdom's fragile trust Watch King You's desire to please Bao Si wear away the loyalty of his lords.
- Friendship across divided loyalties Meet Bao Shuya, whose faith in Guan Zhong helps a ruler trust a former enemy.
- The long road home Follow Chong'er through years of exile, sustained by faithful followers and the hope of ruling.
- Revenge and patient resolve Encounter Wu Zixu's consuming revenge and Goujian's struggle to rebuild after defeat and humiliation.
- History with human stakes Explore Chinese ideas of war, rule and loyalty through rivalries, hard choices and shifting power.
Who will love it
For readers who love sweeping history told as story, and anyone curious about the roots of Chinese ideas on war, rule and loyalty. Rival states, loyal friendships, revenge and strategy bring ancient China to life.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A king's joke breaks the Zhou court
- Lords grow strong as the king grows weak
- Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya make a hegemon
- Honor shapes choices and exile forges a ruler
- Qi confronts Chu as Qin gathers talent
- Revenge carries a wrong into the future
- Old orders fall and strategists take over
- Loyalty, virtue and power pull against each other
- A chronicle told as living story
Who’s who
- King You of ZhouThe last ruler of the western Zhou court, he lights the beacon fires to please Bao Si and wears away the trust of his lords.
- Bao SiA beautiful woman at King You's court who rarely smiles, and whose place beside the king helps bring the old capital to ruin.
- Guan ZhongA gifted minister of Qi who once shot at Duke Huan, then helps him build the strongest state of his day.
- Bao ShuyaGuan Zhong's loyal friend, who sees his talent and persuades Duke Huan to trust a former enemy.
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- Paperback
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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Chroniken der östlichen Zhou-Reiche
A king lights the beacon fires for a smile, putting his kingdom's safety and his lords' trust at stake.
Medium level2–5 hours to read25 languages
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In short
A king lights a signal fire for no reason, just to see a woman smile. That single joke starts the fall of a dynasty.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A king's joke breaks the Zhou court
King You rules from the western capital. He is charmed by Bao Si, who rarely smiles, and he wants her smile more than he wants good advice.
Beacon fires on the hills can call the lords to rescue the king. He lights them for no reason. The lords rush in with their armies and find no enemy. Bao Si laughs as the armies hurry there and leave again, but the joke costs the king his lords' trust.
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What is Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms about?
It is a historical novel that moves from the fall of the western Zhou court to the wars of the great states, through the lives of rulers, ministers, generals and advisers.
Is Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms a true story?
It is built on real history and real people, drawn from old chronicles such as the Zuo Zhuan and the Records of the Grand Historian, but the speeches, scenes and many details are the novelist's own additions.
Who wrote Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms and when?
Feng Menglong, a late Ming scholar and editor who died in 1646, revised an earlier version into the form readers know. It dates from the late Ming period, in the seventeenth century.
The author
Feng Menglong
1574–1645 · Chinese Ming dynasty writer
Feng Menglong (1574–1645) was a Chinese writer and poet from Suzhou. He lived during the Ming dynasty. He compiled three collections of short stories, published in 1620, 1624, and 1627. He also wrote plays and revised novels. From 1634 to 1638, he served as magistrate of Shouning County in Fujian.
More by Feng Menglong
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