In sum, it is the human story of personal struggles in a misogynistic society of three beautiful and talented courtesans who lived through the cataclysmic ending of the Ming dynasty, plus the artistic tapestry threaded with poetry, calligraphy, painting and music that was unique to the period, that I wanted to highlight in this latest novel. Hence this became the inspiration for writing Tales of Ming Courtesans. Then I stumbled upon a historian’s detailed biography of Liu Rushi, a famous courtesan-poet of the late-Ming era. While doing research for a subplot about a minor character Chen Yuanyuan for my earlier historical novel The Green Phoenix, set in the same period as Tales of Ming Courtesans, I came to discover a unique courtesan-literati culture - a culture of romantic and literary interaction between courtesans and the literati - that thrived in the late-Ming era, which saw the culmination of the Ming Dynasty’s literary and music development.

As a grown-up, I’ve found that these stories are highly relatable and mirror our present-day human condition. I have a particular interest in this period because, growing up, I had learned from books, operas, movies and TV dramas about some intriguing and poignant human stories of love, sacrifice, divided loyalties and patriarchal tyranny that took place in that stretch of history. What was it about this period that made you want to highlight it in your latest book?Ī: The period in question is one that straddles two ruling regimes: the Ming and the Qing dynasties. Q: The book is set in 17th century China. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Manage Print Subscription / Tax Receipt.

Westcoast Homes & Design Previous Issues.Vancouver Sun Run: Sign up & event info.

The Green Phoenix by Alice Poon