小蓬莱

by Li Ruzhen

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Li Ruzhen (Chinese: 李汝珍) (c.1763 - 1830), courtesy name: Songshi (松石), was a Chinese novelist and phonologist of the Qing Dynasty. A native of Beijing, he is the author of the novel Jing Hua Yuan (鏡花緣), or Flowers in the Mirror. He also wrote Lishi Yinjian (李氏音鑑), a work of Chinese phonology, and complied Shou Zi Pu (受子譜), a valuable kifu of Go.

From a young age he had a rebellious nature. He strongly disagreed with the fixed style of composition (eight-legged essay) that people were required to learn in order to pass the examination needed to obtain a higher rank. Therefore, after obtaining the degree of xiucai (licentiate, the lowest in the examination hierarchy), he became a low-ranking officer, which was not considered respectable. However, his position did not mean that he was idle; he was a polymath, with expertise in astrology, medicine, mathematics, music, rhetoric, poetry, calligraphy and painting. His knowledge in all these subjects is amply reflected in Flowers in the Mirror, sometimes even to the hindrance of the plot.

[source: Wikipedia]

Reviews

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favourite Lianhuanhua that I've read so far. It is an adaptation of the novel, Flowers in the mirror by Li Ruzhen. The book was simply gorgeous. The art was wonderful, full of monsters, immortals, women reading, lots of beautiful panels. The story was a very brief adaptation, it skipped over most of the travels and just had them arriving on little penglai and Tang becoming an immortal. Then the story switched to his daughter. It follows her in her search for her father, (the panel of her practising climbing is priceless and slowly learning about her destiny. It ends with Empress Wu letting women sit for the examinations and unlike the original novel doesn't end with Wu Zetian being over thrown but rather just with Tao's daughter being successful in the examinations. I just adored this and will read it again and again.