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En 655, sous la dynastie des Tang, la Chine détient une somptueuse richesse : la soir. Sa finesse chatoyante en fait une matière précieuse convoitée. Bouddhistes et chrétiens, moines et brigands, tous, sur la légendaire Route de la Soie, rêvent de s'emparer du secret de sa fabrication.
De Peshawar au Tibet, en passant par le palais impérial, les tensions s'exacerbent. Mais l'étoffe moirée n'attise pas que la convoitise, elle préside aussi à la destinée des cœurs purs : ainsi Cinq Défenses, paisible moins bouddhiste, se voit-il confier brusquement deux mystérieux nourrissons par un lama tibétain. Le visage de l'un des enfants est à demi recouvert de poils ; ce signe ne trompe pas, ils sont les Jumeaux Célestes, sur lesquels repose l'avenir de l'Empire...

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

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139 people want to read

About the author

José Frèches

83 books16 followers
Education (school): São Paolo, Rome, Lisbon, Aix-en-Provence, Paris
Education (university): Institut d’Etudes Politiques of Aix-en-Provence,
Degrees in History of Art and Chinese, Masters in History, former pupil of ENA.
Professional career: curator of the Guimet museum at 21 years of age and lecturer at the Ecole du Louvre, José Frèches has held various positions in the communications, audiovisual and culture sectors (setting up the Vidéothèque of Paris and becoming President of Midi Libre)

Today, he is a member of the Artistic Council of the National Museums Group (Réunion des musées nationaux), and among other activities he puts his energy into a Parisian Communications Agency and is also the director of an art and antiques gallery in the Gard.

He initiated in 2005 the International Biennial of Chinese Contemporary Art in Montpellier, an event testifying for the huge development of China and of its culture. His novelistic trilogies, The Legend of the Jade and The Silk Empress (XO, 2002 and 2004) were tremendously successful: they sold more than one million copies and were translated into 11 languages. His biographical novel about Buddha, I Buddha, appealed to the general reader (90.000 copies were sold in France, apart from paperback) and to nine foreign publishers.

His first trilogy The Jade Disk is a story, set during the Warring States Period in disunited China. It tells the story from the character of the rich merchant and eventual prime-minister Lü Buwei - real father of the first emperor of China Qin Shi Huang. It portrays the struggles between the other kingdoms and Kingdom of Qin, destined to unite China.

His second trilogy The Empress of Silk is set in Medieval China during the Tang Dynasty. It depicts the story of Emperor Gaozong, the third emperor of Tang and his prominent and ambitious wife Wu Zetian, who after his death, virtually became the ruler of the country and the first female emperor in the history of China.

His latest series The Empire of Tears is set in mid-19th Century China, during the Opium Wars, where the empire is struggling and slowly decaying.

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5 stars
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49 (31%)
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21 (13%)
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Profile Image for Haidé (Nox Lectio).
237 reviews3 followers
November 19, 2023
Esta trilogia foi comprada por ser histórico, trilogia e porque estava em promoção, aquelas compras que eu faço de intuição, na fé...
Romance, traição, luta, História, aventura.
Eu sonhava com a trama. Enquanto não a devorei, literalmente, não descansei. Eu lia no autocarro, quando chegava à escola, antes de dormir. Eu lia sempre que podia. É uma Trilogia intensa, muito bem conseguida, cheia de coisas boas mas também um tanto ou quanto pesada. E foi na altura em que não largava estes livros, que uma das minhas colegas começou a ganhar interesse na leitura e a começar o seu caminho nos livros. Para mim, além do interesse que desperta e do fascinante que é, além de muito instrutiva, esta trilogia ficará sempre ligada ao meu amor pela leitura e pelos livros e pela passagem do testemunho a uma não leitora que rapidamente se transformou numa leitora ávida. Foi a primeira pessoa que influenciei a ler. E ainda hoje, qd falamos de longe em longe, ela me diz que a culpa de gostar de ler e ter descoberto os livros, é minha. Gosto muito desta culpa e tenho mt orgulho nela!
Profile Image for Miku.
1,755 reviews21 followers
June 18, 2020
Powiem tak - uhh.
Zagryzłam zęby i dobrnęłam po ciężkich bólach do końca. Fabuła zapowiadała się naprawdę ciekawie, starożytne Chiny są bogate kulturowo, więc co mogło pójść nie tak?
Te monotonne, mało emocjonalne opisy wręcz zepsuły całą radość z czytania. Postacie w moim odczuciu są płytkie, bez charakteru. Chociaż przepraszam - młoda Wu Zhao jeszcze jakieś emocje wyraża, ale to i tak mało w stosunku do całej książki. Na dokładkę mamy przeskoki od bohatera do bohatera, co trochę zaburza płynność czytania.
Temu Panu na razie podziękuję.
4 reviews
February 2, 2026
Énormément de longues descriptions, pas toujours utiles. J’ai eu du mal à rentrer dans l’histoire, et c’est seulement au quart du livre que j’ai commencé à apprécié la lecture, peut-être parce que chaque chapitre parle d’une histoire différente, jusqu’à ce qu’elles se recoupent et se rejoignent petit à petit.
J’ai aimé certains passages, je me suis ennuyée pendant d’autres, a voir en lisant les prochains tomes.
Profile Image for Oli.
156 reviews19 followers
April 29, 2024
Livre avec de très longues descriptions sur plusieurs pages qui détaillent énormément. J'ai trouvé que sur 600 pages, cela faisait trop pour peu de dialogue.. je ne lirai pas les autres tomes
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews

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