La princesse vagabonde

長歌行 | Chang Ge Xing #1

by Xia Da

Pour prendre le pouvoir, le second fils de l’empereur, Li Shimin, assassine ses deux frères et tous les membres de leurs familles. Grâce à son intelligence et sa fine lame, la princesse Yongning parvient à échapper aux hommes de son oncle et à se faire passer pour morte. Devenue une fugitive obligée de se déguiser en simple marchand, elle fait le serment de venger ses parents et de reconquérir le trône, quel qu’en soit le prix.

Genres: Manga, Historical Fiction, Historical, Comics, Seinen, Adventure, Romance

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Associated names :
夏達
Ka Tatsu
Xiada

Name (in native language) : 夏达

In 2008, she won the Gold Prize in the girls’ category of the fiction section, the Fifth OACC Golden Dragon Award Original Animation & Comic Competition, the biggest one in China of its kind.

Her next work to be published is named The Silent Gozilla.

Blood type : O

Reviews

[Szara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was sooooo good. Too good to be a simple manhua. How do I begin to describe it? Well, it was like Mulan, only 100 times more awesome, and is aimed towards an older audience—

(Minor Spoilery Review)
This story starts out in year 626, during the Tang Dynasty of China. In the war for succession, the newly crowned Emperor, Li Shimin, has ordered the death of his brothers and their families. His young niece, Princess Chang Ge, is no exception. When cornered at a ravine, she stabs her own horse, commanding it to leap across the canyon. The general in charge of her capture allows her to escape out of respect. Heading back to the imperial palace, he reports her demise at the ravine. While the rest of the world believes her dead, Chang Ge disguises herself as a boy, and plots her vengeance against the new emperor. Meanwhile, a demon star is passing through the sky, foretelling the calamity that is about the befall the Tang Dynasty… all because of a woman.

The path that I, Li Chang Ge, will follow is to plunge my enemy,
Uncle Li Shimin, to the deepest depths of hell.
For as long as I am alive, this I vow!
I will bring back an army, kill Li Shimin,
And take back Changan

Princess Chang Ge is a Grade-A badass. You could tell right away from the opening chase scene. From a young age, she has learned martial arts in order to defend herself. In a fight, she could definitely hold her own. When bandits tried to rob her, Chang Ge turns the situation around where she was the one taking their money. After the destruction of her family, caused by the her uncle, she becomes rather unhinged, and her mercilessness is exacerbated. Despite being a lady of noble birth, Chang Ge is utterly ruthless (by our Western standards) and would do employ any methods to achieve her goals. Not only does she kick ass in a fight, she is a genius in military combat and strategy as well.

What was strange, was that she had a great fascination
With strategy and war, despite being a girl

After her departure from the capitol, Li Chang Ge is able to infiltrate herself within the armies of Governor Gong Sun and win his trust, quickly rising to the rank of Captain. With her quick wit and intelligence, she is able to defend the province of Shou against the initial wave of Turkish invaders. Through political machinations, she ends up as the leader of Gong Sun’s army after his death.



General Ashina Sun is the adopted son of the Great Khan, and serves the primary antagonist for the first portion of the story. He is the head of the Turkish troops in charge of attacking the province of Shou, although this Turkish General is actually Khitan himself. After their surrender of the Chinese, he decides to leave this ‘Captain Li’ alive, intrigued by this young ‘boy’ who has the capability of outmaneuvering the khan himself. But when duty calls for Ashina Sun to slay the Khitan, will he choose between his adoptive family or his own people? Out in the grasslands, conflict brews between the different tribes.

The princess has already died once,
She couldn’t possibly die again, now can she?

The relationship that Chang Ge had with her former master, Wei Zheng, is wonderfully complicated. After the demise of her family, her former master and imperial advisor Fang Xuanling now serve the new emperor. Despite knowing that she is still alive, these people people have decided to cover for her, rather than report her survival to their emperor, out of the love and respect they once held for Chang Ge.


(click for full-size)

The art in this manhua is phenomenal-looking. I mean, just look at the picture above—the amount of detail involved in illustrating the city of Chang an. The characters in this story all look unique. They don’t have the typical v-shaped “anime face” with no individual distinctions. The art-style in Chang Ge Xing is the undoubtedly the second-best I’ve seen in manga’s and graphic novels.

I highly recommend this story for anyone who loves historical fiction. Don’t be put-off that it’s a manhua. It has action, intrigue, and a great main character. What’s there not to love? This tale definitely deserves a better medium, such as a television show or a movie.

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will be slowly passing away. JUST LOOK AT HIM.

I found this by complete accident and now I'm tempted to stay up all night binging the volumes. Who says I won't?

Nothing I say will do it justice, so I'll just keep it short and sweet.

Amazing art? Check.
Engaging storyline? Check.
Badass main character? Check check check.

I can't wait to watch this as a drama, it's going to be amazing. And no, I'm not just saying that because of Ashina Sun, no sir, nope, of course not.

But seriously, I'm really happy. I know it's not finished and I'm not sure if it'll ever be, but it's fun.

[Aisyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

DAMN, one of the best historical manga/manhwa I've ever read hands down.



Firstly, the character/world building is just freaking mind blowing.




Second, bad ass MC. Like seriously she is definitely a certified BAMF.


Thirdly, that plot line though. It just sucks you right in. Since I was pretty late to this party, I got the pleasure of binge reading it from chapter 1 to 50. Ohh the memories of reading it until 3 a.m, during class next day I mean who has time to learn about IC fabrication and semiconductor properties when you have this, and finally in bed with a cup of tea.



Not to mention this eye candy


Who could kill you without batting an eye, just saying


Highly recommended!!!

[Chanyaku · Rating 5 out of 5]

เป็นการ์ตูนที่เหมือนกำลังอ่านนิยายจีนโบราณเข้มข้นเรื่องหนึ่งอยู่ ชอบการดำเนินเรื่อง ชอบตัวละครทุกตัว โดยเฉพาะนางเอกที่โคตรฉลาด กับพระเอกโคตรซึนเดเระ ลายเส้นก็สวยบาดใจ ถ่ายทอดอารมณ์ความรู้สึกในฉากนั้นๆ ได้ดีมาก ยอมใจนักวาดค่ะ

[Miku · Rating 5 out of 5]

This manhua is really great that I can't wait for the next chapter!

Badass female lead:check
Alpha male lead:check
History, Action, Strategy, gender bender and a very light art!!
This was really great!!

[Zala]

Placeholder for volumes 1-5
I love this and I can't believe I still haven't read all the volumes. There's also a cdrama adaptation called The Long Ballad.

[Anny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chouka Kou or Chang Ge's Journey

Chang An, Tang Dynasty

War of succession for the throne has begun
Brothers raised arms against each other
One risen, others slaughtered
Their family, woman and children, none will be spared

A young princess, sentenced to death
Rebelling against fate, set out on a journey
Fragile arms, fragile body
A lone girl, not a single companion to had
Yet brilliant in mind, cunning as a fox, sly as a snake

How a simple lad, a governor's trust to gain?
"Ha!", she laughed easily and took on a man's attire
Li Chang Ge, you shall address me
Rumors was spread, the governor's family to travel
Bandits ambushed, the carriage plundered, the passengers murdered
But the wife and children of the governor was safe
A young man had warned them, how gallant of him!
What was his name? "Li Chang Ge" said he

From a precious daughter to a fugitive princess
From a fugitive princess to a nobody
From a nobody to a governor's trusted vassal
From a trusted vassal to an esteemed strategist
Up and up she climbed her way
Will her hands one day reached her father's murderer?
Will she be able to overthrow the Emperor himself?
Her journey was a long way still

[koi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chang ge and Ashina sun!!! I really pray that you end up together!!! You are so fu**king cute together!!! And that time when Ashina sun asked if Chang ge will go with him if she can't stay to the central fields!!! That moment pierced my heart! This story is ❤️❤️❤️

[Jesica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leí el primer tomo porque hace poco acabo de terminar el Cdrama the long ballad y aunque el drama me encantó un montón quería saber más de la historia, pero es muy difícil encontrarlos, de milagro encontré este así que supongo que ni podré continuarlos.... Además de que me enteré que la historia no está completa en este formato.

[Chichi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first manhua I've started to read, and it has an interesting premise.
The art is very good, and the characters seem nuanced.

[BooksnPics · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nous sommes en Chine, en l’an 626. Li Shimin, second fils de l’empereur Tang Gaozu, a tué ses frères Li Jiancheng et Li Yuanji ainsi que tous les membres de leurs familles afin de s’emparer du pouvoir.

Seule la princesse Yongning survécu, bien que pourchassée par les hommes de l’empereur. Devenue fugitive, elle se fait passer pour un marchand afin de ne pas attirer l’attention. Passionnée par la guerre, formée aux arts martiaux et fine stratège, la princesse rejoindra la province de Shuo afin de préparer sa vengeance.

Xia Da, à travers ce premier tome de « La princesse vagabonde » nous fait voyager dans la Chine du VIIème siècle, une Chine sujette à l’instabilité et aux invasions turques. Les plus curieux d’entre vous, ou les amateurs d’histoire s’apercevront vite que l’auteure se réfère à de nombreux personnages ayant réellement existé et s’inspire très largement du contexte de l’époque.

Loin d’être la représentation traditionnelle de la jeune Chinoise de cette époque, la princesse Yongning est dépeinte comme une aventurière toute en finesse, maniant parfaitement les arts de la guerre, de la stratégie et faisant preuve d’une grande détermination. Point de mièvrerie, ou d’histoire à l’eau de rose donc dans ce manhua d’une très belle qualité graphique. Les illustrations, qui sont également l’œuvre de Xia Da, sont élégantes, sobres mais efficaces et nous offrent de superbes décors.

La maison d’édition Urban China, à travers ce premier tome, nous présente un superbe livre mêlant quelques planches en couleurs imprimées sur papier glacé, aux planches N/B plus traditionnelles. Peut être moins connus des lecteurs occasionnels, les manhuas sont des bandes dessinées chinoises qui contrairement aux mangas japonais se lisent de gauche à droite. Il est intéressant de noter, comme le souligne l’éditeur, que Xia Da, avec sa série Little Yu (également parue en français aux éditions Urban China) est la première artiste chinoise à avoir percé sur le marché japonais (http://www.urbanchina-editions.com/bl...).

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will always be praying and waiting for this series to be finished. That cliffhanger might just have killed me.

Edit - every time someone adapts this series into a romance drama, an angel loses their wings

[plainjane0116 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too bad the manhua Chang Ge Xing got discontinued. I'm a fan of historical, gender bender themed manhua/manga.
After 5 years I'm picking up this manhua again because I'm about to watch The Long Ballad which is a live action adaptation. I really hope they did the manhua justice.

[Lada · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm in love with this princess (I can't believe she's 14!)

[Ana Virgínia Nunes · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

Recentemente, eu tenho estado numa verdadeira loucura para consumir mais conteúdo proveniente da China - muito por causa de Mo Dao Zu Shi. Ora, num belo dia, deparei-me com Song of the long march. A sinopse pareceu-me interessante e decidi dar uma oportunidade. Este é apenas o primeiro volume, mas posso afirmar que já estou cativada pela história.

Song of the long march conta a história da princesa Li Changge na sua busca por vingança contra o seu tio, Li Shimin, responsável pelo assassinato da sua família. Para aqueles que são fãs, a premissa do manhua lembra muito a de Akatsuki no Yona (o qual é um dos meus mangás preferidos). No entanto, aqueles que estão interessados em ler devem atentar num aspeto fundamental: esta é uma obra de ficção histórica, o que implica, naturalmente, que os leitores conheçam um pouco da história da China. Não que isso seja um requisito obrigatório para se ler o manhua, mas pesquisar um pouco sobre o período em que se insere a obra não faz mal a ninguém - até ajuda a compreender melhor alguns pontos da história.

Neste primeiro volume, devo dizer, não acontece muita coisa. Afinal, é o volume introdutório onde somos apresentados às personagens e às suas respetivas motivações. O que mais me surpreendeu é que somos apresentados a Li Changge precisamente no momento em que esta está em fuga dos soldados do seu tio. Por norma, apresenta-se as personagens nos seus momentos de paz (antes de todo o caos começar), de forma a estabelecer o seu carácter, a sua personalidade e a sua relação com a família e demais personagens. Aqui não temos todo esse momento introdutório, pelo que vamos tendo que pescar essas informações ao longo dos capítulos. O que posso opinar acerca de Li Changge? Bem, pouca coisa. Este primeiro volume é constituído por apenas quatro capítulos, pelo que é difícil formar qualquer opinião sobre a dita personagem. Apenas posso apontar que é uma personagem bastante versada nas artes marciais e na arte da guerra. Estou muito curiosa para acompanhar o seu desenvolvimento nos restantes capítulos.

Talvez aquilo que mais me cativou neste primeiro volume foi a sua arte. Eu não sou propriamente uma especialista em artes - aliás, mal sei desenhar. Todavia, tenho que admitir que a arte de Xia Da é uma arte bonita, fluída e detalhada. Em cada painel é possível reparar que a autora realmente presta atenção aos mais pequenos detalhes.

Em suma, Song of the long march tem todo o potencial para se tornar numa história incrível, explorando as nuances da guerra e das intrigas políticas.

[Micaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me puse a leer esto después de ver The Long Ballad y fue un poco decepcionante porque mi personaje favorito en el live action era Hao Du, que acá, al menos por ahora, no existe 3
De todos modos la decepción no fue tan grande porque mi segundo personaje favorito era Li Chang Ge, y acá es incluso más épica.
Esta es la historia de Li Chang Ge, una princesa de la dinastía Tang que busca venganza después de que, para convertirse en emperador, su tío Li Shimin matara a sus padres. Para llevar a cabo su venganza, Chang Ge se vale de su inteligencia, su estrategia, y sus habilidades para manipular las situaciones a su favor. Y es una grosa la piba.
Este primer volumen es bastante introductorio y aún así está lleno de estrés, acción, y muchos personajes cuyos nombres nunca me voy a aprender porque tengo una memoria de mierda.
Y también tenemos un primer vistazo de Ashina Sun, villano, interés amoroso, dueño de mi corazón, guerrero turco, todo eso y más. Bueno, igual la mayoría de eso lo sé por la serie, no sé cómo será acá, tengo que dejar de comparar. Pero el dibujo de Ashina Sun está re bueno así que al menos eso se mantiene en las dos versiones.
En fin. Voy a empezar el segundo volumen YA porque este te deja en alto cliffhanger y necesito saber más.

[Amina D'Anima · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'ai découvert ce titre totalement par hasard à ma médiathèque car sa couverture m'a fait de l'oeil. J'ai lu le résumé et l'histoire m'intriguait bien. C'est ainsi que je me lance dans ce manga chinois. Et bien c'est pas mal j'ai accroché à l'univers et à l'histoire. Pour le perso principal au début je l'ai trouvé froide et cruelle :O du coup je dois avouer que je ne me suis pas attachée à elle (ou en tout cas pas de tout de suite). Mais ça ne m'a pas gêné car premièrement parce que l'histoire ressemble à Mulan et que j'aime beaucoup Mulan <3 Deuxièmement, les graphismes sont magnifiques, si riches en détails, grandioses (surtout du fait du format ^^ le manga a la taille d'un comic-book!). Et enfin troisièmement, j'ai apprécié le côté historique/politique/complots/stratégies... donc au final ce fut pour moi une lecture intéressante. Hâte de découvrir l'histoire de chaque perso

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un excellent manhua tant par ses dessins somptueux que par son scénario riche et intéressant.
La princesse est vraiment un personnage incroyable, sa force de caractère et son intelligence sont ses atouts... mais elle n'en reste pas moins humaine et a aussi ses limites.
Une histoire ne peut être porté que par un seul personnage... Et ici beaucoup de personnages rendent totalement le succès mérité de ce manhua. Je pense tout de suite, sans trop en dévoiler, à certains personnages de pouvoir auxquels on finit par s'attacher.

Quel dommage et quelle frustration de voir la série en pause, non seulement l'auteur en mauvaise santé mais aussi un problème avec l'éditeur...
Puisse-t-elle s'en sortir avec ses ennuis et conclure un jour l'histoire de ce superbe manhua.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well done historical fiction. Not only are real life events like the Xuanwu Gate Incident and the Uyghur/Xueyantuo rebellion against the Eastern Turkic Khaganate nicely blended into the plot, things like the politics, trade and philosophy of Tang China all have major effects on the story. Gorgeous artwork, characters are varied, interesting and undergo growth, and the writing is assured. Only downside is that the series is currently on indefinite hiatus.

[Aalyaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

كونها مانهوا لا ينقص من قدرها بالنسبة لي فهي أحد أكثر الأعمال الأدبية التي قرأتها نضجا وعذوبة وشاعرية
قصة تاريخية عن وريثة لإمبراطور الصين والذي تم اغتياله واغتيال عائلته ولم ينجو سواها هي التي استطاعت الهرب وبدأت في خوض مسيرتها الطويلة للانتقام والتعرف على ذاتها وهي كما كان العزيز إدموند دانتس لم تترك الانتقام يعمي بصرها وأصبح شاغلها مصلحة البلاد واستكشاف نفسها قبل أي شئ
لا عيب في هذا العمل البديع سوى أنه غير مكتمل وهو أحد الأعمال التي أتطلع بشدة لاكتماله

[XenagabHeiclaforever · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es el primer manga chino que leo y dios lo he amado desde el principio.

La protagonista es de las que me gusta , mujeres fuertes, valientes y decididas además de inteligentes. Los detalles también es una de las cosas que más me ha gustado , todo ha sido maravilloso. Adoro al niño pequeño que la acompaña y se ha quedado en un momento que me deja con intriga. Ay dios que pasara.

[marine ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'ai beaucoup apprécié l'histoire mais ça n'a absolument rien d'innovant. C'est typiquement une réécriture de Mulan, les stratégies de guerre sont vues et revues... Mais les dessins sont très détaillés et extrêmement beaux.
L'histoire est aussi un peu trop rapide je trouve, d'une page à l'autre on saute facilement plusieurs mois ><

[Tsuki-chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Les graphiques -et l'histoire- sont à coupés le souffle! Je suis tombée en amour avec les dessins de cette artiste avec la série ''Little Yu'' et je ne regrette aucunement d'avoir commencé celle-ci! Vive les femmes fortes!

P.S - Suis-je la seule à espérer une histoire d'amour? Hum? Juste moi? D'accord, je me tais...

[Nina {ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ} · Rating 5 out of 5]

Up there on my list of favourite manhua. One of the best historicals. Was so sad when I reached the most recent chapter and found out it's on hiatus (that was 5 years ago now-ish, it's Jan 2026 as I write this). I have this urge to reread this again, if only so I can remind myself what an amazing manhua this is.

[Khari · Rating 5 out of 5]

実は二回目だった。

最初は英語の版。あ、三回目かな？二回目はドラマ。三回目は漫画の日本語の版。

ドラマは漫画を似ているが結構誓うの。アシナは特に違う。ドラマのアシナはかっこよくて無口で賢いと優しい。漫画はかっこいいし無口だし賢いけど、なんか優しさが見当たらないね。まやさしさの影響が見えるけどそれより殺伐な人だ。ま、彼の文化にとって皆はそうかもしれないがドラマがそのことあまりなかった。

漫画の方のアシナはかっこいいと思う。

でも、ひとつの文句がある。。。フリガナ足りない。知らない言葉が多い！

[Soso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Premier manhwa que je lis jusqu’au bout il me semble, habituée aux mangas depuis le plus jeune âge je n’étais pas plus attirée que ça.

Finalement avec ce premier tome de La princesse vagabonde je suis conquise, j’ai donc hâte de découvrir la suite ainsi que d’autres manhwa.

[Rachël · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freaking amazing.
This is literally the best female lead I’ve ever met.

[May͛a · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh look, I just found the best thing ever.

[Yara · Rating 5 out of 5]

<3

[Lieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

heard there was gonna be a live action adaptation of this so i decided to reread it