Stirring Li Chao: A book of historical fiction

INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS

The Taiping Rebellion in China was the greatest Christian uprising of the nineteenth-century. Responsible for upward of twenty million deaths before its defeat, Li Chao (and many others), had to wonder, "What is Heaven's reason? "

The Empire is corrupt and failing. People are starving. The Manchu government has lost the Mandate of Heaven. Inspired by heavenly visions, a leader emerges. His popularity grows. Encouraged by western missionaries, a nascent Christian nation is on the brink of embracing the whole of China. But, in the west, church and state have different agendas. The West's official policy of "non-intervention is reconfigured; nothing must interrupt Britain's most lucrative export-opium. The West enters the war. After a show of superior force, China concedes. The Taiping Christians are bewildered; their overseas "Christian brothers" have betrayed their faith.

The remoteness of far-north Manchuria has not insulated Li Chao from the ravages of war-but he's about to get an even closer look. Falsely accused, he flees for his life, leaving behind the woman he loves and the only home he's ever known. Heartbroken, but lured by distant dreams of America's gold and a better life, Li Chao traverses the China of 1863. Facing a shocking crisis of identity and thrust into a bloody civil war, armed with little more than proverbial wisdom from the Dao (Tao), Buddha and Confucius, and a reading of an oracle from the Yi Jing (I Ching), he struggles with his sense of destiny-and love. But, the "demon-hound" is not far behind . . .

For those who question the impact of western intervention on foreign soil, or are curious to learn more about the "Middle Kingdom" and its spiritual underpinnings, this unconventional, inventive tale is a fine alternative to traditional history.

Vastly illustrated paperback. Over sixty drawings, photographic reproductions, and photos. Some depict actual events and Chinese works of art.