Haha. You’re very motherly and thanks for your concern.
Da Mo Yao is set in Western Han Dynasty (founded by Liu Bang
after defeating Xiang Yu, hence the Emperors of that dynasty all
carried the surname Liu), the novel is dense in actual political
history, with one of the main characters that is General Huo Qu
Bing an actual historical figure. Though Tong Hua takes tons of
liberties with her characters and historical accuracy, she uses the
general crux of the geo-political warfare during that era as the
backdrop for her story.
Here’s the synopsis of Da Mo Yao:
A wolf girl grows up amongst the wolf pack of the Xi Yu desert
region of Western China, where many different tribes existed which
sought to remain independent from the encroaching military forces
of the Western Han empire. This wolf girl saves a man dying of
thirst in the desert, and he in turn kidnaps her. A Han scholar who
is an advisor to the Dan Yu (Leader) of the Xiong Nu tribe, this
man becomes this feral wolf girl’s adoptive father. He forces this
child of 7 or 8 to learn to walk upright, speak the human language,
and live amongst the people, namely the Xiong Nu tribe. He names
her Yu Jin. She resists initially, howling at the moon to be freed,
but she eventually settles into the human world and grows up
amongst the sons, daughters, and tribesman of the Xiong Nu.
Yu Jin is but a child of 12 when she is forced to face the grim
reality of the ruthlessness of political succession as there is a
change of leadership within the Xiong Nu. With her father dead, Yu
Jin manages to return to her wolf tribe, were she is welcomed back
and finds solace in the leader of the wolf pack, whom she calls
Brother Wolf. They roam the plains together, with Yu Jin a girl who
is no longer completely a wolf, but cannot return to the human
world because the only one she knows is gone. A few years pass
before one day, Yu Jin decides to steal some supplies from a
traveling caravan. She is caught, but the leader of the caravan is
a young man whose beauty and serenity captivates Yu Jin. He offers
her the supplies she wants, but because she’s been wearing the same
tattered clothes for the last few years, she asks for a skirt if
they have one. The young man gives her a beautiful Luo Lan (another
ethnic tribe) outfit.
As Yu Jin continues to roam the plans with Brother Wolf, she
runs into another group of travelers, this one seeking her
assistance in getting out of the Xi Yu desert. In the group is
another young man, with twinkling eyes and a piercing gaze. Yu Jin
leads them to the edge of the desert, and she demands payment of
coins for her services. Meeting these two groups finally convinces
Yu Jin that she can’t hide in the desert forever. Her adoptive dad
wanted her to learn Han history and language, because he was a Han
citizen and wanted her to become one. Yu Jin decides to use the
coins to travel to Chang An, the capital city of the Han dynasty.
There she will not run into the Xiong Nu, and she can finally
fulfill her dad’s wish for her to return to her motherland.
Yu Jin arrives in Chang An and hereby starts her story which
will span years with so much colorful and stunning trial and
tribulations. She changes her name to Jin Yu (her loved ones call
her Yu Er or Xiao Yu) and tries to forge ahead with just her
brains, derring do, and audacity. She runs into the two young men
she met in the desert – the man who gave her the Luo Lan outfit is
Meng Jiu (real name Meng Xi Mo), the reserved and contemplative
owner of the largest business in the city, and the other guy is Huo
Qu Bing, the all-around brash and decisive young general who is
also nephew to the Emperor. Jin Yu’s life in Chang An takes her
into close orbit with both men, and with it develops a love story
fraught with choice, unwavering commitment, and sacrifice.
Via Koala’s Playground
