Heavenly Khan Term Paper
“With bronze as a mirror one can correct one 's appearance; with history as a mirror, one can understand the rise and fall of a state; with good men as a mirror, one can distinguish right from wrong.”
― Li Shimin, Tang Emperor Taizong Few historical figures can stand alongside legends such as Napoleon and Alexander the Great but in his book, Heavenly Khan, Victor Cunrui Xiong Ph.D. tries to make a case for Tang Emperor Taizong, Li Shimin. Xiong attempts to write a historical fiction that appeals to a wide variety of readers. Heavenly Khan tells the story of Emperor Taizong who grew up in a period of devastation for the Chinese people. Taizong would grow to become a military commander, military genius, and emperor of the Tang Dynasty Doctor Xiong is a professor of History at Western Michigan University and is well versed in Asian history. In addition to Heavenly Khan, Xoing has written Emperor Yang of the
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Xiong uses battles, executions, assassinations, and scandals to appeal to readers of any genre. Once a reader gets into the book they are hooked in the epic events of the book and the deep look into the ruling class.
Unfortunately, Xiong’s novel might somewhat difficult to get into for many readers with no experience in Chinese history. Xiong also attempts to utilize dialogue that often comes off as underdeveloped or simplistic. For example, in the first chapter when discussing engaging the Koguryo in the War of Daye 9, the civil officials have this conversation:
"Now about the Koguryǒ. They are inferior barbarians. Still, they have managed to humiliate our superior state--the Great Sui. If we so desire, we can pull up the Eastern Sea and remove Mount Tai, to say nothing of crushing these small-time bandits.We must launch another war against them."
The audience listened in