Over one-and-half millennia, Guan Yu (160 - 220 A.D.), also known as Guan Gong (Lord Guan), was a pan-Asiatic hero canonized and deified repeatedly in China.

This novel depicts his humble rural origin, his serendipitous apprenticeship in martial arts, his rise as an invincible warrior, and his dedication and journey to restore the great Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - 220 A.D.) during a tumultuous, war-torn era of Chinese history. At the onset of his mission, he formed a brotherhood with two equally idealistic devotees of the Han Dynasty. The three men, known as the Peach Garden Brothers, became the core of a military contingent vying with warlords to control the declining Han Empire.

During the years of war, Lord Guan married an extraordinary woman who supported him with her wise counsel. A gifted beauty, educated and nurtured by her non-conforming father, this extraordinary woman miraculously escaped the bondage of being an imperial concubine after the eunuchs abducted her from her home. She met Lord Guan serendipitously toward the end of her chilling escape.

Lord Guan gave his life for his mission. He did not succeed in restoring the Han Dynasty, but his exploits have become the essence of Chinese folklore, and he has lived on in the minds and hearts of all as the paragon of courage, integrity and loyalty.

His exploits have been romanticized in the classic epic of Chinese literature, the 14th century novel, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. His character has been memorialized throughout the centuries in thousands of shrines throughout Asia and in all media including opera, film, art, literature, and video games.

This novel highlights his journey and is the story of the making of a hero for all times.

Charles Li is Emeritus Professor of Linguistics and former Dean of the Graduate Division (1989-2006) at the University of California, Santa Barbara. An author and editor of numerous linguistics books and articles, Li’s memoir of the first twenty years of his life, The Bitter Sea: Coming of Age in a China before Mao, received wide critical acclaim. The book was chosen by Baruch College of the City University of New York as required reading for the 2010 Freshman Class and was adapted for the stage at the Baruch Performing Arts Center. In 2017, an NPR podcast featured the book. He is married to Katherine Saltzman Li, a UC Professor of Japanese Literature.