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- active 18th century Xuan Wu
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active 18th century Xuan Wu
Known only by the name Xuan Wu and identified as active in the 18th century, this Chinese author is associated with a lively historical novel about the rise of Zhao Kuangyin, the future founding emperor of the Song dynasty. The surviving record is sparse, but the work itself suggests a taste for sweeping action, prophecy, and political drama.
1 Audiobook
飛龍全傳
by active 18th century Xuan Wu
About the author
Very little biographical information appears to survive about this author. In modern catalog records, Xuan Wu is simply listed as a Chinese writer who was active in the 18th century.
Xuan Wu is credited with Fei long quan zhuan (飛龍全傳), a historical novel centered on Zhao Kuangyin, who later became Emperor Taizu of Song. The story follows a familiar pattern in classic Chinese historical fiction: bold heroes, signs of destiny, and a turbulent political world that sets the stage for the founding of a new dynasty.
Because so little can be confirmed about the author as a person, Xuan Wu is remembered mainly through this surviving work. For readers today, that mystery can be part of the appeal: the novel offers a window into the storytelling tastes of its time, even when the life behind it remains largely hidden.