Bridge of Birds was first published in 1984 and I first read it in 1992. It has become one of my favorite books and one that is always a pleasure to come back to and reread. It is the first in a trilogy of books including The Story of the Stone and Eight Skilled Gentlemen. All three books are now available as an omnibus edition called The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox.
Hugart was attempting to make a classical Chinese folk story in a format that made it accessible to modern western readers and I think he succeeded wildly. It is filled with rich Chinese mythology and folklore, from the point of view of someone who lived and believed in those traditions. A fairytale filled with humor and wonder and set in a vibrant and rich setting.
I was hooked right from the beginning when Hugart described the village, being set in such a way that it was sheltered from winds that would bring bad influences and open to those that would bring good and that the stream was dammed so the good influences would not flow away.
It is the story of a solid, kind, and simple Chinese peasant and his worldly, cynical and experienced mentor who “has a slight flaw in his character” and their adventures as they race to save the village and end up enmeshed with the intrigues of gods and powerful men.
The book is easy to read and the story is well told and beautifully portrayed. It is filled with humor. Some of the scenes are astoundingly bloody but done in a way that keeps it humorous and light hearted. The principal characters have an amazing array of adventures for only 250 pages but it is all wonderfully tied together and flows effortlessly throughout the entire book.
Quote from the book: "Take a large bowl," I said. "Fill it with equal measures of fact, fantasy, history, mythology, science, superstition, logic, and lunacy. Darken the mixture with bitter tears, brighten it with howls of laughter, toss in three thousand years of civilization, bellow kan pei - which means "dry cup" - and rink to the dregs." Procopius stared at me. "And I will be wises?" he asked. "Better," I said. "You will be Chinese."
If you liked William Goldman’s The Princess Bride Peter Beagle’s The Last Unicorn or Michael Ende’s The Never Ending Story then I think you’d enjoy Bridge of Birds
