The Twelve Years: Song of the Unsung Friends

A century and more ago, China was embroiled in turmoil and instability. Opium usage was rampant in the country. Foreign powers carved up China’s land into foreign-controlled concessions and leased out lands. The Qing Dynasty was on its last legs. Military warlords and cliques fought for power. People rose up to fight for change, some wanting reform and to institute a constitutional monarchy, some wanting a revolution, to completely change the political situation. This is the backdrop of our story, which opens in the year 1911. It is truly a historical romance, with many references to historical events and people. Shen Xi is a wanted criminal of the Qing Dynasty, not for any crime that she ...