Preface
I AM THRILLED THAT, seven years after its publication, Legend of Exorcism has arrived in North America with an English translation.
In chronological order of publication, this book is the first entry in the Exorcist series. Its story takes place in Tang dynasty China. The deities and demons of ancient eastern legends take the stage in this historical setting, situated around the time of the An Lushan rebellion. Nearly thirteen hundred years ago, the Tang dynasty began its turn from a flourishing empire into abject decline. The nation was set alight by the flames of war, until its remnants fell under the disjointed authority of regional warlords. Thereafter, such prosperity was rarely seen again.
Like a great tower on the verge of collapse, there is an unspeakable beauty in the tragedy of this moment in history. The poet Bai Juyi used it as inspiration to compose the epic poem, Song of Everlasting Regret. The line “he searched the dirt beneath Mawei Slope in vain, finding only a desolate grave and not her face of jade” tells the story of how the nation’s internal strife prompted the emperor’s flight with his noble consort and ultimately resulted in the death of his beloved Yang Yuhuan at Mawei Slope.
The exorcists’ maxim in Legend of Exorcism comes from a poem written by the Tang dynasty literary giant Li Bai. It represents one of my favorite viewpoints on life and death during the time that I was writing the Exorcist series: Nothing lasts forever; the myriad things and all living beings are only guests on the shore of the winding river of time.
Every feast will come to an end, and flourishing scenes of abundance will one day be things of the past, never to return—but they will leave many beautiful memories we can revisit time and again. Welcome to Great Tang’s Department of Demonic Exorcism. Backed by Li Guinian’s song, let us do as a certain giant bird said, all together now: Go—go to that vast land of mortals. You won’t regret it.
FEI TIAN YE XIANG (ARISE ZHANG)