This is truly a Chinese story, from the get-go. Together, the two embark on an unlikely journey filled with mystical legends, great gods, misers, ghosts, puzzles, monsters, and other exciting elements of great fiction. Thus an elderly man-of-the-world and a strong, naive youth set out on a quest for the magical great root of power, to save the children of the village. Self-described as "having a slight flaw in my character," Li Kao is willing to do whatever it takes to reach his goal. His quest for a wise man to guide them leads him to another unlikely hero, Li Kao. With the children of the village poisoned beyond hope of recovery without obtaining a magic root, an unlikely hero emerges Number Ten Ox, a strong youth of little talent. The sleepy Chinese village where this story begins gives no clue to the exotic, outrageous adventures to which it leads. This is precisely what the village of Ku-Fu faces in Bridge of Birds. Then imagine that those children are suddenly silenced. The birds sing, the waters roll, and the days are happy. The streets and hillsides are filled with peasant children, happily playing together, their days filled with rhymes, dances, and other ritualized games children play. Imagine, if you will, a comfortable little village, filled with peasants trying to get by on the little they earn from raising silkworms and other odd jobs. Rambles.NET: Barry Hughart, Bridge of Birds Barry Hughart,
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