2. Consider this decree and also the Regent’s comments: “You must not give women too much freedom. They know not right from wrong. They are like dogs. They must be trained and chained. If you let them loose, they go wild.” Can you get a glimpse of women’s lives in ancient China? How do you think women in ancient China were treated? How were European women any different?
3. Discuss the character of the Duke (later the Regent), one of the major villains in the novel. What kind of a man is he?
4. Discuss the theme of power in the novel. How important is it? How do Mei, Pheasant, the Regent, and Empress Wang struggle to keep it in their hands?
5. Discuss how her experience as an exiled woman changes Mei’s perceptions of love, power, and self.
6. Discuss the character Princess Gaoyang, her friendship with Mei, and how it changes Mei.
7. Discuss Empress Wang’s character. Do you think she is evil? Do you pity her? Do you understand her motivations for her actions throughout the novel?
8. Talk about Mei and her pet, Hope. What impact does Hope have on Mei? How does Hope’s death affect Mei? How do you think people in ancient China treated animals? Do you think people view and treat animals differently today?
9. Motherhood is a major theme in the book. How important is motherhood for Empress Wang, Mei, and the other female characters in the palace? How does it define their positions in the palace? How do they perceive motherhood? Do you think motherhood is an essential part of a woman’s life?
10. Buddhism came to China from India, and its followers were mostly women at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty. How does Mei see the religion at the beginning of the novel? How does her perception change? What importance do you think religion has in the novel?
11. Princess Gaoyang said, “Fear is a roof... You cannot live in a pavilion built with fear, Luminous Lady. It gets smaller and smaller, hotter and hotter inside, until you cannot breathe.” What do you think of this observation?
12. Compare Mei and Empress Wang. Discuss how their relationship worsens. At what point in the novel does Mei have power over Empress Wang? At what point in the novel is Mei lost?
13. Discuss the images of nature, birds, and animals in the story. Where do you see them in the novel? What are their significances? Why do you think Mei names her daughter Oriole?
14. Death is an important theme in the novel. Discuss each case of death. What devastating effects do they have on Mei and on Pheasant, and how does each death change them and their relationship?
15. After Mei hears the rumor that she has killed her own child, she reflects: “…for rumor had no grave and only bore seeds. It germinated in the air, thrived in the sun, and ripened in the shadows. It would not die in the rain and fly only higher in the wind.” What do you think of this perception? How will you relate this perception to your own experience in the modern world dominated by social media and the Internet?
16. In the first book of the Empress Wu duology, The Moon in the Palace, Mei is unable to control her own destiny and is often manipulated. In the second book, however, Mei has learned how to subtly control other people and their ideas and use them for her own purposes. Where do you see those instances of her exerting her control over others in the novel?
17. In the first book, The Moon in the Palace, Mei is a young girl of exceptional intelligence, courage, and loyalty, but she still has many weaknesses and is also subject to temptations and court intrigues. In the second book, Mei has grown to be a mature woman. Compare the young Mei to the adult Mei. What are the qualities you see in the adult Mei? What are her weaknesses as an adult?
A Conversation with the Author
How old were you when you wrote your first story? What was it about?
I wrote my first story when I was in fourth grade. It was published in a local journal in China. I earned my first 6 RMB, which is equivalent to one dollar! It was a story of a girl investigating an ink stain on the classroom’s wall.
What do you love most about writing?
I love to see how words form an image that transcends the banal reality, or how words join together to create a morsel of wisdom that tickles your mind.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Characters are like needy mistresses; they need your attention and nurturing so they will live and thrive. Stay connected with them: know their needs, their wants, and their fears. When you feel the way they feel and see the way they see, you will know what the voice is in the first sentence of a scene, and you will also be able to channel their emotions throughout the scene. If you neglect them, they will abandon you, and a distance will grow between you and your characters, and when you want to write again, it will be hard to find the attachment you need. It will be difficult to understand the goal of a scene and how to construct it. The longer you neglect your characters, the harder it is to get back into the story again.
For me, it’s essential to write every day, no matter what happens. Even one sentence a day is better than nothing.
Did you always want to be a writer, or did you start off in a different career?
It may be a cliché to say this, but I have always wanted to be a writer. It has been my dream since I was a child.
What are your favorite genres to read?
Honestly, the book’s genre doesn’t matter to me. I read broadly, and I enjoy reading many types of books. I like fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, thriller, family sagas, and, of course, historical fiction. I am, however, very fond of “a hero’s journey” type of books.
What was the most challenging part when you were writing this novel?
Empress Wu’s emotions, her sadness, grief, helplessness, and rage, were very challenging for me to write.
I was familiar with this part of the journey in Empress Wu’s life, her exile, her return to the palace, and her rise to power. But still, to live through that journey was like nothing I had imagined before. I had to be completely submerged in the story, see the desolation of the monastery, and feel Mei’s desperation. But as the writer, I also had to be above her experience, to be in control of her emotional arc, showing her resiliency and also keeping a steady pace so the plot would keep moving.
But then the hardest moment came after she returned to the palace. There were so many trials she had to face. As a mother myself, I considered it prohibitive to imagine the fate of her daughter and what Mei had to endure. So I tried to avoid writing that scene. I kept putting it off, but eventually, that section of story had to be written. To better prepare myself, I studied books about the grief process and reread Shakespeare’s King Lear so I could feel the injustice and anger. But when I sat down to write, oh boy, I was still surprised. I was unprepared for the intensity of her anger, and from there, her emotions possessed me. Her shock, her grief, her anguish, her rage, and her hatred—they all poured out of me. For weeks, I couldn’t get out of the emotional whirlpool, and I was extremely irritated and angry when she sought revenge but was unable to do anything to protect her family. I believe I yelled at my husband out of frustration many times, and when I went to pick up my kids at school, I was impatient and short-tempered. My usually fearless kids were very quiet. I think they were scared to see me that way.
What research or preparations did you engage in before writing this book?
After I finished writing the first book in the duology, The Moon in the Palace, I had completed the research about the world of the Tang Dynasty, and I had a clear picture of how the setting would be and how Mei would live in that environment. The major research I had to engage in for this book was for the character Tripitaka. He was an enigma himself, and he only spoke in metaphors. So I studied many Zen—Chan, in Chinese—poems composed in the legendary Chan period in China, which was dated from the mid-fifth century to the eighth century, as well as haiku written by well-known Japanese poets, in order to understand how the monk translated his thoughts into image
s and metaphors. I love that part of research because I have always been fascinated with Zen and the Zen poems. The masters’ enlightening prose and images were very inspiring, and I was also awed at the deep meanings embedded in haiku’s simple verse.
I also spent a lot of time fixing the details, such as the funeral preparations for the Emperor, the Buddhist conventions of meditation, and the specifics of the coronation ceremony. But it turned out I did not need that much detail in the novel, so I cut them out during revision.
Which character do you feel most closely connected to you?
I guess it’s not a surprise that I feel connected to Empress Wu above everyone else. She is most endearing to me. I adore her resiliency and intelligence, and I am grateful to have the chance to explore her innermost thoughts.
In The Moon in the Palace, she is only a young girl, and her dreams and heartbreaks are related to her obligation and youthful desire. But in The Empress of Bright Moon, she’s a mature woman, a devoted mother, a valuable friend whose advice Pheasant relies on, and you can also see her poise, her foresight, her mind-set, and, of course, her growing ability to wade through the palace’s dark water and take the control and lead, all the qualities that would make her a great ruler in the future.
This might be surprising, but another character I put in a lot of effort and feel sympathetic to is Empress Wang. She’s scary, I know, and unpredictable—I wouldn’t want her to be my enemy!—but if you look deeper, you can see she is a victim of the society and its stifling perceptions. I feel this connection to her because I have read many stories of Chinese women who, unable to conceive a child, dropped to the lowest level on the social ladder, and I felt I needed to look out for those women of disadvantage. So here she is, Empress Wang, a woman of great power, but because of her “barrenness,” she is looked down upon, and she has little control of who she can be and what kind of a life she can have. But still, she has to assert herself, to hold on to what little is left for her. It is understandable that she is bipolar, subject to attacks of anxiety and depression, but also prone to violence. It is also inevitable that in her desperation, she would not be afraid to commit murder.
Acknowledgments
As always, to my husband, Mark, for being here and for being true; to my shining stars, Annabelle and Joshua, for your sweet kisses and for hugging me like your favorite stuffed animal. And to my family and friends in China, I miss you.
To my editor, Anna Michels, my secret and most powerful ally, who provided me with keen perceptions and insightful notes that helped shape the book. Thank you, Anna. I can always rely on you.
To my two fabulous beta readers: my agent, Shannon Hassan, for your unwavering support, and my good friend Karen Walters, for telling me what worked and what did not. To my dear friend, Renae Bruce, for perusing the book with great enthusiasm each time I asked. Thank you!
I’m also most grateful to my outstanding team at Sourcebooks: editorial director Shana Drehs, for always being kind; production editor Heather Hall and copy editor Gail Foreman, for being amazingly thorough and sharp; the talented Laura Klynstra, for the enticing book cover; senior production designer Jillian Rahn, for the refreshing moon fonts; enthusiastic publicist Lathea Williams; the efficient marketing team; and everyone else at Sourcebooks who supported me. Thank you!
To Susan Blumberg-Kason and Jocelyn Eikenburg, who offered me generous support on my publishing journey. Thank you so much for all your help and emails!
Last but not least, my heartfelt thank-you to you, reader, for following Empress Wu’s journey. Without you, her tears and her fears would have been washed away without a trace by the storm of history.
About the Author
Photo credit: JCPenney Portrait Studios
Weina Dai Randel is the author of The Moon in the Palace, the first installment of the Empress of Bright Moon duology. Born and raised in China, she has worked as a journalist, a magazine editor, and an adjunct professor. She has a passion for history and loves to share classical Chinese literature, tales of Chinese dynasties, and stories of Chinese historical figures, especially women, with American readers. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and currently lives in Texas.
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