Modern twist on ancient legends

The Legend of Liya [Photo provided to China Daily]

"I think memory is very important. It contains the things that people deliberately conceal and forget," says Hong. "Literature can dig out the things that are buried deep in memory, and through it, I want to exemplify the good parts of humanity and pass them on so that a better world might rise."

Hong plans to write seven installments for the series, each one dedicated to one virtue of man, such as gratitude, forgiveness and sacrifice, in contrast to the "seven sins".

"Hong's works open a window for Chinese children to an ancient Chinese civilization and culture of Chinese witchcraft," says novelist Cui Manli. "It provides them an alternative to the popular Western fantasy with sorcerers on brooms such as Harry Potter and Lord of Rings, while it advocates for good merits and universal values."

"I think the book is ideal for families. Through shared reading, parents and children can explore the history together," says Wu Yan, an expert on children's literature at Beijing Normal University. "Hong has merged folk literature into the story very well."

Another key feature of the book is a set of illustrations. Cherry Denman, an accomplished British illustrator, provided the visual images for the book. Denman is married to a diplomat and splits her time between Beijing and London.

"In order to get the details right, Denman communicated with me a lot and asked me to do a lot of sketching," says Hong. "I also gave her a picture book of Journey to the West (Chinese classical mythical novel) for her reference in creating the apparel and appearance of the ancient Ba people."

Hong lived in the United Kingdom from 1991 to 2000. The book is printed in Chinese with an English translation in the back. The translation was done by Nicholas Smith, a British translator.

Mei Jia contributed to the story.