Loulan

Loulan is a historical novel by Wu Wei and part of the “Curious Cases from Ancient China” series. It was reissued in 2020 by China Democracy and Legal System Press in a 389-page edition. The author begins with a long-standing question: why was the kingdom of Loulan—once a thriving stronghold on the Silk Road—buried beneath the desert sands over the course of several centuries? The novel’s answer blends Western Regions lore recorded in historical texts, myth, and invention: to find a sacred object that can save Loulan, Prince Aowen ventures alone into the desert, where he encounters a woman from an enemy state and forms a bond he cannot easily renounce; later he is aided by Xiao Yang, a Han nobleman of murky origins, and by a divine maiden. Together they contend with the “curse” hanging over Loulan while pursuing the truth buried beneath old clan grievances and dynastic change, as duty, conspiracy, love, and friendship intertwine amid the sands. The main text is divided into ten chapters: “Mirage and Bloodlight,” “War Talk, Bold Hearts,” “Enemies Meet,” “A Strange Encounter in the Desert,” “A Hundred Waves on the Vast Sea,” “A Fleeting Glimpse,” “The True and False Heir,” “Dreams Broken in the Western City,” “Wind Sighs Through the Long Night,” and “The Bride of Loulan.” An appendix, “A Century of Loulan Exploration,” sets the historical record of Chinese and foreign explorers’ search for Loulan since Sven Hedin alongside the novel’s plot, giving the fiction a foothold in reality. The author’s pacing is tight and the dialogue abundant, evoking both the desolation of lone desert journeys and the hesitation of characters caught in impossible choices. It reads well as a Western Regions adventure with a strong element of suspense.