The Three Wonders of the White Crane

The Three Wonders of the White Crane is a Chinese original shonen manga set against the backdrop of the An Lushan Rebellion in the Tang dynasty, written by He Bo and drawn by Second Trofsky. In the fourteenth year of the Tianbao era (755 CE), An Lushan, military governor of three garrisons, raised a rebellion; the rebel army drove straight in and captured the Tang capital Chang'an, forcing Emperor Xuanzong to flee west to Shu and leaving the Tang realm in grave peril. Xuanzong's grandson Li Tan, Prince of Jianning, trained from childhood in the Tian Ce headquarters; outwardly flippant, he is inwardly a young man of ability, unwilling to stand by as the state crumbles and determined to rebuild the Tang. In a time of chaos each person seeks something: Li Bi, head of the Shangqing sect, is invited by the crown prince to emerge from seclusion and wishes to serve as a good minister; Yan Zhuang, An Lushan's foremost strategist, is Li Bi's senior fellow disciple, ruthless and decisive in action; Gao Ziyu, daughter of Gao Xianzhi, excels at disguise and acts with resolve; and Li Yu, Prince of Guangping, is steady and deep, doing his utmost to protect his younger brother Li Tan. Their fates intertwine through the white crane, the totem of the Shangqing sect, and their struggles unfold in flight, confrontation, and choice, weaving together intrigue and chivalry. The artwork is entirely drawn with a writing brush on xuan paper, combining ink wash with full color to create a distinctive style; the work has won praise from editors at Japan's Kodansha and from judges of the Kyoto International Manga Award. This volume is the first standalone collection, gathering the opening chapters and laying the groundwork of the chaotic era for the whole story.