Han Xiang

Han Xiang is a long-form alternate history novel by the online writer Jieyu 2, following his Tang Zhuan. Serialized on Qidian from August 8, 2017, to its completion in 2019 at roughly 3.82 million characters, it was selected for the Top 100 Works of the Fourth Chenggua Online Literature Awards. The protagonist, Yun Lang, is a homeless youth who strays into the territory of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum at Mount Li. Rescued by the "Grand Steward" who guards the tomb, he learns the secrets of The Grand Steward's Records and the Qin emperor's mausoleum, and from then on bears the mission of protecting the underground palace in the Steward's place. Leaving Mount Li, he enters Shanglin Park and encounters figures such as Huo Qubing, Zhuo Wenjun, and Princess Changping. Armed with his knowledge, he earns official rank, secures a fief around Mount Li, and transforms barren land into the self-sufficient Yun Family Manor. The story unfolds along three lines—technology, agriculture, and armament: Yun Lang improves iron smelting and farming methods, raises a Yulin guard and modifies weapons to counter Xiongnu incursions, and founds "Northwest Polytechnic" to gather students and teach, seeking to give back through practical learning to an era still groping for its way forward. Against the grand backdrop of Emperor Wu of Han's reign, personal choices intertwine with the fate of nation and family. What the novel truly asks is: where do the fruits of civilization we enjoy today come from, and how should we repay those ancestors who struggled to find their way amid slash-and-burn hardship? This inquiry into homeland and roots is precisely what the title "Han Xiang"—the Han homeland—points to.