Dave’s Anatomy: My History As a Writer, #88: Steampunk/Wuxia: “The Weather God.”

Steampunkers

Steampunk is an intriguing genre to me, though I often think I don’t do a very good job of writing it (I haven’t been able to master its newest manifestation, Dieselpunk). But a call for stories intrigued me, especially the when I noted that the editor wanted stories that were not set in Victorian England, as many Steampunk stories are. This got me thinking. I find that many stories often start this way:  just thinking. The mind begins to go outside the realms of the ordinary and into the realm of the imaginative.

I began to realize that science and technology did not originate in Europe. The ancient cultures had their achievements as well, and many technological advances originated in China. It began to look like a good mix. What about combining some traditions of Chinese literature—in particular, the lore of the wuxia, the wandering warrior who possess incredible prowess as a fighter and used those powers for good? This led to the creation of an ongoing character, and then ongoing characters:  Princess Jing Lin, Chen Hao, and Soong Yuan. Since writing the story that came out of this exercise of the imagination, I’ve published several tales of these wandering knights. It’s a good exercise to get out of Western culture, and for someone who grew up watching David Carradine in Kung Fu and Bruce Lee movies. The first story, “The Weather God,” combined the wuxia tradition with Steampunk motifs.

Jing Lin

First the characters. Jing Lin is the Princess and heir apparent of Xingnoa, a nation I invented that lies north of China on the coast of the Yellow Sea. Protected by mountains and fiercely independent, the nation has managed not to be absorbed by China, though the Chinese have made annexation of Xingnoa an ongoing ambition. In the era of “Spheres of Influence,” when European nations came into the area and demanded trading rights, open ports, and political control of area of the country, Xingnoa.

Jing’s father, thinking he would have sons who could inherit his kingdom, put her in a Taoist convent. She lived there until she was fifteen and, as part of the disciplines of the place, learned ceremonial martial arts, including fighting with a wooden staff and hand-to-hand fighting. No children come for Quon and his wife and, at fifteen, Jing is taken from the convent and begins training to take over the kingdom. When her father learns of her abilities as a fighter, he is amazed. Jing trains with Shaolin masters (shades of Kung Fu) and periodically returns to her convent to further develop her abilities in fighting, meditation, and self-control. Eventually, she leads the armies of Xingnoa.

Jing lives many years as a chaste virgin, but after a while, she sees the impracticality of this for a military leader and takes lovers. She meet Chen and they become intimate. They also join as a pair of fighters, working at this time to keep foreign influences away from Xingnoa. The Europeans and Japanese have anchored a fleet in Xingnoa’s main harbor and plan to bully the country into giving them concessions. While meeting with a nobleman who knows a scientist, Shao Jiazhen, who is purported to have a weapon that can defeat the Europeans, they strumble upon Soong, who is a servant girl there. She is paid to poison Jing, almost succeeds and reveals that she has been suborned by Shao Jiazhen’s captors. When Jing hears her story, and sees her abilities at fighting with a staff, she gives her the opportunity to come on their journey to the interior of China with them to free Shao.

Shao is a remarkable scientist. When Jing, Chen, and Soon free him, he unleashes robotic warriors who fight their American captors and enable them to escape. Shao has a weapon that destroys the European ships, freeing Xingnoa from the threat of foreign domination. Chen and Jing also begin a relations (that will lead to their marriage in later stories). Soong is loyal and proves a good fighter. Jing begins to train her as a wuxia warrior. She has issues to work through. Because her family is poverty-stricken, she has hired herself out as a servant to a wealthy household. Part of her duties is to service the men and some of the women who stay as guests. The sexual abuse she has suffered has scarred her. Part of Jing’s task in training her will be to heal her soul as well.

Soong

This first story laid the groundwork for others. I have published three tales about these characters, including a novella, The Sorceress of Time. I plan for more stories about this trio of martial arts experts. The overlay of wuxia and Steampunk proved fruitful. Such combinations can often stoke the imaginative part of our brains into something that blazes brightly.

“The Weather God” appeared Penny Dread Tales, Volume II in and was reprinted in Best of Penny Dread. I’ll have more to say about Jing, Chen, and Soong in future blogs.

For more titles see my Writer's Page.

I would love to hear your comments.