A lyrical and gorgeously illustrated retelling of an ancient Chinese legend celebrating the love between two men.
Around 500 BCE, Yuan, Duke Ling of Wei, sought to rule well, and was advised to seek and understand perfection. His efforts seemed in vain, however, for nothing was perfect, not even the silks, teas, and songs brought to him by his friend Mi Zi Xia. Zi Xia therefore set off to find something perfect for Yuan, searching “under all the great stars” and “across all the seasons of the year.” Finally, he finds what he thinks is a perfect peach. But is it? Zi Xia tastes it to make sure.
He returns to Yuan, who eats the rest and agrees it was perfect. Yuan’s advisors are puzzled. How could only part of the whole be perfect? But how could Zi Xia have known it was perfect without trying it?
The answer, Yuan says, is that perfection lay in the sharing of it. In solving the riddle together, he and Zi Xia had shown that “Love is as close to perfection as we can achieve.” Author Lee Wind explains in an Author’s Note that the story of Yuan and Zi Xia became so famous that in Chinese, the expression “love of the half-eaten peach” was long used to refer to two men in love.
Wind’s graceful, spare words evoke legends of old, but maintain a lively dynamism. Jieting Chen’s illustrations elevate the book to something truly special, however, with watercolor and ink scenes that feel rooted in classic Chinese artistic styles and warmly depict the mens’ relationship. The winning combination of text and pictures make this a highly recommended title.
Pair Love of the Half-Eaten Peach with Kapaemahu, another book that draws on legend to show the deep roots of LGBTQ identities.
