Nicole J O'Donnell

Suyin's Bell Nicole J O'Donnell

After only twenty years on China's throne, Emperor Yung-Lo is worried about how he will be remembered after he is gone. His minister Tong is anxious to rise in the emperor's court. He has a plan to help Yung-Lo ensure his greatness to future generations, and it involves a beautiful bell with a sweet sound. Tong is convinced that his brother-in-law, the master blacksmith Kwan-Yu, should be the one to forge the greatest bell in the history of China. Kwan-Yu's daughter Suyin isn't so certain. But she's willing to do what it takes to see her father succeed. And so begins one of the oldest and saddest legends of ancient China. But what really happened to Suyin, Kwan-Yu, Tong, and Emperor Yung-Lo? And how did the bell that echoes through China's capital every hour become known as Suyin's Bell? As its tale reveals, sometimes truth is more captivating than legend.