This is a strange and magnificent journey, filled with incredible yet intricately connected landscapes: the charm of the Silk Road interwoven with technology transcending time and space, the melodious sound of camel bells resonating with retro machinery. Super algorithms derived from ancient mathematical classics drive the operation of the entire civilization, forming a profound allegory about humans, machines, and history. Yang Wanqing fuses complex technical settings, the treacherous power struggles, and the destinies of characters into one. The advancement of the story does not merely rely on the display of wonders, but delves into the emotions and thoughts of each character, endowing them with real flesh and soul. We follow the protagonist's footsteps, traversing the weight of history and the strangeness of technology, and also experience the compassionate sentiment towards humanity's future that is embedded within, touching upon more possibilities of China and the world through science fiction.
— Awarded by Liu Cixin, the Hugo Award winner, author of "The Three-Body Problem", and a leading figure in Chinese science fiction.

In the glorious and tortuous history, Yang Wanqing found a temporal and spatial gap that could accommodate a series of technological concepts, ingeniously blending classical Eastern aesthetics with modern and contemporary technological trends. It not only showcases the charming landscapes of the Tang Dynasty and foreign lands but also reflects the sentiments and human nature in turbulent circumstances. "The Golden Peach" is a vivid alternate history science fiction novel.
— Renowned writer, winner of the Mao Dun Literature Prize, A Lai

Yang Wanqing's works are grand and profound, meticulous and intricate. She constructs a Tang Empire with alternating light and shadow through a jigsaw puzzle-like approach. Here, there are alienating technological wonders, perilous power struggles, and human will that transcends the logic of technology and philosophical theories.
— Renowned science fiction writer and Galaxy Award winner Han Song

★ This book simultaneously won the 36th Galaxy Award for Chinese Science Fiction for 「Best Full-Length Novel」 and the 16th Chinese Nebula Award 「Gold Award for Novel」 in 2025!
*The Galaxy Award for Chinese Science Fiction, established in 1985, is the highest honor in the Chinese fantasy fiction world and one of the mainland China’s science fiction awards. Winning works represent the highest level of science fiction creation in mainland China. Major Chinese science fiction authors such as Liu Cixin and Wang Jinkang, and classic works like "The Three-Body Problem" and "The Wandering Earth," gained widespread recognition starting from the Galaxy Award.

*The Chinese Nebula Award, founded in 2010 by volunteer Chinese science fiction enthusiasts, is a public welfare science fiction award dedicated to discovering and rewarding outstanding Chinese-language science fiction works, authors, and related practitioners worldwide.

★ Yang Wanqing is one of the representative authors of the new generation of Chinese science fiction, known for "emotion-driven science fiction," and excels at deeply exploring human dilemmas within technological frameworks. He has won the Galaxy Award and Chinese Nebula Awards multiple times. His first science fiction novel, "Golden Peach," won the Galaxy Award "Best Novel," and he also won the Galaxy Award "Best Short Story" for his work "The Days to Come."

★ World-renowned science fiction author, Hugo Award winner, and author of "The Three-Body Problem," Liu Cixin, personally presented the award and praised it. Jointly recommended by A Lai and Han Song!

★ "Golden Peach" does not refer to a mythical fruit, but originates from an ancient mathematical super-algorithm. If you believe the future of sci-fi is only about cyborgs and interstellar colonization, Golden Peachwill open a door to a completely new universe for you.
This is not just China's Three-Body Problem; it is the East's Dune—a ​​silk-punk​​ epic about civilization, algorithms, and humanity. While examining conflicts between Chinese and Western civilizations, it also focuses on the infinite possibilities of their integration. Based on rigorous technological concepts and a meticulously researched historical background, the novel pulls back the grand yet cold curtain of history,weaving a legend of machinery, technology, and human nature in a silk-punk saga.
​*​"Silk-punk" is a sub-genre coined by Chinese-American writer Ken Liu while creating the "Dandelion Dynasty" series.

★ This book features richer characters and plots, as well as a literary exploration of philosophical themes, presenting readers with a story on the Silk Road that is both familiar and entirely different. Under the temptations of power and technological disputes, the work deeply explores the good and evil of humanity, individual destinies, and the bonds of family. Against the fragmented backdrop of history and reality, it brings perspectives of mutual learning and connection, offering deep thoughts and imagination for re-evaluating the thresholds of civilization. The future forms of cross-racial cultural ideals achieve multiple connections in origin and values.

★ English translation samples available.

"Legend has it that the Golden Peach is the most precise warp and weft science; a calculation silk woven with the Golden Peach method can grant mechanical puppets a high level of intelligence. What kind of intelligence is this? I cannot imagine. But whether it's the sage or the sacrificial wine, they all seem to believe that it will recreate this world."

In the 8th century AD, exchanges between countries across Eurasia became closer due to the Silk Road, giving birth to a technological civilization comparable to the Industrial Revolution. Here, there are towns driven by thermal energy, mechanical puppet soldiers, and computer languages compiled from latitude and longitude lines… This world is free and rich, nurturing spirituality and vitality; at the same time, violence and conspiracies are brewing.

The academy hidden deep in the desert holds the world’s most advanced mechanical core algorithm—the Golden Peach, which is said to possess the power to change the world. Therefore, forces such as the Tang Dynasty, the Abbasid Caliphate, the Tuhuoluo, and the Shadow Country covet the technology in the academy, and a battle for the Golden Peach destroys the academy.

Amid the chaos, an ethnic minority girl carrying the Golden Peach calculation silk, a Tang soldier eager to make achievements, and a mysterious envoy from the Shadow Country travel east together, unfolding a legendary story stained with tears and blood.

No one knows whether the path pointed by the Golden Peach ultimately leads to a golden age or an era of chaos…

Yang Wanqing
Science fiction author, one of the representative authors of the new generation of Chinese science fiction.
He has won the Galaxy Award, the Chinese Nebula Awards, and other awards multiple times, and his works have been selected for the "Chinese Science Fiction Annual" for six consecutive years, with many pieces translated and introduced abroad.
His collection "The Returned" was shortlisted for the PAGEONE Literature Award, and his novella "Forget Me Not" was shortlisted for the "Harvest" Annual Novella.
Published personal science fiction collections include "The Returned," "Double Helix," "The Wind in the Sky," and children's science fiction "Sunset City."

Part One: Spring in Samarkand 1
Part Two: Summer in Suiye 193
Part Three: Autumn in Liangzhou 303
Part Four: Winter in Chang’an 417
Afterword: The Growth of “Golden Peach” 575