The History Behind ‘The Poppy War’ by R.F. Kuang
If you have heard the name R.F. Kuang, you know it is attached to some of the bestselling novels of the past decade. Kuang prides herself on going into detail and elevating the language in her writing to complement the historical exploration of the world she builds for her readers. For those of you who may not know, Kuang has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford; she is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale.
The Poppy War became the first notable series for R.F. Kuang as she fused historical fiction with fantasy. The series follows a young girl who chooses to become a soldier rather than be forced into an arranged marriage at fourteen. Kuang understands the political scope and military strategy in the series because of her studies in the field. Rin possesses a thirst for knowledge because, for Rin, that is the ultimate power early on. In a way, Rin parallels Kuang’s ability to retain all this information and usefully extract pieces that become relevant at any moment.
The Poppy War Series
The History Behind ‘The Poppy War’
While Rin is studying at Sinegard, the mentors teach the students about war tactics, combat, strategy and medicinal aid through the triumphs (and mistakes) made in both poppy wars. Not only do the mentors go into detail, but some students challenge the tactics used in both wars. While the students show different perspectives, the mentor’s questions and interactions are calculated based on who would be a strong enough soldier in each division.
Readers will learn that the second poppy war in the novel is based on the Second Sino-Japanese War. There are three countries involved in the first novel: Nikara, The Federation of Mugen and Speer. Kuang also provided a map in the opening pages of the book. She wanted to show the placement of these countries. Each one is meant to resemble the Asian continent nearby. Nikara would be China, The Federation of Mugen would be Japan, and Speer would be Taiwan.
The First Poppy War
The mentors often discuss the Second Poppy War with their students, but Rin becomes a war orphan because of the First Poppy War. As the students prepare for their final examination, the mentors explain that Nikara and Mugen wanted to dominate another country. Similarly to the first Sino-Japanese War, China and Japan wanted to dominate Korea.
The book also references opium and the rise of addiction because it is compared to heroin. Opium is a drug made from a poppy flower, hence the title of the book. Once someone takes the opium, they can be highly addicted to it. An Opium War did exist in the 19th century between Britain, France and China.
Whether the wars were based on trade or territory, China was involved in many wars as a political power in the 19th century. The parallels continue throughout the book as Kuang details the Second Poppy War, which was the Second Sino-Japanese War. Kuang cleverly incorporates opium throughout by tying the drug to the mythological elements in the story.
With everything readers learn about the Second Poppy War, such as military tactics and the lore of the gods, the knowledge is used in real-time as the Second Poppy War hits in the middle of the first instalment. This war is due to the Mugenese (Japan) expanding into Nikara (China) territory. When Rin is in the middle of the battlefield, she questions what she has been taught by Jiang and the desperate need to call upon a god to help save the people around her.
References: The NYC museum gallery.
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