of the Quill:  "Under Heaven" and history

I had recently reread Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay, and during my commute I've been listening to "From Yao to Mao" I just heard the historical explanation of the events that were used as inspriation for the historical context of Under Heaven; my main comment is a complement to Kay to how beautifully he brought that to life in this reader's mind's eye.