Historical Romance Set in Non-European Cultures

When you think of historical romance, what comes to mind? Perhaps a Regency ballroom, a Scottish highland, or a Victorian drawing room? For too long, the genre has been dominated by European settings, as if love stories worthy of our attention only bloomed in English gardens or Parisian salons. But what about the passionate tales that unfolded in Ming dynasty teahouses, beneath African stars, or within the vibrant chaos of colonial Calcutta? This collection celebrates historical romance that ventures beyond the familiar territories, inviting you into worlds where love develops against backdrops of ancient Chinese warfare, post-apocalyptic African landscapes, and mystical Eastern traditions. These aren't just romances that happen to be set elsewhere; they're stories deeply rooted in their cultural contexts, where the setting isn't mere wallpaper but an integral part of how love unfolds, challenges arise, and characters transform.

Take "She Who Became the Sun" by Shelley Parker-Chan, which reimagines the founding of the Ming Dynasty through a queer lens. Here, a girl assumes her dead brother's identity to escape poverty and eventually rises to power, finding unexpected love along the way. The romance is inextricable from the historical setting – the rigid gender roles of 14th century China create both the conflict and the unique tenderness of the relationship. Similarly, "The Poppy War" by R.F. Kuang weaves romance through a fantasy version of 20th century China's tumultuous history. While primarily a military fantasy, the romantic elements gain their power from being set against the backdrop of war, shamanism, and the weight of historical trauma.

Moving from China to colonial Malaya, "The Ghost Bride" by Yangsze Choo offers a supernatural romance steeped in Chinese-Malaysian folklore. Li Lan's journey through the afterlife in search of answers about her ghostly suitor creates a love story that could only exist within this specific cultural framework of hungry ghosts, paper offerings, and ancestral obligations. The romance here isn't just between individuals but between the living and the dead, the traditional and the modern.

"The Tea Master and the Detective" by Aliette de Bodard might seem like an outlier – it's set in space, after all – but this Vietnamese-inspired future carries the weight of historical diaspora. The developing relationship between the sentient spaceship and the eccentric detective reflects colonial aftermath and cultural displacement, making it very much a historical romance despite its futuristic setting.

Africa provides the setting for Nnedi Okorafor's "Who Fears Death," where romance blooms in a post-apocalyptic landscape that mirrors real historical conflicts. The love story between Onyesonwu and Mwita gains depth from their shared experience as outcasts in a society grappling with genocide's aftermath. Their relationship becomes an act of resistance against the historical forces trying to tear them apart.

"The Priory of the Orange Tree" by Samantha Shannon creates an entirely fictional world but one deeply informed by Asian and African mythologies rather than European ones. The multiple love stories woven throughout – including a beautiful f/f romance between a queen and her handmaiden – gain their emotional resonance from the non-Western court politics and dragon lore that shape them.

Even "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern, while featuring a traveling circus that visits multiple locations, deliberately includes non-European settings and performers, creating a romance that transcends cultural boundaries while respecting them. The magical competition between Celia and Marco takes on different flavors as it moves through different cultural contexts.

Sarah Waters' "The Night Watch" might seem the most traditionally "Western" with its London setting, but its exploration of lesbian relationships during World War II offers a different kind of historical romance – one where the "otherness" comes from sexuality rather than geography, yet shares with these other books the theme of love developing despite societal constraints.

These stories prove that historical romance gains new dimensions when it ventures beyond familiar territory. You'll find that love shaped by Confucian philosophy differs from love shaped by Victorian propriety, that courtship rituals in medieval Africa create different tensions than those in Regency England, and that the obstacles lovers face in colonial India have their own unique heartbreak and triumph. Each book in this collection offers not just a love story but a window into how romance reflects and responds to its cultural moment. They remind us that while love might be universal, the ways we fall in love, express that love, and fight for it are beautifully, specifically cultural. So pour yourself some tea – or perhaps something stronger – and prepare to fall in love with love stories you've never encountered before.