Romance of the Later Han

Author: Cai Dongfan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: A popular historical masterpiece that has gained fame both at home and abroad. Renowned historian Cai Dongfan uses official history as the backbone and anecdotes as the weft. After ten years of painstaking effort, he vividly portrays five thousand years of Chinese history in a chapter-based structure with accessible language, witty comments, and a realistic depiction of the tumultuous evolution of Chinese civilization. It portrays the emperors like Qin Shi Huang and Han Wudi, the founding emperors of Tang and Song dynasties, the customs and livelihoods during the transition of dynasties, and the survival wisdom amidst the bloodshed on the battlefield and the intrigues in the palace. This volume follows the style of The Romance of the Former Han Dynasty, starting from the usurpation of the Han dynasty by Wang Mang and ending with Sima Yi's overthrow of the Wei dynasty, covering over two hundred years of the Eastern Han and Shu Han periods. It records events accurately without seeking profundity, blending official history with supplementary anecdotes to suit both scholars and the general public. Special attention is paid to the critical turning points of rise and fall, such as the favoritism of empresses and the influence of imperial relatives, which led to the of eunuchs and ultimately to military conflicts. As the ancients said, "Literature should not be written carelessly," and while I may not fully qualify for this praise, I do believe that it is better to avoid baseless and irrelevant tales.