The Popular Histories of China Dynasties - The Romance of the Later Han (Illustrated Edition): The Romance of the Later Han

Author: Cai Dongfan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: "In terms of literature, Mr. Cai's book can only be considered mediocre. But, it is a mine, towering like a mountain, with lush forests, flowing springs and waterfalls, containing coal, iron, gold, and jade. Naturally, there is also soil, and inconspicuous sand and stones. Its extraordinary quality lies in its rich reserves. As mentioned earlier, it was not born out of obedience to orders or reviews, but was born in time. During the collapse of the feudal system and the turmoil of the new era, Mr. Cai devoted his life to composing this epic, which can be heard as a dirge or seen as a catalyst for the new era. In terms of practical significance, its vitality is still growing. How many people today can read the traditional character layout of the 24 dynastic histories? Not many, even if it's the simplified character version of classical Chinese. But our national history must be inherited and continued. Reading Mr. Cai's book can guide you into the world of history, and there is no other like it. In this sense, his achievement is truly remarkable."
Cai Dongfan, a renowned historian and novelist of the Republic of China, wrote "The Popular Histories of China" with the aim of "saving the nation through storytelling." It took him ten years to complete this monumental work. Starting from Qin Shi Huang and ending in 1928, it comprehensively records the 2,166 years of Chinese feudal history, gaining fame for its rich content and well-sourced material, and winning the favor of readers. The writing style of this series combines the structure of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and Mao Zonggang's annotations, featuring main text, annotations, and overall summaries, all self-annotated by Cai Dongfan. Through these annotations, he either refutes fictional claims, notes the sources and differences of certain historical materials, provides explanations of ancient systems of governance, laws, geography, artifacts, titles, and even colloquialisms, or evaluates the characters he writes about, all to help readers understand the main text and clarify history.
In terms of historical material selection and use, Cai Dongfan primarily relied on "official histories," supplemented by unofficial accounts and anecdotes, with all such materials requiring collateral evidence. He emphasized the authenticity of history, opposing fictional and fabricated stories. As a result, although this romance is popular, it holds significant historical value. "Romance of the Later Han" is one of "The Popular Histories of China." The entire book consists of 100 chapters, covering 196 years of the Later Han Dynasty and 43 years of the Shu Han Dynasty. The content begins with Wang Mang's usurpation of the former Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu (Emperor Guangwu of the Later Han) raising an army to rebel against Wang Mang and establishing the Later Han Dynasty, and ends with the formation of the Three Kingdoms.