Ming Shi Yanyi

Author: Cai Dongfan
Publisher:
Publish 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 the most unremarkable sand and stones. Its extraordinary quality lies in its abundant treasures. As mentioned earlier, it was not born out of obedience to orders or reviews, but rather out of timely necessity. 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 symbol of the birth of the new era. From a practical perspective, its vitality is still growing. How many people today can still read the traditional Chinese character editions of the 24 Histories? Not many, even if it's the simplified character version of classical Chinese. But our nation's history must continue and be preserved. 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."
The famous historian and novelist of the Republic of China, Cai Dongfan, with the aim of "saving the nation through storytelling," spent ten years writing The Popular Histories of China. Starting from Qin Shi Huang and ending in 1928, it comprehensively records the 2,166 years of China's feudal period. Renowned for its rich content and well-sourced material, it was highly favored by readers. The writing style of this series combines the conventions 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 refuted fantastical claims, noted the sources and differences of certain historical materials, explained ancient institutions, laws, geography, artifacts, titles, and even colloquialisms in plain language, or praised or criticized certain figures, all to help readers understand the main text and clarify history. In terms of historical source selection and usage, Cai Dongfan primarily relied on "official histories," supplemented by folk tales and anecdotes, with all such sources requiring collateral evidence. He meticulously verified the materials, striving for accuracy. Because Cai Dongfan placed such high importance on historical truth and opposed fictional inventions, this series, though popular, holds significant historical value.
The Romance of the Former Han Dynasty is one of The Popular Histories of China. It consists of 100 chapters, summarizing the 210 years of the Former Han Dynasty. It covers empresses' favoritism, powerful relatives, regional military commanders, foreign tribes, concubines, eunuchs, and more—hence, periods of stability were rare, while chaos was frequent. The four words "absolute monarchy" dominate the entire work. The Qin Dynasty established it, and the Han Dynasty inherited it, making the Qin and Han fundamentally linked with little distinction. Moreover, Qin Shi Huang and Han Wudi are often mentioned together in popular phrases, and when compared, they seem almost identical—Qin or Han, the essence remains the same.