Ancient Chinese Forbidden Novels Library - Spring and Autumn Match

Author: Chen Huachang
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1998-04-01
Features: The Romance of the Northern Dynasties tells the story of the rise and fall of Northern dynasties and the struggles among warlords during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, starting from the late Wei Dynasty and ending in the early Sui Dynasty, with a focus on the Northern Qi Dynasty. As stated in the preface of the book, "All records in official histories are fully included, and anecdotes from unofficial histories are collected to supplement the gaps, thereby broadening knowledge beyond what is covered in official accounts." The Romance of the Northern Dynasties was listed as a banned book during the Qing Dynasty, while the author's other work, The Romance of the Southern Dynasties, was not affected. The reason lies in the book's numerous descriptions of the chaos caused by barbarian invasions, which offended the sensibilities of Qing rulers. This book is the eighth volume of The Ancient Chinese Banned Fiction Library, which includes the Qing Dynasty's serial novel The Romance of the Northern Dynasties, The Void and the Illusion, and The Spring and Autumn Match. The Romance of the Northern Dynasties consists of 64 volumes and has a Qing Dynasty edition, with the title page listing "Compiled and Edited by Yushan Du Gang of the Grotto Pavilion." The author, Du Gang, lived during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty and was from Kunshan, Jiangsu. He was known by the courtesy name Zhen San and the pseudonym Grotto Pavilion Elder. He gained fame in his youth but became disheartened in old age, writing books for self-entertainment. In addition to this work, he also wrote The Romance of the Southern Dynasties and The Entertainment and Enlightenment Compilation. The Romance of the Northern Dynasties tells the story of the rise and fall of Northern dynasties and the struggles among warlords during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, starting from the late Wei Dynasty and ending in the early Sui Dynasty, with a focus on the Northern Qi Dynasty. As stated in the preface of the book, "All records in official histories are fully included, and anecdotes from unofficial histories are collected to supplement the gaps, thereby broadening knowledge beyond what is covered in official accounts."