Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Author: Guan Qingqi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a major novel of ancient China and also the pinnacle of ancient Chinese historical fiction. Among all historical novels, whether in terms of its immense influence or widespread popularity, Romance of the Three Kingdoms holds an unparalleled position. Even today, many companies include this book as a required reading for training administrative managers. The key period of the creation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms was the Song and Yuan dynasties, a time filled with national contradictions and class conflicts. Therefore, Liu Bei, who fought under the banner of "reviving the Han Dynasty," symbolized the Han Chinese regime, while Cao Cao, who dominated the northern regions, symbolized the "usurper of the legitimate regime." "Revere Liu Bei and denounce Cao Cao" became the main central theme of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The author of this book is Luo Guanzhong, a novelist from the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties. "Guanzhong" was his courtesy name, and his given name was Luo Ben. His alias was "Lake Sea" (Huahai Sanren). His exact birth and death years are unknown, but it is generally believed that he lived around 1330-1400. Luo Guanzhong wrote Romance of the Three Kingdoms by adding literary imagination to the basic historical records and creating anew based on a wealth of folk legends. Interestingly, the most brilliant and popular parts of the book are not historical facts but rather fictional. While presenting the grand and tumultuous style of a historical novel, the vivid and successful portrayal of characters is one of the major features of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Among them, Cao Cao (a rare figure among the treacherous and ambitious heroes of all time), Zhuge Liang (a rare figure among the wise and capable ministers of all time), and Guan Yu (a rare figure among the renowned generals of all time) were praised by the Qing scholar Mao Zonggang as the "Three Perfections." Other characters, such as Zhang Fei's bravery and recklessness, Zhao Yun's dauntless courage, Zhou Yu's narrow-mindedness, Lü Bu's unscrupulousness in pursuit of profit, and Lu Su's simple-minded honesty, are all vividly depicted, leaving readers unforgettable even after closing the book.