Book of the Later Han

Author: Li Lixuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Compared to Ban Zhao's works, it not only matches but surpasses them. He wanted to write all the biographies, including all those in the Former Han Dynasty, ensuring completeness even if the events were not numerous, and allowing the text to fully convey the meaning. He also intended to comment on the successes and failures of each era based on the events within each volume, but this plan was not realized. The prefaces and epilogues are masterpieces of literature, with no word wasted, and their twists and turns are endless. It is difficult to describe them in words. This book, once published, should have appreciative readers. — Fan Ye, "Letter from Prison to Nephews and Nieces"
After completing the Later Han Dynasty, I found a clearer sense of continuity. Upon reviewing the ancient and modern writings and critiques, I found few that truly satisfied me. Ban Zhao, though renowned, acted according to his own whims without strict adherence to rules, so only his biographies are commendable. His breadth of knowledge is unmatched, and his organization may not be inferior. My biographical commentaries all contain profound meaning, but the commentaries on the model officials and the six barbarian tribes are exceptionally brilliant, truly extraordinary works of prose. — Fan Ye, "Letter from Prison to Nephews and Nieces"
The Later Han Dynasty Annals consist of ten chronicles and eighty biographies, written by Fan Ye. Fan Ye, styled Weizong, was from Shunyang in the Southern Dynasties of Song. He was born in the second year of Long'an (398 AD) during the reign of Emperor An of Jin. He was the grandson of Fan Ning, the governor of Yujiang in Jin, and the illegitimate son of Fan Tai, the court attendant of the Song Dynasty. He was adopted by his cousin Fan Hongzhi and inherited the title of Marquis of Wuxing. He served as a counselor to Prince Yi Kang of Pengcheng and was promoted several times, eventually becoming the Minister of Personnel in the Ministry of Personnel. In the first year of Yujiaguo (424 AD), he was demoted to the position of Governor of Xuancheng due to an incident that angered Prince Yi Kang. The Later Han Dynasty was written during this time. Later, he was promoted again, reaching the position of Left Guardian General and Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. In the 22nd year of Yujiaguo (445 AD), he was accused of plotting with Kong Xixian and others to usurp the throne, and was executed for treason.
The Later Han Dynasty is a historical record of the Later Han Dynasty in the form of chronicles and biographies. It includes ten chronicles, eighty biographies, and eight treatises, covering 195 years from Wang Mang to Emperor Xian of Han. The chronicles and biographies were written by Fan Ye of the Southern Dynasties of Song, while the treatises were written by Sima Biao of Jin. Fan Ye (398–445 AD), styled Weizong, was from Shunyang in the Southern Dynasties of Song (now Xichuan in Henan). He reached the position of Left Guardian General and Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. In the ninth year of Yujiaguo (432 AD), Fan Ye began writing the Later Han Dynasty after being demoted to the position of Governor of Xuancheng and feeling frustrated, saying, "I edited the Later Han Dynasties of various authors into a single work." He completed ten chronicles and eighty biographies until his execution for treason in the 22nd year of Yujiaguo (445 AD). His plan to write eight treatises was not realized. The current version of the Later Han Dynasty includes eight treatises and thirty chapters, which were added by Liu Zhao of the Southern Dynasties of Liang from Sima Biao's Continuation of the Han Dynasty. Sima Biao, styled Shaotong, was the eldest son of Sima Mu, the Prince of Gaoyang in Jin. He was a diligent scholar from a young age but was considered lecherous and morally weak, thus not succeeding as the heir. As a result, he secluded himself to study extensively.
He was first appointed as a cavalry commander and later served as a Librarian and then as an Assistant Librarian during the Taishi era. Realizing that the Han Dynasty had been restored and that loyal and righteous figures were prominent but there was no good historian to record the events, he wrote, "I discussed various books and compiled what I had heard, starting from Emperor Shizu and ending with Emperor Xiaowei, covering two hundred years in chronological order, recording twelve generations, comprehensively reviewing past and present, and including all matters, writing eighty chapters in the form of chronicles, treatises, and biographies, titled Continuation of the Han Dynasty."
After Fan Ye's Later Han Dynasty was published, Sima Biao's Continuation of the Han Dynasty gradually became obsolete, except for the eight treatises, which were preserved because they were incorporated into Fan Ye's work. Among Sima Biao's eight treatises, the Biographies of Officials and the Biographies of Attire were newly created, but the lack of a Biography of Wealth and Trade was a significant omission. Before writing the Later Han Dynasty, Fan Ye had already compiled many versions of the Later Han Dynasty. The main ones included the Records of the Eastern Han Dynasty commissioned by Liu Zhen and others, the Later Han Dynasty by Xie Cheng of the Wu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period, Sima Biao's Continuation of the Han Dynasty, Hua Qiao's Later Han Dynasty, Xie Shen's Later Han Dynasty, Yuan Shansong's Later Han Dynasty, Xue Ying's Records of the Later Han Dynasty, Zhang Ying's Southern Records of the Later Han Dynasty, Zhang Fan's Records of the Later Han Dynasty, and Yuan Hong's Records of the Later Han Dynasty.
Fan Ye's Later Han Dynasty was written based on these existing works. The Later Han Dynasty has its own distinctive features. In terms of style, it improved upon the Records of the Historian and the Records of the Han Dynasty. In the chronicles, it differs from the Records of the Han Dynasty, which follows one emperor per chronicle, by following the example of the Records of Qin Shihuang in the Records of the Historian, which includes Qin Erhu and Qin Ziyang, attaching the reigns of the Late Emperor and the two emperors of and to the Records of Emperor Hedi and the Records of Emperor Shun, respectively. This saves space while ensuring no historical facts are omitted, achieving two goals at once. Regarding empresses, it changed the practice of the Records of the Historian and the Records of the Han Dynasty, which listed empresses in the Biographies of Consorts (except for Empress Lü), by giving each empress her own chronicle. This change aligns with the historical fact that six empresses of the Later Han Dynasty ruled as regents. In the biographies, the Later Han Dynasty not only followed the biographies of the Records of the Historian and the Records of the Han Dynasty but also added seven new types: the Biographies of the Party Purge, the Biographies of Eunuchs, the Biographies of Scholars, the Biographies of the Unconventional, the Biographies of the Esoteric, the Biographies of the Recluses, and the Biographies of Women. These new biographies were both innovative and reflected the actual situation of the Later Han Dynasty. For example, the Later Han Dynasty saw widespread persecution of the party purges, with many upright officials being executed for associating with them. Additionally, eunuchs in the Later Han Dynasty often participated in political affairs and killed officials, becoming the main perpetrators of the party purge. These phenomena fully reflected the contradictions and struggles within the ruling class of the Later Han Dynasty. Based on these historical facts, Fan Ye created the Biographies of the Party Purge and the Biographies of Eunuchs.
The creation of the Biographies of Women was first pioneered by Liu Xiang in the Former Han Dynasty. Inspired by Liu Xiang, Fan Ye expanded the Biographies of Women, making it the first time such a work appeared in official histories. His purpose in writing the Biographies of Women was, "to collect and arrange those with outstanding talent and virtue, not limited to a single virtue." His Biographies of Women included figures like the virtuous wife of Huan Shaojun, the learned Ban Zhao, the wife of Le Yangzi who encouraged her husband to study by cutting the cloth, and the famous talent Cai Yan, all of whom broke free from the constraints of the Three Cardinal Principles and Five Constant Virtues. The Biographies of the Later Han Dynasty also often broke the chronological order, combining biographies of people with similar deeds. For example, Wang Chong, Wang Fu, and Zhong Changtong were not from the same era, but since they were all disdainful of wealth and fame and skilled in writing, their biographies were combined.
The features of the Later Han Dynasty are not only innovative in style but also strikingly clear in perspective, with praise and criticism evident in every word. For example, he did not write biographies of the idle high officials but included many "men of absolute integrity" in the Biographies of the Unconventional, fully demonstrating his clear stance on love and hatred. The Biography of the Party Purge praises the upright and courageous spirits of Zhang Jian, Fan Pang, and Li Ying. In the Biography of Yang Jian, he repeatedly praises Yang Jian and his descendants for their integrity and dedication to public service. The Biography of Eunuchs praises the loyal and upright figures like Cai Lun, who were "wholeheartedly devoted to the imperial family," while directly condemning figures like Hou Lan as "villains who harmed the state."
Especially the discussions and praises in the Later Han Dynasty use a sharp pen to judge right and wrong, commend the upright, and denounce the wicked while mocking the foolish, which is a major strength. Although the Later Han Dynasty only includes chronicles, biographies, and treatises without tables, Fan Ye's writing is excellent, skilled in editing, and the narrative is coherent without repetition, partially compensating for the lack of tables. Additionally, since most other histories that recorded the Later Han Dynasty have disappeared, the historical value of the Later Han Dynasty is even more precious.
The greatest limitation of the Later Han Dynasty is that it abandoned the tradition of the Records of the Historian in emphasizing peasant uprisings, holding a negative view of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. The Yellow Turban Rebellion was a major event at the end of the Later Han Dynasty, but its main figures, such as Zhang Jiao and his brothers, were not given their own biographies. Their deeds were only mentioned in the biography of Huangfu Si, who suppressed the peasant uprising.