Rise and Fall of the Sui and Tang Dynasties

Author: Cai Dongfan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-08-01
Features: Cai Dongfan's "Popular Historical Romances of China" spans from the Qin and Han dynasties to the Republic of China, comprising over 1,000 chapters and more than 5 million words, covering nearly 2,200 years of history. Based on reliable historical records with supplementary anecdotes, the work is meticulously researched, presents balanced perspectives, and is rich in content with well-structured narration. The language is elegant and concise, accompanied by self-commentary and annotations, blending intellectual depth with readability. It is indeed a classic in popular historical literature. Since its publication, the series has been widely acclaimed and beloved. In the mid-1930s, Mao Zedong once sent a telegraph to Li Keqiang to purchase two copies of this book to meet the needs of (Party cadres) in Yan'an for studying Chinese history. It was often placed beside the bed in the bedroom. The renowned historian Zai Degeng believed that while the book may have shortcomings as a historical source, its content is sufficiently rich, and the narration is systematic. The famous novelist Erhuo He thought that the book's literary merit is merely average, but it serves as an entry point to understanding national history, and no other work compares to it. Since the Han and Jin dynasties, foreign tribes gradually migrated to China and settled in the interior. Subsequently, the Five Barbarians and Sixteen Kingdoms rose and fell in succession. Later, in a cycle of "the strong devouring the weak," the sixteen kingdoms were gradually merged into a single large state called Northern Wei. Later, internal conflicts within Northern Wei led to its division into Eastern and Western Wei, leaving little attention for the southern regions, which thus remained relatively intact. When Eastern Wei became Northern Qi and Western Wei became Northern Zhou, the western regions split into three factions. Zhou was stronger, Qi was secondary, and the south was weaker. The three factions stood in opposition for several years until Northern Qi was conquered by Zhou. The southern region retained only a tenth of its territory, and it was nearly entirely absorbed by Northern Zhou. Among them emerged a great prime minister, Yang Jian, who usurped the Zhou dynasty, reunified the south, accepted the imperial mandate from Zhou, and then conquered the Chen dynasty, ultimately unifying the Central Plains and merging the north and south. Li Yanshou of the Tang dynasty compiled separate histories for the south and north: the Southern Dynasties (including Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen) were recorded in the "History of the Southern Dynasties," while the Northern Dynasties (including Wei, Qi, Zhou, and Sui) were recorded in the "History of the Northern Dynasties." The symbolism is quite deliberate. Not only did the founding of the Yang dynasty emerge from Northern Zhou, making it belong to the Northern Dynasties, but the conduct of Yang Jian and his son also did not resemble that of true rulers of a prosperous era. Though they succeeded by chance and dominated both north and south, their rise and fall were swift. After only one generation, the dynasty collapsed. Following this pattern, I have composed a "Romance of the Southern and Northern Dynasties" in the style of popular historical novels.