Generations of Popular Histories - The Romance of the Former Han Dynasty

Author: Cai Dongfan
Publisher:
Publishing 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 the times. 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 harbinger of the new era. In terms of practical significance, its vitality is still growing. How many people today can still read the traditional character edition of the 24 Histories? Not many, even if it is the simplified character version of the classical texts. But our nation's history must be inherited and continued. 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."
Cai Dongfan, a renowned historian and novelist of the Republic of China, aimed to "save the nation through storytelling" and spent ten years writing The Popular Histories of China. Spanning from Qin Shi Huang to 1928, the series comprehensively records the 2,166 years of China's feudal history. It gained fame for its rich content and well-sourced material, becoming highly favored by readers. The writing style of this series combines elements 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 government systems, laws, geography, artifacts, titles, and even colloquialisms in a simplified manner, or praised or criticized the characters he wrote about, all to help readers understand the main text and clarify historical context.
In terms of historical material selection and use, Cai Dongfan primarily relied on "official histories" while also incorporating folk tales and anecdotes. Anything derived from folk tales or anecdotes was backed by additional evidence, and he "carefully verified" the materials to ensure accuracy. Due to his strong emphasis on historical authenticity and opposition to 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, covering 210 years of the Former Han Dynasty. It includes tales of concubines, foreign relatives, regional military commanders, barbarian tribes, favored officials, eunuchs, and more—hence, periods of stability were rare, while chaos was abundant. The four words "absolute monarchy" dominate the entire book. Qin established it, and Han inherited it, making the two dynasties closely linked with little distinction. Moreover, Qin Shi Huang and Han Wudi are often mentioned together in popular phrases, and when compared, they unexpectedly align—Qin and Han are inseparable, and their essence is truly intertwined.