Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Upper and Lower)

Author: Luo Guanzhong
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: In China, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Dream of the Red Chamber, and Journey to the West are widely known as the "Four Great Classical Novels," almost household names for all. As the ancients said, "Reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms is better than reading Water Margin. The writing of Water Margin is true, though it surpasses Journey to the West in fantasy, yet it creates from nothing and disappears at will, with no difficulty in craftsmanship, but it ultimately cannot match Three Kingdoms in narrating certain events that cannot be altered. And the mastery of craftsmanship in Three Kingdoms is even more difficult, and the talent of its characters is so outstanding that each is vividly portrayed, with some even surpassing Wu Yong and Gongsun Sheng by far. I believe that the title of a work by a talented author should be Romance of the Three Kingdoms."
"Portraits" are also known as "embroidered illustrations" or "printed portraits." Originally, they referred to embroidered images of Buddha or humans. Since the mid-Ming Dynasty, illustrations of individual characters included in plays, novels, and book covers were also called "portraits" because they used fine lines and detailed depictions. Romance of the Three Kingdoms has many versions, with about 30 extant Ming Dynasty editions and over 70 Qing Dynasty editions. The many exquisite illustrations that accompanied its circulation have long been cherished by readers. Commonly, people assume these portraits were taken from Qing Dynasty printed Romance of the Three Kingdoms portraits, but they are mostly derived from early Qing Dynasty picture albums, such as Late Laughing Studio Paintings by Shangguan Zhou, depicting Zhuge Liang and Pang Degong by the painter. Some were adapted, like making Han Xin into Fu Qian or Yan Zi into Kan Ze. Additionally, many portraits originally drawn for Ming Dynasty heroes were also adapted into Three Kingdoms characters.
This edition is a supplemented portrait collection of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The text is based on the Qing Dynasty edition revised and annotated by Mao Run and Mao Zonggang father and son, published in 1928 by Shanghai Jinkuo Bookstore. The original text includes marginal notes and double-line annotations. The illustrations are mainly selected from nearly 100 exquisite portraits by Hong Nian Zineng of Wumen in the Qing Dynasty's stone-printed Complete Portrait Collection of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Moreover, considering the many outstanding portraits of Romance of the Three Kingdoms in existence, this book has added many fine portrait works from different dynasties to delight the discerning eyes of the public.