Speaking of China · Gathering of Eminent Figures

Author: Liu Jingcheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-11-01
Features: The history of the Three Kingdoms is particularly familiar to general cultural readers. Although the period is relatively short, it is grand and majestic, with a wide range of dramatic events. It is an outstanding and vividly engaging chapter that is worth savoring and studying. From the Three Kingdoms era to Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms, Pei Songzhi's annotations to Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms, to the storytelling texts, Three Kingdoms stories, and Three Kingdoms operas of the Song and Yuan dynasties, as well as various cultural and artistic works on the Three Kingdoms theme, even up to today's "The Three Kingdoms in a Nutshell" and "Boiling the Three Kingdoms," the story of the Three Kingdoms has indeed captivated countless people. This trend will not only never fade but will only grow more spectacular. The Way of China serves as an encyclopedic guide to Chinese history, integrating narrative texts, exquisite and detailed illustrations, and convenient search functions. It contains countless breathtaking scenes of Chinese history, woven together in a way that forms the splendid civilization of the Chinese nation over its five thousand years. Just as exploring famous mountains and rivers requires the guidance of a tour guide and a map, through the illustrated introductions below, readers will surely enjoy a fulfilling journey through the beauty of China's history, lingering in its wonders. The overall layout fully reflects the book's emphasis on narrative texts, showcasing its characteristics as an encyclopedic guide to history—dense knowledge, a balance of text and images, and easy retrieval. This allows readers to feel the charm of history and culture and the ingenuity of the editorial design on every page.
To better understand the stories and apply them in real-life learning, the book provides three key elements for readers: story introductions, section titles, and story numbers. The story introductions summarize the essence of each story, while the section titles help readers grasp the core ideas more easily and quickly access important information. The story numbers are linked to the search system. Each story contains essential elements such as the core content (i.e., the essence of the story), characters, and anecdotes. The book extracts these three elements, labels them at the top of each story (along with the source), and compiles them into an index at the end. The story numbers are then linked to the three indexes at the back: "Characters," "Anecdotes," and "Keywords." The vast amount of information and practicality of the indexes are a major feature of the book. With dense information, they compensate for the limitations of knowledge points in the narrative, achieving a harmonious balance between the emotional impact of the stories and the rational summary of historical knowledge. This allows readers to see both the trees and the forest—to enjoy the aesthetic pleasure brought by the stories while also uncovering the profound wisdom of history.
Columns such as "Major Events in China," "Major Events in the World," "Cultural and Historical Encyclopedia," "Historical Examination," and the captions for illustrations are carefully selected knowledge segments. They are not only the essence of historical knowledge but also vividly reflect "living history," showcasing the social life and daily routines of ordinary people during those times. Complementing these are the convenient "Cultural and Historical Encyclopedia of China" search system. The illustrations cover a wide range of topics, deeplying historical realities with delicate and unique visual effects, vividly highlighting the development and changes in various aspects of social life in each historical period. Through the vivid "stories within the pictures," readers can appreciate the profound content they contain, making them a complete holographic image of cultural and historical knowledge.