New History of the Five Dynasties (Full 3 Volumes) -- Traditional vertical

Author: Ouyang Xiu (Song Dynasty) compiled, Xu Wutang (Song Dynasty) annotated
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-12-01
Features: The New History of the Five Dynasties, originally titled The New Chronicle of the Five Dynasties, is the only private revisionist history after the Tang Dynasty established official history commissions. Compiled by Ouyang Xiu (1007–1072 AD) over an 18-year period from 1036 AD (the third year of the Jingyou era) to 1053 AD (the fifth year of the Huangyou era). The New History of the Five Dynasties consists of 74 volumes, including 12 volumes of Biographies, 45 volumes of Lives, 3 volumes of Examinations, 11 volumes of Clans and Clan Chronicles, and 4 volumes of Appendices on the Four Barbarians. Among these, the Lives have distinctive features. They adopt a classified format, establishing titles such as Family Lives, Ministerial Lives, Lives of Those Who Died for Loyalty, Lives of Those Who Died in Service, Lives of the One-Way, Lives of the Six Ministers of Tang, Lives of Adopted Sons, Lives of Court Musicians, Lives of Eunuchs, and Miscellaneous Lives. Each category of Lives carries specific connotations, serving to implement the author's principle of "praise and blame." For example, ministers and high officials who served a single dynasty are listed in the Ministerial Lives, while those who served multiple dynasties are included in the Miscellaneous Lives. Similarly, based on the degree of loyalty of those who died, they are divided into two categories: the most loyal are placed in the Lives of Those Who Died for Loyalty, while the less loyal are listed in the Lives of Those Who Died in Service. In general histories, the "Records" section is called "Examinations" in the New History of the Five Dynasties, with only Examination of Astrology and Examination of Geography, which correspond to the Astronomical Records and Geographical Records in the Old History of the Five Dynasties. The author believed that the Five Dynasties was a chaotic era where the hierarchy of rites was overturned, and its institutions were beyond redemption, so the "Records" section of the Old History of the Five Dynasties was omitted. This also reflects the principle of compiling history according to "ritual." The Clans and Clan Chronicles in this book are roughly equivalent to the Hereditary Lives and Usurpation Lives in the Old History of the Five Dynasties, clearly dividing the regimes outside the Central Plains into ten states: Wu, Southern Tang, Former Shu, Later Shu, Southern Han, Chu, Wu-Yue, Min, Nanping, and Eastern Han. The division and arrangement of these smaller states are clear and complete, clearly surpassing the older histories. The Appendices on the Four Barbarians are equivalent to the Foreign Lives in the old history.