History of the Later Han Dynasty -- Basic Collection of Chinese Family Libraries

Author: Li Lixuan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Compared to Ban Zhao's works, it not only matches but surpasses them. He intended to write all the chronicles, ensuring that all the contents of the Former Han Dynasty were included, even if the events were not numerous, and to let the text fully express the ideas. He also wanted to discuss and comment on the events within each volume to correct the achievements and shortcomings of the dynasty, but this plan was not realized. The prefaces and epilogues are masterpieces of literature, with no word wasted, and the changes are endless. It is difficult to describe them with words. When this book is published, there should be those who appreciate it. — Fan Ye, "Letter to Nephews and Nieces in Prison"
After completing the Later Han Dynasty, he found a better sense of continuity. Upon reviewing the ancient and modern writings and commentaries, he found few that satisfied him. Ban Zhao had a high reputation, but he was arbitrary and had no rules, except for the chronicles, which were commendable. He could not match Ban Zhao's breadth and depth, but he was not inferior in organization. My miscellaneous biographies all have profound meanings, and the biographies of the model officials and the six barbarian tribes' prefaces and commentaries are truly extraordinary works in the world. — Fan Ye, "Letter to Nephews and Nieces in Prison"
The Later Han Dynasty has ten chronicles and eighty biographies, written by Fan Ye. Fan Ye, styled Weizong, was from Shunyang in the Southern Dynasties of Song. He was born in the second year of Long'an (398 AD) during the reign of Emperor An of Jin. He was the grandson of Fan Ning, the governor of Yujiang in Jin, and the illegitimate son of Fan Tai, the court attendant of the Song Dynasty. He adopted Fan Hongzhi, his cousin, and inherited the title of Marquis of Wuxing. He served as a counselor to Prince Yi Kang of Pengcheng and was promoted several times to become the Minister of Personnel in the Ministry of Personnel. In the first year of Yujiaguo (424 AD), he was demoted to the governor of Xuancheng for offending Prince Yi Kang. The Later Han Dynasty was written at that time. Later, he was promoted again to become the Left Guardian General and the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince. In the 22nd year of Yujiaguo (445 AD), he was accused of plotting with Kong Xixian and others to support Prince Yi Kang's enthronement and was executed for treason.
The Later Han Dynasty is a historical record of the Later Han Dynasty in the form of chronicles and biographies. The entire book includes ten chronicles, eighty biographies, and eight chronicles, covering 195 years from Wang Mang to Emperor Xian of Han. The chronicles and biographies were written by Fan Ye of the Southern Dynasties of Song, while the chronicles were written by Sima Bi of Jin. Fan Ye (398–445 AD), styled Weizong, was from Shunyang in the Southern Dynasties of Song (now Xichuan in Henan). He reached the position of Left Guardian General and Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince. In the ninth year of Yujiaguo (432 AD), Fan Ye began writing the Later Han Dynasty after being demoted to the governor of Xuancheng and feeling frustrated, editing the works of various authors into a single work. He completed ten chronicles and eighty biographies from 432 to 445 AD, when he was executed for treason. The original plan was to write eight chronicles, but it was not completed. The current version of the Later Han Dynasty includes eight chronicles in thirty volumes, which were added by Liu Zhao of the Southern Dynasties of Liang from Sima Bi's. Sima Bi, styled Shoutong, was the son of Sima Mu, the Prince of Gaoyang in Jin. He was a diligent learner from a young age but was known for his lustful behavior and poor conduct, which disqualified him as an heir. Therefore, he closed himself in his room to study and read extensively. He was first appointed as a cavalry commander and later became a secretary and then an assistant. Seeing that the Han Dynasty had been restored, many loyal ministers and righteous people had become famous, but there was no good historian to record the events, which were chaotic and disorganized. Thus, he "discussed various books, compiled what he had learned, starting from Emperor Shizu and ending with Emperor Xiaoni, organizing it chronologically in two hundred years, recording twelve generations, comprehensively covering the upper and lower periods, and incorporating all matters, creating eighty chapters of chronicles, chronicles, and biographies, titled《》."
When Fan Ye's Later Han Dynasty was published, Sima Bi's gradually became obsolete, except for the eight chronicles, which were preserved because they were added to Fan Ye's book. Among Sima Bi's eight chronicles, the《》 and《》 were newly created, but the lack of a《》 was a major shortcoming. Before writing the Later Han Dynasty, Fan Ye had already compiled many versions of the Later Han Dynasty. The main ones included the《》 commissioned by Liu Zhen and others of the Later Han Dynasty, the《》 by Xie Cheng of the Wu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period, Sima Bi's《》, Hua Qiao's《》, Xie Shen's《》, Yuan Shansong's《》, Xue Ying's《》, Zhang Ying's《》, Zhang Fan's《》, and Yuan Hong's《》, among others. Fan Ye's Later Han Dynasty was written based on these existing works.
The Later Han Dynasty has its own characteristics. In terms of style, it has some improvements compared to the《》 and《》. In the chronicles, it differs from the《》's one-chronicle-per-emperor format by following the example of the《·》, which includes the second emperor Hu Hai and the Prince of Qin, appending the after the《》 and the and after the《》. This saves space while not omitting historical facts, achieving two goals at once. In the case of empresses, it changed the《》 and《》's practice of listing empresses in the《》 (except for Empress Lü) by writing separate chronicles for empresses. This change aligns with the historical fact that six empresses of the Later Han Dynasty ruled as regents. In the biographies, the Later Han Dynasty not only followed the biographies of the《》 and《》 but also added seven new types: the biographies of the Party Purge, eunuchs, literary figures, solitary figures, sorcerers, recluses, and women. These biographies are both new creations and reflect the actual situation of the Later Han Dynasty. For example, the Party Purge was rampant during the Later Han Dynasty, and many upright officials were killed for being part of factions. Additionally, eunuchs in the Later Han Dynasty often participated in politics and killed officials, making them the main perpetrators of the Party Purge. These phenomena fully reflect the contradictions and struggles within the ruling class of the Later Han Dynasty. Based on these historical facts, Fan Ye created the biographies of the Party Purge and eunuchs. He also wrote the biography of women, which was the first time in official histories. Inspired by Liu Xiang, he expanded the《》 with the aim of "searching for and compiling those with outstanding talent and virtue, not limited to a single virtue." In his《》, there are women like the virtuous wife of Huan Shaojun, the learned Ban Zhao, the wife of Le Yangzi who encouraged her husband to study by cutting the weaving, and the famous talent Cai Yan, who broke free from the boundaries of the Three Cardinal Principles and Five Constant Virtues. The biographies in the Later Han Dynasty often break the chronological order, grouping similar individuals into combined biographies. For example, Wang Chong, Wang Fu, and Zhong Changtong were not contemporaries, but they were all disdainful of material gains and skilled in writing, so they were combined into one biography.
The characteristics of the Later Han Dynasty, apart from the innovations in style, are most notable for their clear views and sharp judgments. For example, he did not write biographies of those who did nothing, but wrote biographies of many "men of absolute integrity" in the《》, fully demonstrating his clear stance on love and hatred. The《》 praises the upright and righteous conduct of Zhang Jian, Fan Pang, and Li Ying. In the《》, he repeatedly praises Yang Zhen and his descendants for their integrity and dedication to public service. The《》 praises the loyal and upright figures like Cai Lun, who were "wholeheartedly devoted to the royal family," while directly describing figures like Hou Lan as "villains who harmed the state." Especially the "discussions" and "praise" in the Later Han Dynasty, with their sharp pen, judge right and wrong, commend the upright, and denounce the evil while mocking the foolish, are a major advantage. Although the Later Han Dynasty only has chronicles, biographies, and chronicles, without tables, Fan Ye's writing is excellent, good at editing and narrating, coherent and not repetitive, to some extent making up for the lack of tables. Additionally, since most other historical records of the Later Han Dynasty have disappeared, the historical value of the Later Han Dynasty is even more precious.
The greatest limitation of the Later Han Dynasty is that it abandoned the tradition of the《》 in valuing peasant uprisings, taking a negative stance on the Yellow Turban Rebellion. The Yellow Turban Rebellion was a major event at the end of the Later Han Dynasty, but its main figures, such as Zhang Jiao and his brothers, were not given biographies. Their deeds were only attached to the biography of Huangfu Song, who suppressed the peasant uprising.