Romance of the Eastern Han Dynasty (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Lian Keru (narrated), Lian Liru, Jia Jianguo (compiled)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
Features: Lian Keru was a renowned artist in the field of storytelling, known for his unique performance style. In the late 1930s, he continuously narrated The Romance of the Eastern Han Dynasty on Beijing's Boliwei Radio Station, earning the reputation of "Homes across the nation listen to storytelling, streets and alleys are quiet with Lian Keru." The book is structurally rigorous, showcasing the techniques and structure of traditional chaptered novels. Particularly skillful in creating suspense, it captivates readers, making them unable to put it down. It is also a masterpiece of Lian-style storytelling, with delicate plotlines and a strong focus on detailed descriptions, leaving readers with a lasting impression. The oral version of this book was serialized in Liyan Illustrated Magazine in the 1930s. After revision and compilation, it is now republished, with necessary edits made while striving to preserve the original form of the storytelling text for readers. The Romance of the Eastern Han Dynasty is the representative work of the famous storytelling artist Lian Keru (1903–1971). This book is revised and compiled by his daughter, Lian Liru, based on the oral version of The Eastern Han Dynasty serialized in Liyan Illustrated Magazine in the 1930s. Considering the need to retain the writing style and colloquial features of the spoken text while adapting to modern readers' reading habits, necessary revisions were made during publication:
1. Revised layout. The original text was in traditional vertical characters with dense spacing and small font size, making it difficult to read. It is now converted to simplified horizontal characters with modern punctuation and appropriately enlarged font size.
2. Reorganized chapter titles and added subheadings. Based on the characteristics of classical chaptered novels, the book now has seventy chapters, with two four-character titles added at the beginning of each chapter to summarize its content.
3. Original text did not divide paragraphs naturally, with each chapter being a single paragraph. It is now reorganized based on plot changes.
4. Added character illustrations before the main text. The editorial team specially invited a comic book artist to create the illustrations.
5. Corrected printing errors.