Romance of the Three Kingdoms (One of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature)

Author: Luo Guanzhong
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
Features: Romance of the Three Kingdoms is the pioneering work of the ancient Chinese long serial novel. The Three Kingdoms story was highly popular in ancient Chinese folklore. It was adapted for the stage during the Song and Yuan dynasties, with over 30 different Three Kingdoms plays performed during the Jin and Yuan periods. In the Zhizhi era of the Yuan Dynasty, the Complete Illustrated Three Kingdoms was published by the Xuan family of Xin'an. During the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, Luo Guanzhong synthesized folk tales, operas, and storytelling, combining historical records from Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms and Pei Songzhi's annotations, and infused his personal insights into society and life to create Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The earliest surviving edition is from the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, commonly known as the "Jiajing edition," and consists of 24 volumes. During the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty, Mao Run and Mao Zonggang father and son corrected historical facts, revised and edited the text, and transformed it into the 120-chapter edition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms that is widely used today.
Luo Guanzhong lived between 1330 and 1400, with the name Ben and the sobriquet Huahai Sanren. He was a popular fiction writer of the Ming Dynasty. His place of origin is said to be Taiyuan (now Shanxi) or Qiantang (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang), but it remains uncertain. According to legend, Luo Guanzhong served as a counselor to Zhang Shicheng, a rebel leader of the late Yuan Dynasty. In addition to Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he also wrote other popular novels like Chronicles of Sui and Tang and plays such as The Dragon and Tiger Meeting of Zhao Taizu.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms depicts nearly a century of historical turmoil from the late Eastern Han Dynasty to the early Jin Dynasty. The entire work reflects the political and military struggles of the Three Kingdoms era, the infiltration and transformation of various social conflicts, and the monumental historical changes of that time. It also portrays a group of heroic figures who left an indelible mark on history. In his handling of the Three Kingdoms history, the author shows a clear preference for the Liu Bei faction, glorifying its key figures while harshly condemning Cao Cao. Today, we should view this pro-Liu Bei, anti-Cao Cao bias dialectically. The preference for Liu Bei over Cao Cao was the dominant trend in folk legends during Luo Guanzhong's time, reflecting the people's hope for the revival of the Han ethnicity.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms portrays nearly 200 characters, with the most successful being Zhuge Liang, Cao Cao, Guan Yu, and Liu Bei. Zhuge Liang is the embodiment of the author's ideal "virtuous minister," embodying the high moral integrity of "dedicating oneself to the cause until death" and the ambition to restore peace and prosperity. The author also grants him supernatural abilities, such as summoning wind and rain and making brilliant calculations. Cao Cao is a cunning and ruthless figure, living by the principle, "Let the world betray me, but never let me betray the world." He is both a visionary and a ruthless politician, a master of intrigue—distingushed from the historical Cao Cao. Guan Yu is "fierce, resolute, and unwavering in loyalty," but his loyalty is based on personal grievances rather than the greater good of the nation. Liu Bei is portrayed as a benevolent and wise ruler who values his people, respects talent, and knows how to use his subordinates wisely.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms depicts numerous battles, both large and small, with grand and diverse storytelling techniques, allowing readers to vividly witness the bloody scenes of war. Battles like the Battle of Guandu and the Battle of Red Cliffs are described with dramatic twists and turns, leaving readers breathless. The language of the book is neither overly profound nor overly vulgar, yet it is concise, clear, and full of vigor, bringing life and dynamism to the narrative.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms sparked a wave of historical fiction in China, and the characters it created have become household names throughout the country. There are many editions of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, with the main ones being: the Ming Hongzhi edition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which has rough text and simple content; and the Qing Mao Zonggang edition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which was revised and annotated around the early Kangxi era and is the most widely circulated version. The People's Literature Publishing House has reprinted it multiple times.