Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Upper and Lower) (Illustrated Edition)

Author: Luo Guanzhong (Ming Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Romance of the Three Kingdoms is one of China's four great classical novels. Set against a historical backdrop, the book tells the story of the Three Kingdoms period during the late Eastern Han Dynasty, where the three states—Wei, Shu, and Wu—contested for dominance, and ultimately, Jin conquered Shu and Wu, absorbing Wei to take its place. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is the foundational and most representative work of Chinese historical romance novels, as well as a multi-caped novel and a long narrative. It holds a unique historical position in Chinese classical literature. Since its inception, the novel has become one of the most widely circulated and influential works in folklore. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is actually a shortened title of Romance of the Three Kingdoms Chronicle. The Records of the Three Kingdoms is a historical chronicle compiled by the Western Jin historian Chen Shou, consisting of Book of Wei, Book of Shu, and Book of Wu. It was included by later scholars in the "Twenty-Four Histories." The term "Three Kingdoms" refers both to a period in Chinese history and to the three states of Wei, Shu, and Wu during that time. The word "romance" evolved from Romance of the Three Kingdoms Chronicle to become a specialized term in the history of Chinese fiction: historical romance novels.