Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Volumes 1 and 2)

Author: Luo Guanzhong (Ming Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
Features: Romance of the Three Kingdoms (also known as Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms) is one of the most famous and outstanding long, chaptered historical novels in the history of Chinese fiction. The author of Romance of the Three Kingdoms was Luo Guanzhong, a figure from the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty. Before the book was completed, the "Three Kingdoms stories" had already undergone hundreds of years of historical development. In the Tang Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms stories were widely circulated, even children were familiar with them. With the development of urban literature, the "storytellers" of the Song Dynasty had already specialized in telling Three Kingdoms stories, which were then called "telling the Three Kingdoms." The Three Kingdoms Zhihua that emerged in the Yuan Dynasty was essentially a manuscript used by storytellers. Although it was relatively brief and rough, it already had the initial scale of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Based on folk legends and the creations of artists, Luo Guanzhong also drew on the materials cited in Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms and Pei Songzhi's annotations (including materials from Records of the Time and its annotations). Through immense creative effort, he wrote the grand masterpiece――Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a historically significant Chinese novel that artistically recreates the tumultuous and dramatic scene of nearly a century of history, from the Yellow Turban Rebellion to the unification of Western Jin. Through a concentrated depiction of the political, military, and diplomatic struggles among the ruling groups of the Three Kingdoms era, the author reveals the turmoil and darkness of the late Eastern Han Dynasty, reflects the suffering of the people, and expresses their strong desire for a wise ruler and peace. The characters in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, such as Guan Yu with his unyielding loyalty, Zhao Yun with extraordinary courage, Zhang Fei with his bravery and straightforwardness, and Zhuge Liang with his wisdom and cunning, are vividly portrayed with distinct personalities, showcasing the author's high artistic talent. The storylines are intricate and captivating, making scenes like the Battle of the Three Heroes against Lu Bu, the Chain Strategy, the Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage, the Borrowing Arrows with Straw Boats, and the Battle of Red Cliffs, all etched vividly in memory.