Five Dynasties Romance - Popular Histories of China (Illustrated Edition)

Author: Cai Dongfan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: The Popular Historical Epic of China's Dynasties: Romance of the Five Dynasties (Illustrated Edition) is a world-renowned popular history masterpiece. Renowned historian Cai Dongfan uses official history as the backbone and anecdotes as the weft. With a chapter-based structure, colloquial prose, and witty comments, it vividly depicts the magnificent process of the evolution of Chinese civilization. It describes the customs and livelihoods during the transitions of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, delves into the bloody battles on the battlefield and the intrigues in the court, and reveals the survival wisdom in the rise and fall of ages.
Long-term stability inevitably leads to chaos, and long-term unity inevitably results in division. After a long period of peace, the legacy of ancestors gradually depletes, and the momentum of chaos intensifies. A few ambitious figures seize the opportunity to rise in turmoil, either declaring themselves emperors or seizing land to become kings. This state of chaos and division was seen in the Eastern Zhou with its vassal states, the Later Han with its three kingdoms, the Eastern Jin after the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the Later Tang after the late Tang—always characterized by east-west turmoil and fragmentation. The Five Dynasties lasted for fifty-three years, with eight ruling houses and thirteen emperors, changing their dynastic names five times—Liang, Tang, Jin, Han, and Zhou. Historians, since these dynastic names had already been used by previous dynasties, added a "post-" prefix to them, calling them Later Liang, Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han, and Later Zhou. Additionally, there were states that were either allied with or separate from the five dynasties, known as the Ten Kingdoms—Wu, Chu, Minnan, Former Shu, Later Shu, Southern Han, Northern Han, and Wu-Yue, Jingnan.
The situation during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was truly a time when rulers were not like rulers, ministers were not like ministers, fathers were not like fathers, and sons were not like sons. There was constant competition and struggle, with the powerful oppressing the weak, and (usurpation and murder) followed one after another without end. As a result, each dynasty lasted no more than ten years, with some lasting as little as three or four years. The land was in turmoil, the country smelled of bloodshed, and borders were restless.
The Popular Historical Epic of China's Dynasties: Romance of the Five Dynasties (Illustrated Edition) is a world-renowned popular history masterpiece. Renowned historian Cai Dongfan uses official history as the backbone and anecdotes as the weft. With a chapter-based structure, colloquial prose, and witty comments, it vividly depicts the magnificent process of the evolution of Chinese civilization. It describes the customs and livelihoods during the transitions of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, delves into the bloody battles on the battlefield and the intrigues in the court, and reveals the survival wisdom in the rise and fall of ages.