Rise and Fall of the North and South Dynasties - Popular Historical Romances of China (Illustrated Edition)

Author: Cai Dongfan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Since the Han and Jin dynasties, foreign tribes gradually migrated to China and settled in the interior. Subsequently, the Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms rose and fell in succession. Later, in a process of survival of the fittest, they swallowed each other, gradually merging the territories of the Sixteen Kingdoms into a single large state called the Northern Wei. Later, the Northern Wei experienced internal strife, splitting into the Eastern Wei in the east and the Western Wei in the west, leaving no time to pay attention to the South. As a result, the South remained relatively intact. When the Eastern Wei became the Northern Qi and the Western Wei became the Northern Zhou, the West was divided into three states again. The Zhou was stronger, the Qi was second, and the South was weaker. They stood in opposition for several years, until the Qi was conquered by the Zhou. The South barely retained a tenth of its territory, almost entirely falling under the Zhou's control. Among them, a great prime minister named Yang Jian usurped the Zhou dynasty, reunified the South, accepted the Zhou's abdication, and conquered the Chen dynasty, ultimately unifying the Central Plains and merging the North and South. Li Yanshou of the Tang dynasty wrote one volume each for the History of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, with the Southern dynasties (Song, Qi, Liang, Chen) belonging to the Southern History and the Northern dynasties (Wei, Qi, Zhou, Sui) to the Northern History. The intention is very strict: not only did the founding of the Yang family originate from the Northern Zhou, making it belong to the Northern History, but the conduct of the Yang family father and son also did not resemble that of a true ruler of a prosperous age. Although they temporarily seized both the North and South by chance, they ultimately experienced both rapid rise and fall. After only one generation, the state collapsed. Following this example, I narrate in the style of a popular historical novel, compiling the "Romance of the Northern and Southern Histories." This is one of Cai Dongfan's works in the "Popular Historical Romances of China" series. This book narrates the history of 170 years from division to confrontation and unification during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. It presents a straightforward perspective, rich content, well-structured arguments, elegant and concise language, self-commentary and annotations, combining both rationality and interest, truly making it a classic of popular historical works. The book is meticulously researched, primarily based on reliable history while also citing unofficial records, making it accessible for those new to ethnic history.