World of Three Kingdoms

Author: Li Guowen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Romance of the Three Kingdoms is also known as Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It 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 is Luo Guanzhong, a person from the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty. Before its completion, 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 those who specialized in telling Three Kingdoms stories, which were then called "telling the Three Kingdoms." The Romance of the Three Kingdoms that appeared in the Yuan Dynasty was actually a manuscript used by storytellers. Although it was relatively brief and rough, it had already begun to take shape like Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Based on folk legends and the creations of folk artists, Luo Guanzhong also drew on the materials cited in Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms and Pei Songzhi's annotations (which also included 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 remarkable book. It is a historical novel that can be considered the most widely spread and deeply influential in Chinese classical literature. Countless writers, scholars, and intellectuals have commented on it throughout history. The renowned writer Li Guowen provides an evaluation of the entire work from a contemporary perspective. Each chapter begins with an introductory quote and ends with a summary, offering a concise overview of the chapter. He also provides in-text comments and analyzes the wording and literary style. Therefore, this book not only offers a literary and artistic perspective but also includes historical research, as well as critiques on thought, society, life, and reality. Reading it allows one not only to revisit the artistic essence of the classical masterpiece but also to gain historical lessons and insights from its rise and fall.
From the Yellow Turban Rebellion of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty in 184 AD to the surrender of Sun Hao of Eastern Wu to the Jin Dynasty in 280 AD, the 96-year period is known as the Three Kingdoms period. Historians recorded this period with Chen Shou's 65-volume chronicle Records of the Three Kingdoms, while literati recorded it with Luo Guanzhong's 120-chapter long, chaptered historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Whether interpreting history or creating fiction, both unfold a grand scroll of heroes vying for power, blending reality and fantasy. Emperors, generals, heroes, and beauties, great loyalty and great evil, literary and martial prowess—kings see the path of virtue, while tyrants see the path of domination. Politicians read the strategies of power, military strategists read the art of war. Farmers, artisans, merchants, and scholars all delight in the legendary tales, moral philosophers discuss righteousness and morality, those seeking advancement find their opportunities, and those who have succeeded gain warnings from their downfall. The weak are often inspired to rise, while the strong recognize their strengths and weaknesses. Different people see different things—，. One Three Kingdoms, a thousand interpretations.
The renowned writer Li Guowen discusses the Three Kingdoms in 157 topics, based on historical facts, telling stories, discussing strategies, exploring the ways of the world's division and unity, analyzing the mysteries of competition and decline, sorting out the paths of success and failure. With a broad and profound perspective, concise and refined language, this work is both enlightening and exhilarating.