Rise and Fall of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (Illustrated Edition)

Author: Cai Dongfan
Publisher:
Publish 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 struggle for survival, they swallowed each other, gradually merging the territory of the Sixteen Kingdoms into a single large country called Northern Wei. Later, Northern Wei experienced internal strife, splitting into Eastern and Western Wei, leaving no time to pay attention to the South, so the South remained relatively preserved. When Eastern Wei became Northern Qi and Western Wei became Northern Zhou, the West was divided into three parts again. Zhou was stronger, Qi was second, and the South was weaker. They stood in opposition for several years, until Qi was conquered by Zhou, and only a small part of the South remained, almost entirely falling under Zhou's control. Among them, a great prime minister named Yang Jian usurped the Zhou dynasty, reunified the South, accepted the throne from Zhou, and then destroyed 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 Northern and Southern Histories, 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 Northern Zhou and thus belong to the Northern History, but the conduct of Yang Jian and his sons also did not resemble those of a true ruler of a prosperous age. Though they succeeded by chance and controlled both the North and South, they ultimately rose and fell easily. After only one generation, the state fell. Following this example, I narrate in the style of a fictional work, compiling the "Romance of the Northern and Southern Histories." This is one of Cai Dongfan's works in the "Popular Histories of China" series. This book narrates the history of the 170 years from division to confrontation and unification during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Its perspective is straightforward, its content rich, its arguments well-structured, its language elegant and concise, with self-commentary and annotations, combining both rationality and interest. Truly, it is a classic of popular historical works. The book is carefully researched, primarily based on reliable history while also citing unofficial records, making it accessible for those new to ethnic history.