Romance of the Former Han Dynasty

Author: Cai Dongfan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-27
Features: The Eastern Zhou gradually declined, while Western Qin rose. The Seven States of the Warring States period engaged in warfare and conquest. Emperor Ying Zheng, relying on his ancestral legacy, gathered millions of strong soldiers from Guanzhong, intimidating and deceiving them, gradually devouring the six states until he conquered them all, claiming the land of the nine provinces for himself. Ying Zheng believed his virtue surpassed the Three Emperors and his achievements surpassed the Five Emperors, so he combined one character from each name to create the term "Emperor." The four characters "Imperial Autocracy" are the overarching theme of the entire book. The Qin dynasty was established, and the Han dynasty inherited it, making the Qin and Han closely related with little distinction. The Qin dynasty lasted for three generations—Ying Zheng, Huai Zi, and Zi Ying—for only fifteen years. Described in a few chapters, it does not constitute a complete volume. Moreover, although it is called a dynasty, it is known only for its tyranny, not for peace and governance. Thus, the Qin dynasty was truly a transitional period from the Zhou to the Han, and is placed before the Han with a brief account of its events.
During the two hundred years of the Former Han, there were concubines, foreign relatives, regional military commanders, ethnic minorities, favored officials, eunuchs, and power-hungry officials. All the (calamitous ends) that have caused chaos in countries throughout history were gathered here. Some say the Former Han dynasty was defined by its concubines and foreign relatives from beginning to end, and this is also reasonable. This series, guided by the idea of "using romance to save the nation," was created by Cai Dongpan during the Republic of China. It depicts the rise of heroes at the end of the Qin dynasty, Liu Bang's establishment of the Han dynasty, and Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han. It is a monumental romance work that uses official history as the warp and anecdotes as the weft, with a unique format and self-commentary. The entire book is written in an intimate, natural, and easily understandable style.