Tang Dynasty Chronicle

Author: Cai Dongfan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-27
Features: The Romance of the Tang Dynasty: In the past, Liu Jun of the Shi Jin dynasty and the historian Zhang Zhaoyuan compiled a 200-volume Tang History, chronicling 290 years of the Tang dynasty. Later generations criticized it, deeming its organization chaotic and its facts fragmented. Thus, during the Qianli era of Emperor Renzong of the Song dynasty, a new compilation was produced, totaling 225 volumes, completed over 17 years, with and as the main compilers. and were renowned scholars of the Northern Song dynasty, with greater literary fame than Liu Jun and Zhang Zhaoyuan. After over a decade of collecting and verifying historical materials, all previously unpublished records from the Five Dynasties period were included, making the compilation more comprehensive and accurate. Moreover, it is easier to refine and polish than to create from scratch, and the new work naturally overshadowed the old. However, critics still faulted it for its obscure wording, lacking refinement, and its overly brief treatment of imperial decrees. How difficult it is to write history!
In the past, Liu Jun of the Shi Jin dynasty and the historian Zhang Zhaoyuan compiled a 200-volume Tang History, chronicling 290 years of the Tang dynasty. Later generations criticized it, deeming its organization chaotic and its facts fragmented. Thus, during the Qianli era of Emperor Renzong of the Song dynasty, a new compilation was produced, totaling 225 volumes, completed over 17 years, with and as the main compilers. and were renowned scholars of the Northern Song dynasty, with greater literary fame than Liu Jun and Zhang Zhaoyuan. After over a decade of collecting and verifying historical materials, all previously unpublished records from the Five Dynasties period were included, making the compilation more comprehensive and accurate. Moreover, it is easier to refine and polish than to create from scratch, and the new work naturally overshadowed the old. However, critics still faulted it for its obscure wording, lacking refinement, and its overly brief treatment of imperial decrees. How difficult it is to write history!
Yet writing history is difficult, and reading history is equally so. The Old Tang History has 200 volumes, and the New Tang History has as many as 225. Who could possibly read them all without missing a word? Beyond these, works like Sun Fu’s Tang Historical Records, Zhao Zhan’s Tang Spring and Autumn, Chen Pengnian’s Tang Annals, Yuan Shu’s Tang Historical Events in Detail, and others, ranging from 100 to dozens of volumes, would require a lifetime of reading to fully comprehend. Young scholars, with limited knowledge, cannot even afford the time to read all of the Tang history, let alone the ability. Thus, they turn to popular novels like The Romance of Sui and Tang, The Complete Story of Tang, The Xue Family Generals, Eastward Expedition, Westward Expedition, Luo Tong’s Northern Conquest, as well as Journey to the West, The Palace of Eternal Youth, Flowers and Mirrors, and Green Plum, treating them as factual accounts. But how can they know that these tales are baseless and largely fabricated? They offer little enlightenment but plenty of confusion to the mind!
I, though unworthy, have compiled popular romances from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, publishing them in installments. The refined scholars of the land did not mock my ignorance but praised them for aiding popular education. Thus, I turned back to the Tang dynasty to create this romance, totaling 100 chapters. Using official history as the foundation, I strive for accuracy, while incorporating anecdotes as supplementary threads, avoiding falsehoods. Xu Mao Gong was not a strategist before becoming one; Li Yao had no magical powers; Luo Yi rebelled and died without descendants; Xue Buqiu’s fame did not extend to his children. Tang Xuanzang’s journey to India did not invite demons; Xue Renhui’s achievements in the heavens were not aided by his wife. Empress Wu’s debauchery did not result in secret sons; Yang Guifei’s execution did not lead to enlightenment. These absurdities and vulgar tales are refuted here, breaking secular superstitions and serving as a guide for historians. The fictional characters of fiction will surely not mock me from the sidelines.
However, the book was completed in haste and has not been thoroughly revised. Errors are inevitable, and I hope the scholars of history will correct my shortcomings.
In the eleventh year of the Republic of China, the summer solstice on the ninth day of the ninth month, Cai Dongfan of Ancient Yue wrote this preface at the Linjiang Study.