The Two Jins

Name: The Two Jins
ISBN: 9787550233560

Cai DongfanBeijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. · ChinaJun 2022

4.0

Word count: 413K words
Chapters: 102
ISBN: 9787550233560

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Summary

The "Cai Dongfan's History of China" series is a modern vernacular edition of Cai Dongfan's historical romances. Composed of more than a thousand chapters, it recounts the rise and fall of the ages from the First Emperor of Qin to 1920, covering 2,166 years in 11 volumes, 1,040 chapters, and roughly 6.11 million characters. For its vast span of time, multitude of figures, and immense scale, it has been called the greatest of all historical romances, and Cai praised as "a historian of an age, a divine brush for all time." In selecting materials, Cai took official histories as the main source while also drawing on anecdotes, insisting on "verified history as the warp and hearsay as the weft," with anecdotal sources used only after repeated verification. Structurally, the works emphasize conveying moral purpose through narrative, with Cai writing the text, annotations, and commentary himself. Though the series values history over literary polish, it provides a vast and accessible general history of China, making an indelible contribution to popularizing Chinese historical knowledge.

Editor's review

Cai Dongfan's "Two Jins" is a key volume in his monumental "Popular Romance of Successive Dynasties." Taking official histories as its warp and anecdotes as its weft, the book uses the form of a chapter novel to vividly recreate the turbulent 155 years of the Western and Eastern Jin. This is no mere novelistic adaptation: Cai devoted years of effort to researching such official histories as the Book of Jin and Zizhi Tongjian, and wrote this popular history with the aim of "using romance to save the nation." Its greatest value lies in its deft balance between the seriousness of historical fact and the readability of narrative, transforming such complex historical threads as the Sima clan's usurpation of Wei, the War of the Eight Princes, the Yongjia migration south, the Battle of Fei River, and the politics of powerful clans into vivid stories of flesh-and-blood figures. The book offers deep portrayals of the literary integrity of Ji Kang and Ruan Ji, the statecraft of Wang Dao and Xie An, and the warlord careers of Shi Le and Fu Jian. Reading it, one not only clarifies the contours of this transitional yet often overlooked age of chaos, but also gains a deeper understanding of why powerful clans rose, metaphysical pure conversation flourished, and ethnic integration intensified in this period, laying a crucial foundation for understanding the later Northern and Southern Dynasties and even the Sui and Tang. Cai's prose is simple and fluent, and his interwoven narrative and commentary often include incisive historical judgments that guide readers to reflect on rise and fall, gain and loss.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the history of Wei, Jin, and the Northern and Southern Dynasties who want a systematic understanding of this transitional period.
Popular history enthusiasts who enjoy learning history easily through stories but want content grounded in solid historical fact.
Thoughtful readers who hope to draw lessons in management, politics, or life from history and are concerned with human nature and choices in times of chaos.
Those curious about specific historical and cultural phenomena in ancient China, such as clan politics, metaphysical pure conversation, and ethnic integration.

Not a good fit for

Pure historical researchers seeking absolutely rigorous academic verification and requiring extensive annotations of primary sources.
Readers expecting a fully modern language style and fast-paced online-literature-style narrative.

Reading tips

Begin with the preface or introduction to understand Cai Dongfan's background and historical outlook, which helps grasp the book's overall tone.
Read alongside a map, paying special attention to the geographical changes in the north and south around the Yongjia migration, which greatly enhances understanding of the historical dynamics.
There is no need to finish it in one sitting; read in units by figure or major event (such as the War of the Eight Princes or the Battle of Fei River), and briefly review after each unit for better results.

About the publisher

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. China · Founded in 1993

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. is a publisher known for its literature and history titles, with 2,065 books in the collection. Its publishing covers foreign literature, contemporary Chinese prose and essays, history, folk literature, and cultural books. Its list ranges from Sima Qian's complete edition of the Records of the Grand Historian to foreign classics such as The Book of Disquiet, All Quiet on the Western Front, Snow Country, The Stranger, and Jean-Christophe, as well as modern Chinese works including Teahouse and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk. Its authors and translators include Yasunari Kawabata, Fernando Pessoa, Erich Maria Remarque, Jin Xinyi, Zhou Miao, and Chen Chao. Public information is limited, but its catalogue reflects a balance between Chinese and foreign literary classics and historical and cultural works.

版权信息
序
笨儿当太子
晋武帝被骗
贾女偷香
堕泪碑
东吴的覆亡
羊车轶闻
武帝驾崩
悍后贾南风
人臣的悲哀
竹林七贤
枉死的皇太子
司马伦篡位
司马冏专权
王室内讧
平定荆州
烽火洛阳城
刘渊建汉
司马越起兵
呆皇帝暴死
陈敏败亡
北宫纯平贼
刘聪继位
司马越自误误国
洛阳失陷
怀帝愧死他乡
祖逖渡江
大意失蓟城
陶侃勇破乱贼
西晋亡
愍帝之死
东晋的兴立
石勒建后赵
王敦造反
谯王举义
元帝饮恨
讨伐王敦
明帝早逝
苏峻造反
勇将毛宝
苏峻的败亡
刘曜失洛阳
石勒称帝
石虎擅杀太后
蜀乱
石虎的家乱
李寿篡夺西蜀
庾冰拥立司马岳
功臣的结局
桓温平巴蜀
谢艾凉州破敌
石虎怒焚逆子
石氏之乱
后赵亡国
慕容恪灭魏
多疑的殷浩
苻生继任秦位
暴君苻生
慕容俊托孤
张天锡弑君
桓温石门退师
慕容垂奔秦
苻坚灭前燕
奕帝被废
桓温见鬼丧命
张天锡降秦
谢玄退秦
淝水之战
慕容垂建后燕
凤凰入阿房
秦主新城自缢
慕容冲之死
苻秦多烈妇
北魏崛起
姚苌的噩梦
北魏争雄
司马道子专权
张贵人弑君
小人王国宝
三分凉土
慕容宝逃跑
中山变乱
慕容盛复国
王恭受戮
才女谢道韫
殷仲堪自误
后凉吕氏家乱
南燕定都广固
刘裕大胜孙恩
桓玄夺晋位
刘裕入都
晋安帝回都
赫连勃勃建夏
慕容超即位
南燕危矣
慕容超亡国
北魏之变
平定西蜀
南凉国灭
后秦灭亡
刘裕篡晋

FAQ

What is the difference between Cai Dongfan's "Two Jins" and the official history Book of Jin?

"Two Jins" is a historical romance that uses the Book of Jin and other official histories as its skeleton, filling it out with literary flesh. It emphasizes vivid narration and clear structure and includes the author's personal historical judgments. The Book of Jin, by contrast, is an officially compiled biographical history that is more primary and detailed but scattered in format and less readable as literature. The former is an introduction and overview; the latter is material for in-depth research.

Is the classical Chinese in this book difficult?

The book is written in simple classical Chinese, a typical popular style of the Republican era. It is easier to understand than pure classical Chinese yet more concise and elegant than fully vernacular Chinese. Readers with some grounding in classical Chinese will have no trouble; modern readers may need a little adjustment at first but can afterwards savor the flavor of the prose.

Is this book suitable as a first book for understanding the history of the Two Jins?

Very suitable. It provides a coherent, complete, and highly narrative framework that helps readers quickly build an overall understanding of the major events, key figures, and characteristics of the Two Jins era. It is an excellent introductory read. On that basis, those who wish to go deeper can consult more specialized academic works.

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About the author

Cai Dongfan Author · China · 1877–1945

Cai Dongfan (1877–1945) was a native of Xiaoshan, Zhejiang, and a modern Chinese writer of historical romances. Beginning in 1916, he spent ten years completing the 11-volume, 1,040-chapter Popular Romances of Successive Dynasties, which recounts the rise and fall of dynasties in an accessible style; he also wrote Romances of Empress Dowager Cixi. Drawing on historical sources and adapting them into simple classical Chinese and the chapter-based vernacular form, his works balance historical fact with narrative interest, allowing ordinary readers to follow the broad course of a dynasty through its chapter headings. The collection holds 381 of his works, including dynastic romances on the Jin, Ming, Tang, Later Han and Republican periods, as well as series such as the Six Histories and the Popular Romances of Successive Dynasties, commonly classified as history reading and classical literature. Regarded as a representative figure in Chinese historical romance writing, Cai Dongfan's series have had a lasting influence in popularizing historical knowledge and continuing the romance tradition, and remain accessible introductions to Chinese history for readers today.