The Yuan Dynasty
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Summary
Editor's review
As an editor, I believe the book's greatest value lies in its success in balancing scholarly rigor with popular appeal. Cai Dongfan adhered to the principle of "taking official histories as the warp, striving for accuracy; taking anecdotes as the weft, avoiding fabrication." Though written in romance form, its main events and figures are grounded in historical sources, making it an excellent introductory work and spur to interest for readers new to Yuan history. It helps readers easily build an overall framework of Yuan history and sense the distinctive atmosphere of an era of multicultural collision and blending. Of course, readers should note that this is a romance from the Republican period, whose historical outlook and occasional literary embellishments bear the marks of its time; it should be read in reference to contemporary Yuan scholarship.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Introductory readers interested in Yuan history but daunted by the difficulty of official histories
- Readers who prefer to experience history through vivid stories and the fates of characters
- Readers seeking to quickly establish an overall framework of Yuan history
- Those concerned with the global expansion of the Mongol Empire and issues of multicultural integration
Not a good fit for
- Academic researchers seeking absolute rigor based entirely on the latest archaeology and historical research
- Readers seeking pure classical Chinese or the original text of the official History of the Yuan
Reading tips
- Read alongside documentaries or maps to intuitively感受 the changing territories of the Mongol Empire
- Pay attention to the book's depictions of ethnic relations and cultural policies, and reflect on their historical implications
- After finishing, selectively read modern scholarly overviews of Yuan history to update and deepen understanding
About the publisher
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.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 序
- 传奇的家族
- 蒙古开国
- 小英雄逃难
- 巧遇豪杰
- 借力复兴
- 旗开得胜
- 英雄连交桃花运
- 温都尔山之战
- 大破汪罕脱里
- 铁木真称帝
- 蒙古军大举入关
- 册立储君
- 征战中亚
- 得胜班师
- 成吉思汗驾崩
- 蒙古扬威
- 金国灭亡
- 西征欧洲
- 蒙哥残杀同宗
- 忽必烈称汗改元
- 南宋灭亡
- 文天祥杀身成仁
- 失败的东征
- 海都挑起内乱
- 南宋的忠臣
- 铁木耳北返
- 平定边患
- 祸起蛇节女
- 荒淫的武宗
- 明主重振朝纲
- 愚孝的仁宗
- 奸臣当道
- 阴谋败露
- 恶有恶报
- 英宗遇刺
- 买奴除恶
- 老丞相一怒辞官
- 泰定帝丧命
- 东挡西杀的爵帅
- 南北之争
- 太平王平定天下
- 虚情假意让皇位
- 明宗暴崩
- 惊遇冤魂
- 寄养皇儿
- 皇后嫁丞相
- 舍子立侄
- 燕铁木儿遭天杀
- 伯颜得势
- 顺帝改元
- 脱脱大义灭亲
- 没主见的主子
- 贤相受蒙蔽
- 天灾人祸
- 宰相出马
- 荒淫无道的元顺帝
- 朱元璋起义
- 元朝最后一员猛将
- 奇皇后祸国殃民
- 元朝告终
FAQ
What is the difference between Cai Dongfan's History of the Yuan and the official History of the Yuan?
Is this book suitable for middle school students?
Can one accurately understand Yuan history through this book?
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About the author
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.
