Historical Romance of the Former Han (13)

Cai DongfanJul 2024

4.3

Word count: 61K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

This book is one of the series of long historical novels written by Cai Dongfan in the Republican era under the guiding idea of "using historical romance to save the nation." It covers the period from the contending warlords at the end of the Qin dynasty and Liu Bang's founding of the Han to Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han throne. Readers who love history should not miss it. The book is a monumental work of historical romance with a distinctive format: it takes the official histories as its warp and anecdotes as its weft, and includes the author's own commentary and annotations. The writing is cordial and natural, plain and easy to understand. Both plot and style are excellent, and the book is highly readable. The work values factual accuracy; using the techniques of the historical romance novel, it gives history a strong narrative quality and faithfully recreates the sweeping history of the Qin and Western Han dynasties, portraying one grand epic after another of heroes and their times.

Editor's review

Volume 13 of Romance of the Former Han continues Cai Dongfan's distinctive chapter-by-chapter narrative through the long history from the end of the Qin dynasty to Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han throne. As part of the series, this volume follows the preceding installments, recounting the rise and fall of the Han house and the fortunes of its figures after the contending warlords. The method of taking the official histories as the warp and anecdotes as the weft gives events both a factual basis and strong narrative appeal. The author's self-commentary and self-annotation allow readers to see a historian-style appraisal while following the plot, and the writing is cordial and natural, never obscure. It is well suited as a bridge between introductory and leisure reading of history, especially for readers who have followed earlier volumes and wish to understand the course of the middle and late Western Han. As you read, pay attention to how the author selects and shapes historical sources and how he uses the techniques of historical romance to portray characters; from this you can appreciate the purpose behind "using historical romance to save the nation" and feel the weight of dynastic change in the continuous narrative.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Series readers who have read earlier volumes and wish to continue following the thread of Western Han history
General readers who enjoy chapter-style historical romance and value narrative continuity
History enthusiasts who want to understand the rise and fall of the middle and late Western Han through figures and events
Young readers who need accessible history reading to build a reading habit

Not a good fit for

Academic readers who require strict source criticism and rely on extensive footnoted references
Readers who prefer the pacing of modern fiction and are unused to chapter-style narration and annotation
Readers who want only a single self-contained story and are unwilling to invest in a series

Reading tips

Before reading, review the main figures and events at the end of the previous volume to avoid gaps in understanding caused by the series continuity.
Treat each chapter as a relatively complete story unit, and after finishing it briefly note the relationships among figures and the key turning points.
You may mark historical comments in the annotations first and return to them after finishing the chapter, so as to reduce interruptions to the narrative rhythm.
Read alongside relevant entries in the official histories to appreciate the differences between the techniques of historical romance and the records of the histories.

版权信息
自序
第九十一回赖直谏太子得承基宠正宫词臣同抗议
第九十二回识番情指日解围违妇言上书惹祸
第九十三回惩诸舅推恩赦罪嬖二美夺嫡宣淫
第九十四回智班伯借图进谏猛朱云折槛留旌
第九十五回泄机谋鸩死许后争座位怒斥中官
第九十六回忤重闱师丹遭贬害故妃史立售奸
第九十七回莽朱博附势反亡身美董贤阖家同邀宠
第九十八回良相遭囚呕血致毙幸臣失势与妇并戕
第九十九回献白雉罔上居功惊赤血杀儿构狱
第一百回窃国权王莽弑帝投御玺元后覆宗

FAQ

What period of history does Volume 13 mainly cover?

This volume still belongs to the Romance of the Former Han series and unfolds around the history from the end of the Qin dynasty to Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han throne; specifically, it follows the plot of the previous volume and advances the figures and events of the middle and late Western Han. It is recommended that you read it in connection with the table of contents and the preceding and following volumes in order to grasp the full thread.

Is it suitable as an introductory history book?

It is suitable as an introductory bridge. It uses the official histories as its skeleton and tells stories with the techniques of historical romance; the writing is accessible and can help readers form a basic impression of Western Han history. But if you need rigorous source criticism, you should still read it together with the official histories and academic works.

Do I need to read all the annotations in the book?

You need not read them all in detail. On a first reading, grasp the main plot first and browse the annotations selectively; on a second reading, or when you are interested in a particular historical passage, look at the annotations more closely, and you will better understand the author's perspective on historical commentary and his selection of sources.

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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.