Romance of the Former Han (7)

Cai DongfanJul 2024

4.3

Word count: 40K words
Chapters: 9

Summary

This book is one of the long historical novels in the series written by Cai Dongfan in the Republican era under the guiding idea of "using historical fiction to save the nation." It covers the period from the contention of rival forces 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 fiction that takes the official histories as its warp and anecdotes as its weft, with a distinctive format and the author's own commentary and annotations. The writing throughout is warm and natural, easy to understand. Both plot and style are excellent, making it highly readable. The work emphasizes factual accuracy, and its approach as a historical novel gives history a strong narrative quality, vividly recreating the sweeping history of the Qin and Western Han dynasties and portraying epic tales of heroes and their times.

Editor's review

This volume is the seventh installment of Romance of the Former Han, continuing to unfold in novelistic form the history from the late Qin dynasty to Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han throne. Cai Dongfan takes the official histories as his warp and anecdotes as his weft, and his method of self-commentary and self-annotation gives the narrative both storytelling power and a historian's sense of proportion. The prose is warm and natural, easy to understand, and the dialogue and scene descriptions are not overwrought, making the book suitable for continuous reading. For readers who have followed the previous volumes, this installment carries the story forward in terms of character fates and political turning points; new readers should take note of the background from earlier sections. While reading, one may treat the author's annotations as a window for dialogue with him, observing how he selects materials and comments on characters; this reveals the book's distinctive value more than simply following the plot.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who have followed the Romance of the Former Han series and wish to continue the story
History enthusiasts interested in politics and character fates in the middle and later Western Han
Readers who enjoy chapter-based narrative and are willing to read the author's commentary
General readers who want a relatively relaxed way to supplement their knowledge of Qin and Han history

Not a good fit for

Those who want to read the complete history of the Han dynasty in one volume and prefer not to follow installments
Beginners who find the mixed classical-vernacular style and the self-annotated format difficult
Professional readers who need rigorous historical argumentation or specialized research

Reading tips

Before reading, look back at the end of the previous volume to recall the main characters and events, reducing difficulties in continuity.
Treat the author's self-commentary and annotations as a second text; after reading the main narrative, review the annotations to understand the author's standpoint.
Take brief notes by chapter, recording political changes and character outcomes for a better overall grasp.
If time is limited, read one or two chapters a day to maintain continuity in the character threads.

版权信息
自序
第四十八回遭众忌贾谊被迁正阃仪袁盎强谏
第四十九回辟阳侯受椎毙命淮南王谋反被囚
第五十回中行说叛国降虏庭缇萦女上书赎父罪
第五十一回老郎官犯颜救魏尚贤丞相当面劾邓通
第五十二回争棋局吴太子亡身肃军营周亚夫守法
第五十三回呕心血气死申屠嘉主首谋变起吴王濞
第五十四回信袁盎诡谋斩御史遇赵涉依议出奇兵

FAQ

What period of history does the seventh volume roughly cover?

According to the overall structure of the book, this volume still falls within the narrative range from the late Qin dynasty to Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han throne; the specific chapters continue from the previous volume, further unfolding Western Han politics and character stories. It is advisable to check the table of contents to confirm the starting and ending chapters so as to connect with the preceding and following volumes.

What use are the author's self-commentary and annotations to ordinary readers?

The annotations often explain the sources of historical materials, the choice among variant accounts, and evaluations of characters, helping readers distinguish historical fact from fictional elements and observe the commendation and censure methods of traditional historians. Beginners may skim them; on a second reading, closer attention yields greater benefit.

Is this edition suitable for middle school students?

It can be read, but the book involves many official titles, place names, and character relationships, so younger students may need help looking things up. It is recommended to start from the earlier volumes in the series or read alongside the timeline in a history textbook for better results.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

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.