Historical Romance of the Former Han (9)

Cai DongfanJul 2024

4.3

Word count: 45K words
Chapters: 10

Summary

This book is one of the series of full-length historical novels written by Cai Dongfan in the Republican era under the guiding idea of "using popular 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. Readers who love history should not miss it. This is a monumental historical romance 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 is warm and natural, accessible and easy to understand. Both plot and style are excellent, making it highly readable. The work emphasizes factual accuracy, using the techniques of the historical romance novel to give history a strong narrative drive; it vividly recreates the sweeping history of the Qin and Western Han dynasties and portrays one grand epic after another of heroes and their times.

Editor's review

As another volume of Romance of the Former Han, this book continues to tell, in chapter-linked form, the history from the contending warlords at the end of the Qin dynasty to the fall of the Western Han. Cai Dongfan's intention of "using popular historical romance to save the nation" runs throughout; the narrative does not stop at telling stories but also uses the author's own commentary and annotations to express his views on rise and fall, order and chaos. The volume's length makes it suitable for reading in installments; the writing is accessible, and plot and historical sources are interwoven, allowing readers to feel the political logic of the Western Han through the ups and downs of its characters' fates. For readers who have already read the previous volume, this one smoothly continues the threads of characters and events; for new readers, it can also be read as a relatively complete segment of history. It is advisable not to chase the plot alone but to pay attention to the author's comments on his characters' successes and failures, for that is often where this series differs in value from ordinary historical novels.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who have read the previous volume of Romance of the Former Han and want to continue into the later Western Han
Readers who enjoy chapter-linked historical romances and value the author's commentary
History enthusiasts who want to understand the rise and fall of Western Han politics through the fates of its characters
Adult readers who need material for reading in installments and prefer accessible classical Chinese

Not a good fit for

Readers who want all of Western Han history in one volume and do not want to buy separate installments
Readers who are sensitive to the dialogue and plot embellishments of historical romance and read only official histories
Readers with a weak foundation in classical Chinese who are unwilling to use annotations

Reading tips

First review the characters and events at the end of the previous volume before starting this one, to reduce any sense of broken threads.
Treat the author's own commentary and annotations as a "reading guide": after finishing a passage, look back at them to understand his view of history.
Keep brief timeline notes on key events to help distinguish the romance narrative from the order of historical facts.
Read alongside other volumes of Romance of the Former Han to compare how the same character is handled at different stages.

版权信息
自序
第六十二回厌夫贫下堂致悔开敌衅出塞无功
第六十三回执国法王恢受诛骂座客灌夫得罪
第六十四回遭鬼祟田蚡毙命抚夷人司马扬镳
第六十五回窦太主好淫甘屈膝公孙弘变节善承颜
第六十六回飞将军射石惊奇愚主父受金拒谏
第六十七回失俭德故人烛隐庆凯旋大将承恩
第六十八回舅甥踵起一战封侯父子败谋九重讨罪
第六十九回勘叛案重兴大狱立战功还挈同胞

FAQ

Can I read this book directly without having read the previous volumes of Romance of the Former Han?

You can, but there is a certain barrier. This volume continues the character and event threads of the previous one, so starting directly may leave you unfamiliar with some relationships. It is advisable first to grasp the basic outline from the end of the Qin to the Western Han, or to start from the first volume of the series for a more coherent experience.

What is the biggest difference between this series and ordinary historical novels?

The biggest difference is that it uses the official histories as its skeleton and retains the author's own commentary and annotations. The author narrates the story while commenting on historical events and supplying background, so readers see not only the plot but also judgments on rise and fall, gain and loss. It is more fact-centered than pure fiction and more readable than the official histories.

Do I need to consult official histories such as the Book of Han while reading?

You need not compare every passage, but it is advisable to stay alert to checking key events. The romance form embellishes dialogue and details, and comparing with the official histories helps distinguish fact from literary elaboration. If you are reading for leisure, you can read through first and then look up characters that interest you in the official histories.

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.