The Records of the Three Kingdoms

“”The Records of the Three Kingdoms”” is authored by Chen Shou, a historian of the Western Jin Dynasty. It chronicles the annalistic history of the states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu during China’s Three Kingdoms period and is rated as one of the top four histories among the twenty-four dynastic histories. “”The Records of the Three Kingdoms”” consists of three parts: thirty volumes of the “”Book of Wei,”” fifteen volumes of the “”Book of Shu,”” and twenty volumes of the “”Book of Wu,”” totaling sixty-five volumes. This book is the first part. Cao Pi overthrew the Han to establish Wei, followed by the declarations of emperors in Shu and Wu. Guided by historical realities, Chen Shou used the term “”Three Kingdoms”” as the title and compiled the histories of each state independently, creating a distinctive style within the annalistic historiography. In “”The Records of the Three Kingdoms,”” the “”Book of Wei”” is placed first, with its emperors referred to as “Emperor,” and their accounts as “Annals”; the “”Book of Shu”” and “”Book of Wu”” follow, where the rulers of Shu and Wu are referred to as “Lord,” and their accounts as “Treatises”. However, Chen Shou also acknowledged the historical fact that Wei, Shu, and Wu were of equal status during the Three Kingdoms period. The narratives for the lords of Shu and Wu were recorded using the same method as the annals of Wei’s emperors, adopting the annalistic style of “imperial annals” for chronological recording of events. “”The Records of the Three Kingdoms”” actually covers nearly a hundred years of history, from the Yellow Turban Rebellion at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty (184 AD) to the end of the Three Kingdoms (280 AD). The work is known for its narrative skill and concise writing; Chen Shou was hence acclaimed for his talent as a historian. After “”The Records of the Three Kingdoms”” was published, other writings documenting the history of the Three Kingdoms disappeared over time, leaving only Chen Shou’s work to be passed down through the generations. The influence of “”The Records of the Three Kingdoms”” has been profound in later eras. For instance, Liu Yiqing of the Southern Song Dynasty compiled some anecdotes about Three Kingdoms personages in “”A New Account of the Tales of the World.”” From Li Shangyin’s poem, “”Some jest Zhang Fei’s beard, some laugh at Deng Ai’s gluttony”” (“”Poems of a Proud Child””), it can be seen that by the late Tang Dynasty, stories of the Three Kingdoms had deeply permeated into popular culture. During the Song Dynasty, there were storytelling performances and shadow plays of the Three Kingdoms tales, including puppet shows. It is said that there were as many as fifty varieties of plays about the Three Kingdoms stories in the Yuan Dynasty. Later, during the transition from Yuan to Ming Dynasties, Luo Guanzhong, drawing from the mass creation, and referencing historical materials based on his own life experiences, wrote “”The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.”” Hence, it is evident the long-term significant impact “”The Records of the Three Kingdoms”” has had on ancient Chinese literature and art creation. — ISBN13: 9798325896460