Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Written sometime in the fourteenth-century, “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” by the famed Chinese writer and playwright Luo Guanzhong, is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature and its influence in China and East Asia can be compared to Shakespeare in England and Europe. This popular tale is remarkable for its length at 800,000 words and its impressive cast of nearly one thousand dramatic characters. The story, which contains elements of true historical accounts mixed with myth and legend, is set during the tumultuous end of the Han dynasty in 169 AD and ends with the reunification of the country in 280 AD. This time was known as the “Three Kingdoms” period in Chinese history and is famous for the battles waged by feudal lords and their loyal retainers as they fought with each other to either replace the fading Han dynasty or restore it to its former power. The story follows hundreds of characters during this time of unrest and conflict and focuses on the politics, diplomacy, and struggle for power of the time. This edition follows the translation of C. H. Brewitt-Taylor.