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Wu Shu (historical Text)
The ''Book of Wu'' or ''Wu shu'' () is a lost history of the state of Eastern Wu (229–280). It was compiled by the official historians of the Wu court under orders from the Wu emperors. Portions of the text survive only as quotations preserved in Pei Songzhi's '' Annotated Records of the Three Kingdoms''. Emperor Sun Quan () likely commissioned the work around 250, with and as compilers. A new committee was formed several years later at the beginning of Sun Liang's reign () to replace Ding and Xiang, likely due to court factionalism—consisting of Wei Zhao, , Xue Ying, Liang Guang, and Hua He. The second committee faced difficulties due to the deaths of several of its members, as Zhou Zhao and Liang Guang died within 20 years of the committee's creation and Wei Zhao and Hua He died soon after. The last surviving member of the committee, Xue Ying, lived through the fall of Wu and died in 282. The book was probably not completed, and it was lost sometime after the Tang dy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Records Of The Three Kingdoms
The ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' is a Chinese official history written by Chen Shou in the late 3rd century CE, covering the end of the Han dynasty (220 CE) and the subsequent Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE). It is regarded as to be the authoritative source text for these periods. Compiled following the reunification of China under the Jin dynasty (266–420), the work chronicles the political, social, and military events within rival states Cao Wei, Shu Han and Eastern Wu into a single text organized by individual biography. The ''Records'' are the primary source of information for the 14th-century historical novel '' Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', considered to be one of the four classic novels emblematic of written vernacular Chinese. While large subsections of the work have been selected and translated into English, the entire corpus has yet to receive an unabridged English translation. Origin and structure The '' Book of Han'' and ''Records of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rafe De Crespigny
Richard Rafe Champion de Crespigny (born 1936), also known by his Chinese name Zhang Leifu (), is an Australian sinologist and historian. He is an adjunct professor in the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University. He specialises in the history, geography, and literature of the Han dynasty, particularly the translation and historiography of material concerning the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. Family The son of Richard Geoffrey Champion de Crespigny, (1907-1966), and Kathleen Cavenagh Champion de Crespigny (1908-2013), née Cudmore, Richard Rafe Champion de Crespigny was born in Adelaide in 1936. He married Christa Boltz in Turner, Australian Capital Territory on 19 May 1959. Education De Crespigny received his tertiary education at the University of Cambridge (B.A. Honours History 1957; M.A. History 1961) and the Australian National University (B.A. Honours Chinese 1962; M.A. Oriental Studies Honours 1964; PhD Far Eastern History 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tao Qian (Han Dynasty)
Tao Qian () (132–194), courtesy name Gongzu, was a government official and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is best known for serving as the governor of Xu Province. Early life Tao Qian was born in Danyang Commandery (), which is around present-day Ma'anshan, Anhui. His father served as Chief of Yuyao (餘姚長) and died when Tao Qian was still young. As an orphan, he was well known for his daredevil attitude. At the age of 13, he sewed from silk a made-up banner while riding a bamboo horse with all the children from the village following his lead. The Administrator of Cangwu (蒼梧太守), Gan Gong (甘公), who was from the same county by birth, met Tao while travelling. Gan was deeply impressed by Tao's appearance and conversed with him. He was further impressed and agreed to have his daughter married to him. His wife was displeased and told him angrily, "This Tao kid is a ruffian; why offer him our daughter?" Gan Gong replied that Tao Q ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cao Song
Cao Song (died 193), courtesy name Jugao, was an official who lived during the Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was the foster son of the eunuch Cao Teng and the father of the warlord Cao Cao, who rose to prominence in the final years of Eastern Han and laid the foundation of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period. Cao Song was posthumously honoured as "Emperor Tai" ("Grand Emperor") by his grandson Cao Pi in 220 when the latter ended the Han dynasty and founded the Cao Wei regime. Career Cao Song was known to be honest, sincere and of good moral conduct. He served as the Colonel-Director of Retainers () in the Han imperial court. During the reign of Emperor Ling, he served consecutively as the Minister of Finance () and Minister Herald () before replacing Cui Lie ( 崔烈) as the Grand Commandant (). However, it was alleged that Cao Song obtained the post of Grand Commandant by bribing eunuchs, who were deeply trusted by the emperor. Another account stated that Ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Han Dynasty
The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and a warring interregnum known as the Chu–Han Contention (206–202 BC), and it was succeeded by the Three Kingdoms period (220–280 AD). The dynasty was briefly interrupted by the Xin dynasty (9–23 AD) established by the usurping regent Wang Mang, and is thus separated into two periods—the #Western Han (202 BC – 9 AD), Western Han (202 BC9 AD) and the #Eastern Han (25–220 AD), Eastern Han (25–220 AD). Spanning over four centuries, the Han dynasty is considered a Golden ages of China, golden age in Chinese history, and had a permanent impact on Chinese identity in later periods. The majority ethnic group of modern China refer to themselves as the "Han people" or "Han Chinese". The spoken Chinese ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sun Jian
Sun Jian () () (155–191?), courtesy name Wentai, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He allied himself with Yuan Shu in 190 when warlords from eastern China formed a coalition to oust Dong Zhuo, a tyrannical warlord who held the puppet Emperor Xian of Han China, Emperor Xian in his power. Although he controlled neither many troops nor much land, Sun Jian's personal bravery and resourcefulness were feared by Dong Zhuo, who placed him among Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and Liu Biao as the most influential men at that time. After the coalition disbanded in the next year, China fell into civil war. In 191, Sun Jian was killed in battle during Battle of Xiangyang (191), an offensive campaign against Liu Biao. Sun Jian was also the father of Sun Quan, one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms era who eventually established the Eastern Wu state and declared himself its first Emperor of China, emperor in 229, wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo () (c. 140s – 22 May 192), courtesy name Zhongying, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. At the end of the reign of the Eastern Han, Dong Zhuo was a general and powerful minister of the imperial government. Originally from Liang Province, Dong Zhuo seized control of the imperial capital Luoyang in 189 when it entered a state of turmoil following the death of Emperor Ling of Han and a massacre of the eunuch faction by the court officials led by General-in-Chief He Jin. Dong Zhuo subsequently deposed Liu Bian (Emperor Shao) and replaced him with his half-brother, the puppet Emperor Xian to make him become the de facto ruler of China in the boy-emperor's name. The Eastern Han dynasty regime survived in name only. Dong Zhuo's rule was brief and characterized by cruelty and tyranny. In the following year, a coalition of regional officials (; ''cishi'') and warlords launched a campaign against him. Failing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cao Cao
Cao Cao (; ; ; 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese statesman, warlord, and poet who rose to power during the end of the Han dynasty (), ultimately taking effective control of the Han central government. He laid the foundation for the state of Cao Wei (220–265), established by his son and successor Cao Pi, who ended the Eastern Han dynasty and inaugurated the Three Kingdoms period (220–280). Beginning in his own lifetime, a corpus of legends developed around Cao Cao which built upon his talent, his cruelty, and his perceived eccentricities. Cao Cao began his career as an official under the Han government and held various appointments including that of a district security chief in the capital and the chancellor of a Jun (country subdivision), principality. He rose to prominence in the 190s during which he recruited his own followers, formed his own army, and set up a base in Yan Province (covering parts of present-day Henan and Shandong). In 196, he received E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zhang Wen (Eastern Wu)
Zhang Wen (193–230), courtesy name Huishu, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Family background and early career Zhang Wen was from Wu County, Wu Commandery, which is in present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu. The Zhang clan, which he was from, was one of the four most influential clans in Wu Commandery at the time. His father, Zhang Yun (), was famous in Wu Commandery for valuing friendship and having a low regard for material wealth. Zhang Yun also served as an assistant officer under the warlord Sun Quan, who became the founding emperor of Eastern Wu later. At a young age, Zhang Wen was already known for his good moral conduct and for having a dignified appearance. When Sun Quan heard about him, he asked his subjects: "Among his contemporaries, who is Zhang Wen comparable to?" Liu Ji said: "He is comparable to Quan Cong." However, Gu Yong had a different opinion: "Liu Ji doesn't know him well enough. No ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sun Shao (Changxu)
Sun Shao (163 – June or July 225), courtesy name Changxu, posthumously known as Marquis Su of Yangxian (陽羨肃侯), was a Chinese politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He served as the first Imperial Chancellor of Eastern Wu from 222 to 225. He was not related to the imperial family of Eastern Wu even though he shared the same family name as them. Life Described as a man about eight ''chi'' tall, Sun Shao was from Beihai State (), a commandery centred around present-day Weifang, Shandong. He started his career as an Officer of Merit () in his home commandery sometime between 189 and 196, when Kong Rong was serving as Beihai State's Chancellor. Kong Rong called Sun Shao "a talent capable of serving in the imperial court". In the mid-190s, Sun Shao left Beihai State and travelled south to the Jiangdong region, where he became a subordinate of Liu Yao, the Governor of Yang Province (which covered the Jiangdong region). In 200 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yu Xi
Yu Xi (虞喜; 307–345 AD), courtesy name Zhongning (仲寧), was a Chinese astronomer, politician, and writer of the Jin dynasty (266–420 AD). He is best known for his discovery of the precession of the equinoxes, independently of the earlier ancient Greek astronomer Hipparchus. He also postulated that the Earth could be spherical in shape instead of being flat and square, long before the idea became widely accepted in Chinese science with the advances in circumnavigation by Europeans from the 16th-20th centuries, especially with their arrival into the capital's imperial court in the 17th century. Background and official career The life and works of Yu Xi are described in his biography found in the ''Book of Jin'', the official history of the Jin dynasty.Knechtges and Chang (2014), p. 2010. He was born in Yuyao, Guiji (modern Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, China). Yu Song, son of Yu Fan, was recorded to be his clan elder. His father Yu Cha (虞察) was a military commander ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jin Dynasty (266–420)
The Jin dynasty or Jin Empire, sometimes distinguished as the or the , was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty in China that existed from 266 to 420. It was founded by Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan, eldest son of Sima Zhao, who had previously been declared the King of Jin. There are two main divisions in the history of the dynasty. The (266–316) was established as the successor to Cao Wei after Sima Yan usurped the throne from Cao Huan. The capital of the Western Jin was initially in Luoyang, though it later moved to Chang'an (modern Xi'an). In 280, after conquering Eastern Wu, the Western Jin ended the Three Kingdoms period and reunited China proper for the first time since the end of the Han dynasty. From 291 to 306, a series of civil wars known as the War of the Eight Princes were fought over control of the Jin state which weakened it considerably. In 304, the dynasty experienced a wave of Invasion and rebellion of the Five Barbarians, rebellions by non-Han Chinese, H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
