Art, literature & culture

Publication of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms

14th century

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong, set in the turbulent final years of the Han dynasty and the following Three Kingdoms period of Wei, Shu and Wu. It is based on the historian Chen Shou's earlier Records of the Three Kingdoms, but it expands it with popular legends and stories. It follows the rivalries of warlords such as Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Quan, and the strategist Zhuge Liang, mixing battles, alliances and betrayals. A common saying holds that it is mostly fact with a share of fiction. It is counted among the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature and has influenced theatre, games and film across East Asia.

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The era

This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes.