Paper: Book

Three Kingdoms

The epic novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms: China’s Epic Drama which was written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14^th century and later translated by Moss Roberts, illustrates the tragic fall of the 400-year Han Dynasty (202 BCE – 220 CE) in elaborate complexity and detail. Liu Pei and his brothers of the Peach Garden Oath, Kuan Yü, and Chang Fei, represent the heroic loyalist party who tries to defend the throne from Ts’ao Ts’ao (the betraying Chancellor in the north) and Sun Chuan (in the Southland). To the reader’s dismay, Liu Pei is not able to regain control over the state for the Han Emperor, and the tale of the three kingdoms is succeeded in history by four centuries of division, instability, and mostly foreign control. However, readers gain great insight from this book by being able to observe the delicate and formal interactions between the ancient Chinese people, which reflect greatly on the values of the Chinese culture. I am glad that my partner, Maggie, chose this novel for our cultural exchange because I was able to find connections in the story to the two symbols and two proverbs that she shared with me.

Three Kingdoms appropriately fitted the Chinese proverb “Do nothing by halves”, because the fighters of the loyalist party were all extremely hard workers who devoted all of their energy into the war, particularly Liu Pei. As he lies dying, unsuccessful in his life’s quest to return the throne to the Emperor, he says, “Could I do otherwise than drain the strength of my limbs to fulfill the discipline of persevering loyalty whose sequel is but death?” This statement of strong commitment and devotion to the Han dynasty surely has left strong impressions on the Chinese people of their heroic ancestors, and helped them to exert their full strength during adverse moments of China's history.

The tale of the three kingdoms also resembles the symbol of the Great Wall of China, in that it is a war story that involves more than one generation of warriors. The struggle to prevent the fall of the Han dynasty took place over a decade, and consequently, sons replaced their aging fathers in leading the different alliances, creating a substitution of the older Chinese men with the younger Chinese men. As the translator, Moss Roberts, stated in his introduction, the scale of time for this piece is dynastic, rather than individual. K’ung-ming, Liu Pei’s strategic advisor, wrote a testament on the day before his death, after Liu Pei and his two brothers all had been killed in the war. His words reach out to the succeeding generation to sustain the morality and dignity of the Chinese people in order to ensure that the nation will continue to excel forever. He wrote, “I appeal to your majesty to remain pure in heart and free of wrongful desires. Discipline yourself; cherish the people. Fulfill your filial duty to the late king. Extend humane favor within your realm. Raise the obscure and unknowledged, promote the competent and the worthy. Reject the unscrupulous and depraved. Keep wholesome our mores and morale.” The Great Wall stands as physical proof of the great efforts that the people of China have put forth over the generations to instill pride in the nation and gain respect from the rest of the world.

The second proverb from my cultural exchange is, “A single flower does not make a spring.” Maggie told me about the 56 different ethnic groups that constitute the Chinese nation, and she told me that their country values the unique traditions and characteristics of each of them, no matter how small they may be in number compared to the main Han group. In Three Kingdoms, the Peach Garden Oath in which Liu Pei, Kuan Yü, and Chang Fei vowed to become brothers that fight together and die together honored this same concept. Liu Pei was a remote relation to the royal family, Kuan Yü was a fugitive who had killed a man, and Chang Fei was a butcher. None of them were truly fit for the role of loyalist warriors, which were positions for sons of families of high status. However, through their strong personalities and unwavering courage, the contributions of Liu Pei, Kuan Yü, and Chang Fei to the loyalist party were acknowledged, and they rose to become the legendary leaders of the loyalist party.

Lastly, the symbol of the eight horses painted by Xu Beihong is also very relevant to the Three Kingdoms. Liu Pei's gallant fighting, strength in morality, and ability to quickly flee from danger resemble none other than the eight galloping horses and the character they each represent. Even though Liu Pei did not have the birthright to inherit the throne, he became the Emperor of the loyalist party through his fighting spirit and courageous leadership. His example serves as a great reminder to all Chinese people to remember the eight horses in how they conduct themselves, for when they do, the nation can achieve even greater power and pride than they thought possible.

Three Kingdoms was a terrific match for the cultural exchange between Maggie and me, because the complex plot and magnificent life stories of the characters incorporated all of the Chinese proverbs and symbols that Maggie and I had discussed in one way or another. Furthermore, I would recommend this book for anyone interested in the history and the people of China, for this valuable translated version of the Chinese classic enables non-Chinese people to look at the Chinese culture through the same perspective that Chinese people have learned about their own past.