The Former Han Dynasty

The Cai Dongfan Chinese History series is a modern-language edition of the historical romances written by Cai Dongfan. Spanning more than a thousand chapters, it recounts the rise and fall of dynasties, from Qin Shi Huang to 1920, covering 2,166 years of history in 11 works and 1,040 chapters, totaling about 6.12 million characters. Its vast span of time, wealth of characters, and immense scale make it the greatest historical romance series of its kind. Cai Dongfan has been praised as "a historian of his age, wielding a divine brush for the ages."

In selecting and using historical sources, Cai Dongfan relied mainly on official histories, while also drawing on unofficial accounts and anecdotes. He said of his historical romances, "Official histories are the warp, and I strive for accuracy; unofficial accounts are the weft, and I avoid falsehood." He used unofficial histories and anecdotes with great caution, often subjecting them to "repeated verification."

His style emphasizes the principle that "meaning carries events, and events convey feeling." He wrote the main text, annotations, and commentary himself.

This historical romance series places history above literary flair. Though it may lack some elegance of style, it provides a vast and accessible general history of China, making an indelible contribution to spreading knowledge of Chinese history.