Stories from the Three
Kingdoms period existed as oral traditions before any written compilations. In these popular stories,
the characters typically took on exaggerated and mythical characteristics, often becoming immortals or supernatural beings with magical powers. With their focus on the history of Han Chinese, the stories grew in popularity during the reign of the foreign Mongol emperors of the Yuán Dynasty. During the succeeding Míng Dynasty, an interest in plays and novels resulted in further expansions and retelling of the stories. The earliest attempt to combine these stories into a written work was
Sān Guó Zhì Píng Huà (三國誌評話), literally "Story of Sanguozhi", published sometime between 1321 and 1323. This version combined themes of magic, myth, and morality to appeal to the peasant class. Elements of reincarnation and karma were woven into this version of the story. The
Romance of the Three Kingdoms as we know it today is attributed to Luó Guànzhōng, written between 1330 and 1400 (late Yuán to early Ming period). It was written in partly plain and partly Classical Chinese and was considered the standard text for 300 years. Luó made use of available
historical records, including the
Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms compiled by Chén Shòu, which covered events from the Yellow Turban Rebellion in AD 184 up to the unification of the three kingdoms under the Jìn Dynasty in AD 280. Luó combined this historical knowledge with a gift for storytelling to create a rich tapestry of personalities, and initially published it in 24 volumes. During Kangxi''s reign in the Qing Dynasty, Mao Zonggang (毛宗岗) significantly edited the text, fitting it into 120 chapters. Nowadays, Mao''s version is the most common. This novel reflects the Confucian values which were prominent at the time it was written. According to Confucian moral standard, loyalty to one''s family, friends, and superiors could be used as one of many measures to distinguish good and bad people. In the novel, characters who were not loyal to the collapsing Han Dynasty are portrayed as bad people; on the contrary, modern mainstream ideology in Communist China would interpret that deeply suffering masses were trying to overthrow the Dynasty.